PS5 and Xbox Series X petition gets response from Government

The Government has finally responded to a petition urging MPs to do more about scalping.

A petition was set up by Richard Glover after the release of the next-gen consoles after it become notoriously hard to grab a PS5 and Xbox Series X.

The petition, started by Richard Glover, reads: “I believe it to be an unfair and unjust practice that well funded groups/individuals can deplete the stock of a single item and make it unaffordable/unavailable to the average consumer. I believe the law around this practice needs to be reviewed and measures to prevent it need to be introduced.

“This practice is most prevalent in the buying and re-selling of event tickets but also has a significant impact on the sales of trainers/clothes and technology. The most recent case in point is the launch of the PlayStation 5 and XBox Series X consoles”

Now the Government has responded to the petition emphasising it is “illegal to buy tickets using automated software” and it is “discussing other markets with relevant trade associations.”

According to Eurogamer, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said it’s discussing the issue of “bulk purchasing of high demand items like graphics cards and games consoles through automated bots with trade associations such as Ukie”.

“We understand they are currently examining further actions they can take to prevent these behaviours and are working with their retailers to improve experiences for customers purchasing their products,” the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said.

Ukie said it has been in talks with the government to work out how to tackle the problem of console scalpers, but for now recommended frustrated customers should “stay patient”.

“We’ve been in constructive conversation with industry and government to determine the scale of the problem with consoles, share best practices between companies on how to tackle it and to provide advice to consumers on the matter,” a spokesperson for Ukie told Eurogamer.

“For now, our top tip is to stay patient, to refuse to buy from scalpers and to buy from a trusted retailer. We understand how frustrating it is to wait for a new device, but holding out to buy a console at the recommended price from a retailer as stock shortage”.