ShopTo tells some PS5 pre-order customers they will not receive their console at launch
"... we understand their frustration."
ShopTo has warned some of its PlayStation 5 pre-order customers that they will not receive their console at launch.
In an email sent out to affected customers, seen by Eurogamer, ShopTo said:
"We have received the allocation details from Sony and, unfortunately, we regret to inform you that we will not be able to fulfil your pre-order on day one/release date."
ShopTo goes on to encourage its customers to keep their pre-orders with the company just in case.
"Sony may notify us of additional stock with extra allocation for day one and you have already reserved your place in the queue," ShopTo says. "Some customers may cancel their pre-orders and that may allow yours to be next in line."
Speaking to Eurogamer, ShopTo boss Igor Cipolletta declined to go into detail on the company's PS5 allocation. "Unfortunately we could not make everyone happy due to Sony's allocation," he said.
"I hope soon they will be able to share more units for day one, or let us know when will be the next delivery after day one."
However, Cipolletta said ShopTo never took pre-orders initially. The company's website asked customers to register their interest. Those who had registered their interest were then sent an email to say they would be able to convert this interest into an actual pre-order from 17th September - the date PS5 pre-orders went live. This email asked customers to go to the pre-order section of their ShopTo account, and either remove their pre-order, or confirm their pre-order. Customers had until the 24th September to confirm, or their registered interest would be deleted.
Fast forward to the start of this week, and ShopTo started emailing customers either confirming their pre-order would result in a PS5 delivered on day one, or that their pre-order will result in a late delivery.
Cipolletta insisted ShopTo is currently only sending the late delivery warning email to those who failed to convert their interest into a pre-order on time, or who secured duplicate pre-orders.
Of course, it's easy to miss ShopTo's emails. A colleague at Digital Foundry who has secured a PS5 pre-order with ShopTo, found the alert email asking them to convert their registered interest into an actual email by 24th September in their junk folder.
It seems some ShopTo customers who thought they had a pre-order with the company are now faced with not having a PS5 on launch day - and with little hope of securing a pre-order elsewhere.
"If a customer has missed both messages and are disappointed we understand their frustration, but it was never our intention to disappoint them," Cipolletta said. "We value their custom as always."
The PS5 quickly sold out after pre-order chaos that saw websites fall over and scalpers descend upon eBay. It's a similar situation with the Xbox Series X. Retail behemoth Amazon has already sent out warning emails to those who have pre-ordered the PS5 and Xbox Series, saying they may not arrive in time for launch. Given how difficult it is to get hold of a next-gen console right now, customers will be crossing their fingers that their pre-orders are just that.