Update: Due to an error with its website, it seems Currys allowed some customers to buy a Playstation 5 before the sale kickstarted at 9am this morning. When the sale started, thousands logged onto the site – forcing Currys to leave shoppers in a virtual queue to stop the online store becoming overwhelmed. In a statement in the minutes following the 9am launch, Currys confirmed that it would not be selling its stock as planned – with the launch pushed back until later today.
It now seems Currys is canceling the orders that managed to be processed before the official launch. In one example posted online, a customer service representative said: “Unfortunately due to an error on our site we were allowing customer to check out the PS5 before they went live at 9am. Due to this we have had to cancel orders and the funds will be released back to you. Please accept my apologies”
The original story follows below…
Playstation fans almost brought the Currys PC World website to its knees this morning. The online retailer has struggled to keep up with huge demand – marooning shoppers in a virtual queue to stop the website crashing under the number of users. Hundreds of thousands of PS5 fans flooded the website after the high street retailer confirmed that it would have stock of the Sony PlayStation 5 available to buy from 9am today. Pre-orders of the next-generation console sold-out in seconds when the stock first appeared online.
Posting online yesterday to drum-up demand, Currys confirmed: “Please remember, the PS5 console will be available to order ONLINE ONLY from 9am tomorrow. No units will be available for in-store purchase on Thursday 19th November, please continue to check back online for further updates.”
Sony has struggled to keep up with the colossal demand for its new console, with many scrambling to buy a console to gift on launch day ready for Christmas. Currys, as well as a number of other UK high street stores, had held back some stock to buy on the release date, Thursday November 19 2020, instead of allocating everything to pre-orders.
However, those lucky enough to be at the front of the virtual queue this morning were still not able to get their hands on a PS5, Currys has now confirmed. It seems Currys still has some stock of the feverishly sought-after console …but these units won’t be available until later today.
It’s unclear what caused the delay… but it seems the vast crowds swarming the website might have something to do with it.
Posting on its official Twitter profile, Currys stated: “Our 9am go live for the PS5 is unfortunately on hold. We’re really sorry as we know a lot of you are really excited to get your hands on the PS5, we are hoping that it will go live later today. Keep your eyes peeled on our page for more updates.”
Shoppers took to social media to complain about the issues with the stock. One joked: “I hope you know that if I don’t get one I will have failed as a mother.”
