I recently asked a question about a problem I was having with a PSN special offer. The question was downvoted with people commenting that I should contact Sony support. At the time I agreed that it was an inappropriate question and closed it before it was closed (so I cannot provide a link to the post). When I contacted the support line I was directed to a rather obscure menu item which helped me resolve the issue. In retrospect, I found that there was a correct answer to my question that other people in my situation would find useful.
So I would like to discuss the validity of downvoting a technical support question in lieu of asking the appropriate support line. While the support lines are invaluable it is much faster and more convenient for people to Google the question than wait for 'the next available operator' on a support line.
In case it is relevant, the question I asked was:
"What happened to the mini's offer"
"I recently purchased an offer from the PSN network that involved purchasing five mini's for five dollars. I downloaded the first three games and it informed me that I could return to this page to receive my remaining two. But the offer doesn't appear anymore and I could not find the screen anywhere. Can I still get my remaining games?"