[Joe Forster/STA]

WD40 is a very general spray that removes grease and other shit from metal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wd40 ) so it can be used for getting rid of contact problems, too; try some DIY shop or something. It doesn't matter which part - port or plug - you spray because it the other will also be cleaned upon insertion. I suggest you spray it on the card, though, so that it doesn't get inside the console.

However, if both the console and the card are brand new then I don't think it'll help. If you have someone around with another PS2 and a memory card, try swapping them around to find out whether the PS2 or the memory card is faulty - and then bring that back to the shop and ask for a replacement.

I do have a PS2 but I don't have time to play with it and I'm not very familiar with possible problems with it either. All these above were just some general ideas that apply to other computers, too...