I have purchased a lot of games through Steam. I have bought many great games and a few turkeys. I have never ever considered asking for a refund. Why? It was MY CHOICE to purchase the game in the first place. If I purchased something that did not live up to my expectations, then it was my fault for not taking the time to research it even a little. If I find that a particular game developer is constantly putting out "bad" product, I stop purchasing their product. I do not blame Steam as they are only the store front.
So from all the advice and those who see this simply black and white issue. Here is what you need to do when buying a steam game.
1. Research everything good,bad,ugly and read everything about the game. 2. Watch all the youtube videos and watch twitch players ask lots of questions. 3. Once game is installed keep track of your time like a boss. 4. Ignore the steam reviews because you might not agree with them. 5. Go to sleep because all of this crap took 12 hours.
Sound about right?
Nah, I think it's essentially the simplest thing.
As Simsalabim (and problably others) mentioned: "just read the refund policy".
Just like you would do "in life" when you are buying any product, before you buy be informed.
Especially if you know you are just "trying it out". I would say figuring out the refund policy would be the first thing you would do.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
love how you guys just take it while lying down. some tutorials take forever and some games just phone it in near the end or the developer breaks it with a patch. And people are supposed to just take it right there with no option when the product was not what was promised.
love how you guys just take it while lying down. some tutorials take forever and some games just phone it in near the end or the developer breaks it with a patch. And people are supposed to just take it right there with no option when the product was not what was promised.
You're making life too hard.
You read the policy and then decide if you want to go ahead. If you do want to go ahead then keep it within the limits and then if the game doesn't give you that "I must buy feeling" within the allotted time you chalk it up to poor design, return it and move on.
It has nothing to do with taking it "lying down". People just don't think anymore. Who goes ahead and spends a dime without knowing what the heck they are spending their money on? And if one does and one gets bitten one too many times then it should be "lesson learned".
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
I do not think the refund policy should be a trial system to see if people like games anyhow. It should be for games that just will not run right on your system.
2 hours is for sure long enough to know if the game will not run right or needs a better system to run ok to play it.
But since they say "for any reason" it is their policy to be a trial system as well as for technical problems.
But really, it is very clear. 2 weeks and/or 2 hours of play time. Any reason for refund that fits that policy seems pretty generous to me.
No return on software is a poop policy...compared to that...theirs seems like a good deal.
laxie said: I have refunded around 20 games this year. I purchase a fair bit of games though - I'd say in under 10% of my purchases I ask for a refund.
You purchased +200 games in 7 months...?
I buy around 10-15 games a month. Definitely don't play all of them fully - some of them I barely play at all.
I have purchased a lot of games through Steam. I have bought many great games and a few turkeys. I have never ever considered asking for a refund. Why? It was MY CHOICE to purchase the game in the first place. If I purchased something that did not live up to my expectations, then it was my fault for not taking the time to research it even a little. If I find that a particular game developer is constantly putting out "bad" product, I stop purchasing their product. I do not blame Steam as they are only the store front.
I took a game refund once in the last 15 years, and that was for a MMO called Xyson, which was an unmitigated disaster. The refund was offered by the game developer though, I did not demand it.
There appears to be a significant group of people that refuse to accept responsibility for their purchasing decisions.
Luckily for those people, games are not treated the same way as other entertainment media. Nobody gets a refund if they don't enjoy a movie or a play at a theatre. Nobody gets their tickets refunded if they attend a concert and don't enjoy the performance of the band.
But they seem to expect that they can buy a game and play it, and then get a refund if they don't enjoy it.
I expect that games will eventually be classed as "entertainment services", which will change the applicable consumer rights. Widespread abuse of "charge backs" will force the issue eventually...
I understand that you don't like it, but they have a policy, and you didn't meet it. How many hours should you be able to play? I can guarantee you, whatever number you say, someone will come on and say it should be an hour more. Like others have said, most people know before 2 hours whether or not they want to keep it.
There has to be a cuttoff and 2 hours seems a reasonable time to make a decision IMO.
I have purchased a lot of games through Steam. I have bought many great games and a few turkeys. I have never ever considered asking for a refund. Why? It was MY CHOICE to purchase the game in the first place. If I purchased something that did not live up to my expectations, then it was my fault for not taking the time to research it even a little. If I find that a particular game developer is constantly putting out "bad" product, I stop purchasing their product. I do not blame Steam as they are only the store front.
I see two sides of the coin here.
The refund policy changes the purchasing environment considerably. It allows me to purchase less known titles safely. Since the policy was introduced, my spending increased a fair bit. I can buy unfamiliar titles with mixed reviews and feel good about the purchase. I used to (and still do) research games extensively. With this care-free refund policy though, I can take more risks when purchasing.
I never refund for money. I always ask for Steam credit. In my eyes, I am returning a faulty product and moving the money to a developer who did a better job. I always have a valid reason too.
The most recent refunds were for an RPG where I spent and hour trying to get the game display fullscreen, got 3 crashes in the first hour and fell through the floor twice. It was a less known, "mixed review" RPG. With these refunds, I can make such purchase - and most importantly, not stop making such purchases in the future. In my case, I think the developers genuinely benefit from this policy. I spend more money on average titles and in 90%+ of the cases, don't refund them.
The other side of the coin is a Steam thread I came across. The OP of the Steam thread was saying "I am conflicted guys. I loved the game. It was amazing in all respects. I finished it in 1 hour and 40 minutes though. Should I refund?"
That is the other extreme, showing that there is something very wrong with the policy. There are a good number of games that are < 2 hours. Those games may be flawless experiences, but allow the customer to get a refund anyway.
laxie said: I have refunded around 20 games this year. I purchase a fair bit of games though - I'd say in under 10% of my purchases I ask for a refund.
You purchased +200 games in 7 months...?
I buy around 10-15 games a month. Definitely don't play all of them fully - some of them I barely play at all.
That is remarkable. Tons of disposable income and time to kill. You must be livin the life. /jealous
That is remarkable. Tons of disposable income and time to kill. You must be livin the life. /jealous
I'm a student on a scholarship. It's a dream come true!
Jokes aside, most of my purchases are discounted games. Given the refund policy, I'm happy to buy a couple at a time.
That said, I am certain many F2P players spend a lot more than me. And I wouldn't say those people necessarily have a "better time". Similarly, I don't think a player who buys 2 games a year has a lot less fun than I do. In fact, buying games in bulk is not the way to go.
Star Conflict and Steam refund story: I played the game for a while, and when the last summer sale was around, i tried to get more informations on the game and about the PvE part, but it was pretty much like talking to a wall, i didn't get a clear answer at all. I was unsure about the whole thing, but i still bought all the DLCs through Steam during the sale.
As soon as the summer sale was over, i suddenly got an answer from a Dev in one of their blogs, telling me that they would focus on PvP from now on... I thought, f* this s*, logged into Steam Support, opened up a ticket, described the whole story and i got all DLCs refunded. The DLCs were even marked as "non refundable", and i played more then just 2hrs...
On the other hand, Hawken and Steam refund story: The former Devs/Publisher of this game used the "Early Access" on Steam as some last resort cash grab kind of thing. Not delivering any updates to the game, and just stringing the players along, until they finally went down. I tried to show that to the Steam Support, and to get a refund for the DLCs i bought, but not a chance...
Best part about Hawken, the new Devs/Publisher did pretty much the same thing. While telling everyone that they were working on the PC version of the game, they were actually getting Hawken ready for a release on consoles...
love how you guys just take it while lying down. some tutorials take forever and some games just phone it in near the end or the developer breaks it with a patch. And people are supposed to just take it right there with no option when the product was not what was promised.
You're making life too hard.
You read the policy and then decide if you want to go ahead. If you do want to go ahead then keep it within the limits and then if the game doesn't give you that "I must buy feeling" within the allotted time you chalk it up to poor design, return it and move on.
It has nothing to do with taking it "lying down". People just don't think anymore. Who goes ahead and spends a dime without knowing what the heck they are spending their money on? And if one does and one gets bitten one too many times then it should be "lesson learned".
Have fun taking it. I got paypal,a good bank and better shops to buy than steam.
I have purchased a lot of games through Steam. I have bought many great games and a few turkeys. I have never ever considered asking for a refund. Why? It was MY CHOICE to purchase the game in the first place. If I purchased something that did not live up to my expectations, then it was my fault for not taking the time to research it even a little. If I find that a particular game developer is constantly putting out "bad" product, I stop purchasing their product. I do not blame Steam as they are only the store front.
I took a game refund once in the last 15 years, and that was for a MMO called Xyson, which was an unmitigated disaster. The refund was offered by the game developer though, I did not demand it.
There appears to be a significant group of people that refuse to accept responsibility for their purchasing decisions.
Luckily for those people, games are not treated the same way as other entertainment media. Nobody gets a refund if they don't enjoy a movie or a play at a theatre. Nobody gets their tickets refunded if they attend a concert and don't enjoy the performance of the band.
But they seem to expect that they can buy a game and play it, and then get a refund if they don't enjoy it.
I expect that games will eventually be classed as "entertainment services", which will change the applicable consumer rights. Widespread abuse of "charge backs" will force the issue eventually...
Eh you are wrong, most theaters will refund if you ask for it before the movie is over, and alot will even do it after.
Also, if "entertainment services" such as movies had problems like projectors breaking down, that'd be similar to games that crash... there will always be refunds. 2 hours is way more than generous though. I think one hour or even half is plenty. If it's not miserably bad or broken... it's on you.
On the other hand some dishonest companies deserve chargebacks and more from now till the end of time. I can accept failure but not dishonest practices.
2 hours sounds official but may not comply with your local federal and government consumer protection laws which often supersede EULA's. I would do some research to see what agencies to file complaints with.
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
Still doesn't make sense to me. Buy a DvD/CD/Record/VHS since forever. Can't get a refund unless it's defective. Even then it's mostly only a replacement. Not a return. But a game?
/SMH
"This may hurt a little, but it's something you'll get used to. Relax....."
Still doesn't make sense to me. Buy a DvD/CD/Record/VHS since forever. Can't get a refund unless it's defective. Even then it's mostly only a replacement. Not a return. But a game?
/SMH
The problem with that thinking. Movie trailers actually have scenes from the movie. Game trailers just cinematic bullcrap that almost always has nothing to do with the game itself.
There is a LOT not to like about Steam but i feel 2 hours is good enough.I can tell within the first 5-10 minutes if a game is good enough. The only questionable part is the TIME.I know Steam has posted time for games i never even got to login for,so Steam is falsifying the numbers.I have had several games listed at 15+ minutes that i never stepped one second into.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Comments
Let's party like it is 1863!
As Simsalabim (and problably others) mentioned: "just read the refund policy".
Just like you would do "in life" when you are buying any product, before you buy be informed.
Especially if you know you are just "trying it out". I would say figuring out the refund policy would be the first thing you would do.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
You read the policy and then decide if you want to go ahead. If you do want to go ahead then keep it within the limits and then if the game doesn't give you that "I must buy feeling" within the allotted time you chalk it up to poor design, return it and move on.
It has nothing to do with taking it "lying down". People just don't think anymore. Who goes ahead and spends a dime without knowing what the heck they are spending their money on? And if one does and one gets bitten one too many times then it should be "lesson learned".
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
2 hours is for sure long enough to know if the game will not run right or needs a better system to run ok to play it.
But since they say "for any reason" it is their policy to be a trial system as well as for technical problems.
But really, it is very clear. 2 weeks and/or 2 hours of play time. Any reason for refund that fits that policy seems pretty generous to me.
No return on software is a poop policy...compared to that...theirs seems like a good deal.
There appears to be a significant group of people that refuse to accept responsibility for their purchasing decisions.
Luckily for those people, games are not treated the same way as other entertainment media. Nobody gets a refund if they don't enjoy a movie or a play at a theatre. Nobody gets their tickets refunded if they attend a concert and don't enjoy the performance of the band.
But they seem to expect that they can buy a game and play it, and then get a refund if they don't enjoy it.
I expect that games will eventually be classed as "entertainment services", which will change the applicable consumer rights. Widespread abuse of "charge backs" will force the issue eventually...
There has to be a cuttoff and 2 hours seems a reasonable time to make a decision IMO.
I self identify as a monkey.
The refund policy changes the purchasing environment considerably. It allows me to purchase less known titles safely. Since the policy was introduced, my spending increased a fair bit. I can buy unfamiliar titles with mixed reviews and feel good about the purchase. I used to (and still do) research games extensively. With this care-free refund policy though, I can take more risks when purchasing.
I never refund for money. I always ask for Steam credit. In my eyes, I am returning a faulty product and moving the money to a developer who did a better job. I always have a valid reason too.
The most recent refunds were for an RPG where I spent and hour trying to get the game display fullscreen, got 3 crashes in the first hour and fell through the floor twice. It was a less known, "mixed review" RPG. With these refunds, I can make such purchase - and most importantly, not stop making such purchases in the future. In my case, I think the developers genuinely benefit from this policy. I spend more money on average titles and in 90%+ of the cases, don't refund them.
The other side of the coin is a Steam thread I came across. The OP of the Steam thread was saying "I am conflicted guys. I loved the game. It was amazing in all respects. I finished it in 1 hour and 40 minutes though. Should I refund?"
That is the other extreme, showing that there is something very wrong with the policy. There are a good number of games that are < 2 hours. Those games may be flawless experiences, but allow the customer to get a refund anyway.
OP it's $9.99 just keep it.
Jokes aside, most of my purchases are discounted games. Given the refund policy, I'm happy to buy a couple at a time.
That said, I am certain many F2P players spend a lot more than me. And I wouldn't say those people necessarily have a "better time". Similarly, I don't think a player who buys 2 games a year has a lot less fun than I do. In fact, buying games in bulk is not the way to go.
I played the game for a while, and when the last summer sale was around, i tried to get more informations on the game and about the PvE part, but it was pretty much like talking to a wall, i didn't get a clear answer at all.
I was unsure about the whole thing, but i still bought all the DLCs through Steam during the sale.
As soon as the summer sale was over, i suddenly got an answer from a Dev in one of their blogs, telling me that they would focus on PvP from now on...
I thought, f* this s*, logged into Steam Support, opened up a ticket, described the whole story and i got all DLCs refunded.
The DLCs were even marked as "non refundable", and i played more then just 2hrs...
On the other hand, Hawken and Steam refund story:
The former Devs/Publisher of this game used the "Early Access" on Steam as some last resort cash grab kind of thing. Not delivering any updates to the game, and just stringing the players along, until they finally went down.
I tried to show that to the Steam Support, and to get a refund for the DLCs i bought, but not a chance...
Best part about Hawken, the new Devs/Publisher did pretty much the same thing. While telling everyone that they were working on the PC version of the game, they were actually getting Hawken ready for a release on consoles...
/shrug O.o
I got it well in advance of release basically because they were ridiculously late on delivery and it was horrendously lacking on promised features.
Oh yeah... Also because the community moderator said I was scammed but should just shrug it off.
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
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Have fun taking it. I got paypal,a good bank and better shops to buy than steam.
How does it perform, takes about 3 mins.
How are the controls, takes about 3 mins.
How is the combat in GENERAL, responsive, sloppy, maybe 15mins MAX
So playing for 2 hours is like, ya you own it.
Also, if "entertainment services" such as movies had problems like projectors breaking down, that'd be similar to games that crash... there will always be refunds. 2 hours is way more than generous though. I think one hour or even half is plenty. If it's not miserably bad or broken... it's on you.
On the other hand some dishonest companies deserve chargebacks and more from now till the end of time. I can accept failure but not dishonest practices.
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
Still doesn't make sense to me. Buy a DvD/CD/Record/VHS since forever. Can't get a refund unless it's defective. Even then it's mostly only a replacement. Not a return. But a game?
/SMH
"This may hurt a little, but it's something you'll get used to. Relax....."
The only questionable part is the TIME.I know Steam has posted time for games i never even got to login for,so Steam is falsifying the numbers.I have had several games listed at 15+ minutes that i never stepped one second into.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.