Bought Star Trek Bridge Crew in sale. Had previously bought it months back but it didn't work and kept crashing so I got a refund. This time I thought I'd give it a try again since I assumed it had been patched.
It is still unplayable for me. Sent refund request which STEAM declined saying 'I'd spent over 2 hours playing' (not playing actually, trying to fix it). They calculated 'playing' time as the total for both purchases, so, 4 hours.
Tried refund again, this time sending them an extensive explanation that I'd not played it but was trying to get it to work and they sent the same standard decline "You've played more than two hours" etc. I can't reach them by phone. Is this the worst customer service ever?
What to do.
Quote from: Ian C on June 26, 2018, 07:24:10 AM
Bought Star Trek Bridge Crew in sale. Had previously bought it months back but it didn't work and kept crashing sop I got a refund. This time I thought I'd give it a try again since I assumed it had been patched.
It is still unplayable for me. Sent refund request which STEAM declined saying 'I'd spent over 2 hours playing' (not playing actually, trying to fix it). They calculated 'playing' time as the total for both purchases, so, 4 hours.
Tried refund again, this time sending them an extensive explanation that I'd not played it but was trying to get it to work and they sent the same standard decline "You've played more than two hours" etc. I can't reach them by phone. Is this the worst customer service ever?
What to do.
They are obviously very big so I guess a lot of the decision making may be automated to an extent. So I guess the point is that their policy on refunds is a playtime of 2 hours. I believe it to be perfectly reasonable that time extends over all recorded purchases as what would stop someone just refunding buying every time for less than two hours.
They obviously need to account for that to stop it and granted it may be unlikely someone persists in that ... but there is likely just a lime of code at the end of your request not an actual person.
Persist I guess but pretty sure they won't budge on it from the point of view of the possible consequences of doing so.
They likely made it a binary decision purely because they then didn't need a person making it at the other end.
Yeah, I sent more requests and sure enough, all declined with same wording in the replies.
Caveat Emptor, I guess, with gravy on.
Quote from: Ian C on June 26, 2018, 07:24:10 AM
They calculated 'playing' time as the total for both purchases, so, 4 hours.
This I can understand. Like Zulu1966 said otherwise this would lead to nonstop buying and refunding by many users.
In this case (as you can't mail them) you could try using https://help.steampowered.com again but use another option (I have a technical problem, ...).
Maybe this could get you into contact with a 'real' person so you can explain your situation.
Not much else you can do I guess ...
As frustrating as that situation sounds, it is a unique set of facts. While some human interaction and personal attention would be nice, I wouldn't hold this one issue against Steam too heavily. The reality of the system, for me at least, is that it functions nearly flawlessly. Technical issues, licensing issues, etc. are nearly non-existent for me and I spend literally hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of gaming time on Steam. No other system has given me such a resolutely and reliably smooth experience.
But, yes, when it doesn't work as intended, it is definitely extremely frustrating. If it really bugs you, I would keep trying to get someone's attention over there...or better yet, try to get the game working on your system. It is a great game and worth playing. I think Pete's advice is good. Make it a technical issue and see if you can get the assistance of a live body.
In their T&C for refunds there's this:
Quotebut even if you fall outside of the refund rules we've described, you can ask for a refund anyway and we'll take a look.
The question is - how to get past automation to a human.
Quote from: Ian C on June 26, 2018, 09:16:29 AM
In their T&C for refunds there's this:
Quotebut even if you fall outside of the refund rules we've described, you can ask for a refund anyway and we'll take a look.
The question is - how to get past automation to a human.
I have been in your position before. I learned, the hard way, that the two hour cutoff is MY personal two hour cutoff to be 100% satisfied with keeping the game. Hell..at one hour, if I can't get the performance where I need it to be, I will refund...especially if I paid full price for a game.
Quote from: Ian C on June 26, 2018, 09:16:29 AM
In their T&C for refunds there's this:
Quotebut even if you fall outside of the refund rules we've described, you can ask for a refund anyway and we'll take a look.
The question is - how to get past automation to a human.
Now may be a bad time with the summer sale going on.
Also, have you checked with the developer/publisher, see if they can help.
Quote from: Pete Dero on June 26, 2018, 09:13:59 AM
Quote from: Ian C on June 26, 2018, 07:24:10 AM
They calculated 'playing' time as the total for both purchases, so, 4 hours.
This I can understand. Like Zulu1966 said otherwise this would lead to nonstop buying and refunding by many users.
In this case (as you can't mail them) you could try using https://help.steampowered.com again but use another option (I have a technical problem, ...).
Maybe this could get you into contact with a 'real' person so you can explain your situation.
Not much else you can do I guess ...
You will probably be referred by Steam to contact the developer/publisher for technical issues running the game.
Well hell, the game just updated with a 59MB patch and now it's running perfectly.
O0
Steam support is great ;).
Sometimes it's not steam either.
I had an issue a couple months back where a large portion of my games stopped running. Turns out it was MSI Afterburner causing a conflict due to a software update somewhere.
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on June 26, 2018, 09:14:36 AM
As frustrating as that situation sounds, it is a unique set of facts. While some human interaction and personal attention would be nice, I wouldn't hold this one issue against Steam too heavily. The reality of the system, for me at least, is that it functions nearly flawlessly. Technical issues, licensing issues, etc. are nearly non-existent for me and I spend literally hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of gaming time on Steam. No other system has given me such a resolutely and reliably smooth experience.
But, yes, when it doesn't work as intended, it is definitely extremely frustrating. If it really bugs you, I would keep trying to get someone's attention over there...or better yet, try to get the game working on your system. It is a great game and worth playing. I think Pete's advice is good. Make it a technical issue and see if you can get the assistance of a live body.
Yes I agree fully with this. As a gaming platform for ease of use. Stability and simply convenience it is an unrivalled success. I love steam.
Quote from: Zulu1966 on June 26, 2018, 12:20:02 PM
Stability and simply convenience it is an unrivalled success. I love steam.
No other place to collect games without ever having the need to play them all :2funny:.
:timeout: Ian, glad it worked out for you, but I'm hoping Steam Support does exist because I have an issue with a $20 Steam card code that is partially unreadable. ??? After carefully (I thought) removing the strip covering the code, 3 characters were destroyed. I ran into this once before, but was able to decipher the code using a mag glass...this time, no joy. :'( Sent in a support ticket with a photo and now waiting to hear. Last time I buy one of those damn cards. Digital from now on...
Quote from: steve58 on June 26, 2018, 12:59:21 PM
:timeout: Ian, glad it worked out for you, but I'm hoping Steam Support does exist because I have an issue with a $20 Steam card code that is partially unreadable. ??? After carefully (I thought) removing the strip covering the code, 3 characters were destroyed. I ran into this once before, but was able to decipher the code using a mag glass...this time, no joy. :'( Sent in a support ticket with a photo and now waiting to hear. Last time I buy one of those damn cards. Digital from now on...
I've had that happen a few times, with the photo, they've always given me credit.
The only time I ever had a Steam problem that I couldn't figure out the pre-programmed answer to, I sent a message to Steam support.
My heart was in my mouth because I was expecting no reply, or a very long wait and something that didn't make sense.
My problem was that I was putting Steam trading cards up for sale, but not getting an e-mail confirmation that I could answer to authorize putting them on the market.
I got an answer in under 24 hours and it suggested a half-solution.
But when I went back to my account and tried it out, I found to my delight and surprise that the problem had been fixed.
Steam support has a very bad and scary reputation. Based on my limited exeperience, it isn't deserved. Steam is operating on a gigantic scale, and most of the problems that I've read about can be chalked up to the user not being willing to understand that they mean it when Steam says the rules work a certain way. The two hour red flag is probably automated.
I've asked for a lot of refunds in the short time I've been using Steam. I've yet to have a refund request get rejected, though based on the canned language in the emails they send out, I've gotten pretty close and it could always happen.
As a general rule when I ask for a refund I've played a game for a very short period of time (usually well under an hour), though once or twice my playing time might have been more like three hours. I also make sure that I have completely uninstalled the game first, just to show I'm not kidding about not wanting the game. And finally, I give them some pretty explicit and detailed feedback about why I don't like that particular game when prompted.
Two hours means two hours. They're not kidding, but they seem to be willing to turn a blind eye from time to time if you have a reasonable track record. The thing I suspect you need to be mindful of is that there are a lot of people trying to scam them and game the system, so if anything you do accidently raises one of their red flags, they aren't going to play ball.
Quote from: Pete Dero on June 26, 2018, 12:24:47 PM
Quote from: Zulu1966 on June 26, 2018, 12:20:02 PM
Stability and simply convenience it is an unrivalled success. I love steam.
No other place to collect games without ever having the need to play them all :2funny:.
Yep. I was looking at my account the other day and noticed a screen that listed all the games and what I paid for them. I began to scroll down to see if there was a total.. luckily I stopped myself before I got there
Quote from: Zulu1966 on June 26, 2018, 03:14:59 PM
Quote from: Pete Dero on June 26, 2018, 12:24:47 PM
Quote from: Zulu1966 on June 26, 2018, 12:20:02 PM
Stability and simply convenience it is an unrivalled success. I love steam.
No other place to collect games without ever having the need to play them all :2funny:.
Yep. I was looking at my account the other day and noticed a screen that listed all the games and what I paid for them. I began to scroll down to see if there was a total.. luckily I stopped myself before I got there
I think you, like the rest of us, don't really want to know that. >:D
Quote from: steve58 on June 26, 2018, 03:21:06 PM
Quote from: Zulu1966 on June 26, 2018, 03:14:59 PM
Quote from: Pete Dero on June 26, 2018, 12:24:47 PM
Quote from: Zulu1966 on June 26, 2018, 12:20:02 PM
Stability and simply convenience it is an unrivalled success. I love steam.
No other place to collect games without ever having the need to play them all :2funny:.
Yep. I was looking at my account the other day and noticed a screen that listed all the games and what I paid for them. I began to scroll down to see if there was a total.. luckily I stopped myself before I got there
I think you, like the rest of us, don't really want to know that. >:D
I have averaged about $40 a month since 2010, about eight years.
Eight times twelve times forty is .... just under $4k. I have 265 steam games, and this almost exactly $14.50 per game, on average. I buy a TON of games on sale. Hell..almost all of them.
I can deal with this. $40 a month isn't bad, for my main hobby. This also means that I purchase, on average, about three games a month. That's a bit high....I need to play the ones I have, not buy more of them.
Quote from: steve58 on June 26, 2018, 03:21:06 PM
Quote from: Zulu1966 on June 26, 2018, 03:14:59 PM
Quote from: Pete Dero on June 26, 2018, 12:24:47 PM
Quote from: Zulu1966 on June 26, 2018, 12:20:02 PM
Stability and simply convenience it is an unrivalled success. I love steam.
No other place to collect games without ever having the need to play them all :2funny:.
Yep. I was looking at my account the other day and noticed a screen that listed all the games and what I paid for them. I began to scroll down to see if there was a total.. luckily I stopped myself before I got there
I think you, like the rest of us, don't really want to know that. >:D
Rule #4 do not ask questions to which you do not want to know the answers
Quote from: Philippe on June 26, 2018, 02:56:32 PM
Steam is operating on a gigantic scale, and most of the problems that I've read about can be chalked up to the user not being willing to understand that they mean it when Steam says the rules work a certain way. The two hour red flag is probably automated.
I've asked for a lot of refunds in the short time I've been using Steam. I've yet to have a refund request get rejected, though based on the canned language in the emails they send out, I've gotten pretty close and it could always happen.
Two hours means two hours. They're not kidding, but they seem to be willing to turn a blind eye from time to time if you have a reasonable track record. The thing I suspect you need to be mindful of is that there are a lot of people trying to scam them and game the system, so if anything you do accidently raises one of their red flags, they aren't going to play ball.
It would be obvious to any employee looking at my track history, that I'm not a scammer and I have a valid legitimate reason for refund. I've clearly not been playing the game, just trying to find a solution to it not working and crashing. The STEAM T&C states that they will take a look and reconsider even if that two-hour limit is exceeded.
The problem here is that they obviously have no system in place that works to catch the legit requests that fall outside of the typical rules, even though they say they have.
As for STEAM being a huge operation - it also has huge turnover and profits and there is no reason they shouldn't have the customer service systems in place to perform properly and do what they say they will do on the T&C.
Smacks to me of 'take our money then leave it to the bots to deal with'.
Quote from: Ian C on June 27, 2018, 06:40:26 AM
Quote from: Philippe on June 26, 2018, 02:56:32 PM
Steam is operating on a gigantic scale, and most of the problems that I've read about can be chalked up to the user not being willing to understand that they mean it when Steam says the rules work a certain way. The two hour red flag is probably automated.
I've asked for a lot of refunds in the short time I've been using Steam. I've yet to have a refund request get rejected, though based on the canned language in the emails they send out, I've gotten pretty close and it could always happen.
Two hours means two hours. They're not kidding, but they seem to be willing to turn a blind eye from time to time if you have a reasonable track record. The thing I suspect you need to be mindful of is that there are a lot of people trying to scam them and game the system, so if anything you do accidently raises one of their red flags, they aren't going to play ball.
It would be obvious to any employee looking at my track history, that I'm not a scammer and I have a valid legitimate reason for refund. I've clearly not been playing the game, just trying to find a solution to it not working and crashing. The STEAM T&C states that they will take a look and reconsider even if that two-hour limit is exceeded.
The problem here is that they obviously have no system in place that works to catch the legit requests that fall outside of the typical rules, even though they say they have.
As for STEAM being a huge operation - it also has huge turnover and profits and there is no reason they shouldn't have the customer service systems in place to perform properly and do what they say they will do on the T&C.
Smacks to me of 'take our money then leave it to the bots to deal with'.
Not that it makes it right but that's pretty much every modern corporation. With the telecoms forget about it, even if you legally in the right there response is usually "fuck you, take us to court we'll either destroy you anyway with our army of lawyers or drag it out to infinity and bankrupt you"
Most big box companies that have hired on 3rd party return and claim clearing has taken similar approaches although with Amazon they really cannot afford the PR hit and have started walking away from the hardline stance of banning returns of a person is found to be excessive.
This is the difference real competition provides and is the only protection a consumer has in a truly capitalistic society.
And I'll stop my rant here...
Quote from: Ian C on June 27, 2018, 06:40:26 AM
Quote from: Philippe on June 26, 2018, 02:56:32 PM
Steam is operating on a gigantic scale, and most of the problems that I've read about can be chalked up to the user not being willing to understand that they mean it when Steam says the rules work a certain way. The two hour red flag is probably automated.
I've asked for a lot of refunds in the short time I've been using Steam. I've yet to have a refund request get rejected, though based on the canned language in the emails they send out, I've gotten pretty close and it could always happen.
Two hours means two hours. They're not kidding, but they seem to be willing to turn a blind eye from time to time if you have a reasonable track record. The thing I suspect you need to be mindful of is that there are a lot of people trying to scam them and game the system, so if anything you do accidently raises one of their red flags, they aren't going to play ball.
It would be obvious to any employee looking at my track history, that I'm not a scammer and I have a valid legitimate reason for refund. I've clearly not been playing the game, just trying to find a solution to it not working and crashing. The STEAM T&C states that they will take a look and reconsider even if that two-hour limit is exceeded.
The problem here is that they obviously have no system in place that works to catch the legit requests that fall outside of the typical rules, even though they say they have.
As for STEAM being a huge operation - it also has huge turnover and profits and there is no reason they shouldn't have the customer service systems in place to perform properly and do what they say they will do on the T&C.
Smacks to me of 'take our money then leave it to the bots to deal with'.
Years ago, I purchased (at Best Buy) the very last version of Front Page Sports' Football Pro. I think it was 1999, as I had FPS 98 already. It didn't work out of the box. For anyone. I didn't know this, and brought what I thought was a defective disc back to the store, and swapped it out. Second one didn't work. Now, this was a forty dollar game, twenty years ago. I brought it back, and they denied the return. NO RETURNS ON SOFTWARE. I spoke with a series of people, including the store manager, getting increasingly frustrated and angry.
First, and only time I cussed out an employee in a store. Loudly, and profanely. They called the cops on me, and I very nearly got arrested.
The manager could have taken back this game. He chose not to. I asked him how often this game came back, and he said "most of them." I then asked him why he was selling them, if he KNEW they didn't work. *shrugs* ... and that was when I started hating Best Buy.
Quote from: Tuna on June 26, 2018, 02:23:19 PM
Quote from: steve58 on June 26, 2018, 12:59:21 PM
:timeout: Ian, glad it worked out for you, but I'm hoping Steam Support does exist because I have an issue with a $20 Steam card code that is partially unreadable. ??? After carefully (I thought) removing the strip covering the code, 3 characters were destroyed. I ran into this once before, but was able to decipher the code using a mag glass...this time, no joy. :'( Sent in a support ticket with a photo and now waiting to hear. Last time I buy one of those damn cards. Digital from now on...
I've had that happen a few times, with the photo, they've always given me credit.
My issue was resolved within 24 hours :)