Won't run on my hardware, Steam denied refund

[bzc]

I purchased this game for my son, but we haven't been able to get it to run. His laptop just isn't powerful enough. Somehow Steam thinks we've played it for over two hours - whereas in fact it has just sat there locked up or showing an error message. How can I get Steam to refund this purchase?

[.03 Versatility]

Sorry bud, it's not valve's fault you don't know how to use the computer. If it stays running, the system sees it as being played. You knew the restrictions of the refund policy before you bought the game (or should have) and you let it stay like that instead of, say, restarting your computer to make sure you didn't go over time. There is no way to prove that what you said is true, so they're not likely to make an exception.

[Zach]

I guess next time read up on the required hardware before making purchases. This game requires a decent rig to run properly I mean what laptop are you using what are the specs?

[gaqo]

It's probably going to get expensive. Son needs new PC.

[JHarlequin]

Less than two hours is no questions asked. Over two hours requires a clear explanation and then they still evaluate the request.

As for the running time, the moment you press the play button it counts as playing. Since Red Dead requires the rockstar launcher, the moment that starts time is counting that the game is playing. Over the course of trying to get it to run, it was running for 2 hours even though the game never actually started.

As for it not working, some people would say not optimized, but the real truth is that Rockstar truly only focused on very specific build set ups and didn't check for any conflicts on other builds. This means that while your laptop might have the requirements listed, it likely either has a conflict or probably only barely runs the game at minimum graphics settings.

Your best bet is to get a full listing of your laptops specs, and submit that with the error screens and the required specs listed for Red Dead. Then say as it is not actually running and it won't operate well enough that you are not satisfied. As long as you haven't made many refunds before, they are likely to reconsider and possible push through the refund.

As long as your playtime isn't over eight hours, you have a chance, though there are no absolute numbers for your chances when your playtime has gone over two hours. No one can guarantee you anything.

[DargonBlak]

Originally posted by bzc:

I purchased this game for my son, but we haven't been able to get it to run. His laptop just isn't powerful enough. Somehow Steam thinks we've played it for over two hours - whereas in fact it has just sat there locked up or showing an error message. How can I get Steam to refund this purchase?

I would keep pushing at Steam and see if you can move further up the chain - some sort of manager.

But don't get ur hopes up to high - it is easiest (and cheapest) for Steam (Valve) to have a single policy that applies to everyone exactly the same way, with no exceptions.

They might go for a swap, but again, they may just continue to say no.

As a reference, a top Gaming Laptop today is only as good as a 1.5 year old Enthusiast PC (desktop). Laptop manufacturers do some "funky math" to make them seem more equivalent than they really are, and then use CPU & Graphics Proc throttling, constantly, to keep the Laptop from Overheating.

So, when using "Recommended" or "Minimum" "System Requirements" for games, be sure to understand they mean "Desktop PC" not "Laptop" - if ur gonna use a Laptop, you'll want to Exceed Recommended requirements.

[Mansen]

Originally posted by bzc:

I purchased this game for my son, but we haven't been able to get it to run. His laptop just isn't powerful enough. Somehow Steam thinks we've played it for over two hours - whereas in fact it has just sat there locked up or showing an error message. How can I get Steam to refund this purchase?

You contact customer support. The automated system doesn't handle these situations well.

[GOD RAYS ON ULTRA™]

Originally posted by bzc:

I purchased this game for my son, but we haven't been able to get it to run. His laptop just isn't powerful enough. Somehow Steam thinks we've played it for over two hours - whereas in fact it has just sat there locked up or showing an error message. How can I get Steam to refund this purchase?

Maybe you can run it. We can tell you.

Top of Steam> Help> System Information:
Copy to clipboard and paste here in a reply.

[Nauzhror]

Originally posted by DargonBlak:

Originally posted by bzc:

I purchased this game for my son, but we haven't been able to get it to run. His laptop just isn't powerful enough. Somehow Steam thinks we've played it for over two hours - whereas in fact it has just sat there locked up or showing an error message. How can I get Steam to refund this purchase?

I would keep pushing at Steam and see if you can move further up the chain - some sort of manager.

But don't get ur hopes up to high - it is easiest (and cheapest) for Steam (Valve) to have a single policy that applies to everyone exactly the same way, with no exceptions.

They might go for a swap, but again, they may just continue to say no.

As a reference, a top Gaming Laptop today is only as good as a 1.5 year old Enthusiast PC (desktop). Laptop manufacturers do some "funky math" to make them seem more equivalent than they really are, and then use CPU & Graphics Proc throttling, constantly, to keep the Laptop from Overheating.

So, when using "Recommended" or "Minimum" "System Requirements" for games, be sure to understand they mean "Desktop PC" not "Laptop" - if ur gonna use a Laptop, you'll want to Exceed Recommended requirements.

1.5 years old isn't actually old though, that's like one gen back.
Also depends what you consider to be "enthusiast level" hardware as well.

i7-9700K & GTX 1080 for example would be weaker than my laptop.
i9-9900K & GTX 1080 TI however is more powerful than it.

[Nebula Squid]

I have an Alienware I7 GTX-1070, and the game runs great on high settings and looks better than my Xbox One X. I think people run into issues when they have their computers crammed to the brim with other games and programs, don't clean up files, or maintain the computer. Ive had this alienware laptop since 2017 and it still plays most games on High and Ultra graphics. If you update drivers, clean up folders, and optimize it should run fine, unless you actually dont have the minimum operating requirements.

[Nauzhror]

GTX 1070 is a far better GPU than most laptops have though. Alienware though are pretty overpriced. They're...decent, but they tend to charge the Apple Tax, so does Razer, and obviously Apple. Other brands you can get a lot more bang for buck.

I paid $1,953.03 for this laptop. That was including shipping and tax.
i7-10875H, 32 GB DDR4 @ 3200 mhz, RTX 2070 Super, 1 TB NVME M.2 SSD

The best Alienware laptop you can get for that same price is only

i7-10750H, 16 GB DDR4 @ 2666 mhz, RTX 2070, 256 GB NVME M.2 SSD - $1,929.19

Worse CPU, worse GPU, half the RAM, 1/4 the SSD storage, also lacks per-key RGB, and a fingerprint reader, both of which mine has.

[Trawlers]

Nah, you have over 2 hours in the game at an error screen. That still counts, they won't refund the game purchase. Best case is to see about maybe upgrading to a desktop that can run the game proper.

[Mansen]

Originally posted by Trawlers:

Nah, you have over 2 hours in the game at an error screen. That still counts, they won't refund the game purchase. Best case is to see about maybe upgrading to a desktop that can run the game proper.

They won't automatically. They usually refund if you ask politely in a ticket.

[billyflowers]

I agree with everyone here, son needs a new pc.

[Daemia]

We still don't know the actual specs. Or anything about your error or even one step you tried doing to make it work.

As far as we know, you could be trying to run this on a netbook with 500mb of Ram.

[Jim Jam Banana Slam]

Originally posted by bzc:

I purchased this game for my son, but we haven't been able to get it to run. His laptop just isn't powerful enough. Somehow Steam thinks we've played it for over two hours - whereas in fact it has just sat there locked up or showing an error message. How can I get Steam to refund this purchase?

Mansen is right, they'll likely give you a refund if you contact support directly instead of going through the automated business. In the future, use this site to make sure you can run a game before purchasing: https://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri