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“We will look at it” does not mean “we will give it to you”
Don't play the game at all until you have recieved an answer.
Asking for the refund to go to your wallet seems to give a better chance.
1. You must be within the refund policy. That means you must have less than 2hrs of gameplay time, and own it less than 14days, if you break either one they have the right to deny you of that refund as the policy clearly states it, and if you choose not to read it, that's not their problem but your own fault for not reading before you buy. Any platform will do the same to you, so no you won't get free hand out, or slap on the hands if you break their agreements, and choose not to refund you.
https://store.steampowered.com/steam_refunds/
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=6695-QIKM-7966
2. When doing a refund, you want to state the reason you're doing it, in rare cases if you buy the game within 24 ~ 48hrs, and have over 2hrs of gameplay they can rarely make exceptions to bypass the 2hrs gameplay policy rule, but do not expect to work for the 14 day policy as you will not get a refund if you're pass the 14 days mark of owning the game. For them to determine your reason to ask for a refund, is that you must give a proper legitimate reason.
3. If you have a problem it's best to not have the game running, as that will run up the gametime you don't want to build up gameplay time. Visit the game forums, read posts that are related to you, or make a new post, asking for help, you will need to list your System specs, as well any other details such as about the issue you're facing, someone may have the answer to your issuse.
4. All cases are handle by a human person, there's no automated system that handle the refunds, a REAL LIVE PERSON WILL READ WHAT YOUR REASON FOR ASKING FOR A REFUND, YES A REAL LIVE PERSON! Will read what you type, and they will come to the conclusion if you get the refund, or not. Do not think this is all automated as it's not all automated at all.
So contact directly to developer.
(I was offered refund a game which I owned ~four years...)
Please note to those who are commenting that I should read the refund policy first. As stated first play in DM mode game had operated fine. I don't think I did wrong when starting solo mode, finding the game would not run and spent time to attempt to fix it, unknowing that there was even a refund policy is really state to reply to say "I should read the policy first".
This is the first time I've had to seek refund for a digital purchase. I simple feel it's unfair steam have such a tight policy on this. Every reply so far has been automated. It's difficult to tell whether a real person has actually seen it. Thank you to those who appear to believe there is and is varifying this.
Guess is just the problem with a digital world now. Physical purchase and it would have been returned without an issue. Disappointing but that's just the way of the world now.
Cheers again for your help guys...
Unless you opened it.
Refunds on PC games were never a thing when they figured out you could just copy the floppy/disc. And even less so since they started to use key activations early 2000.
Real example : I tried to make ARK (Early Access) run without horrible lag, but I actively troubleshooted and failed for about 5 hours (though Steam counts any second the game is opened!), so I could not get a refund. Was seriously annoyed. Back then, the policy was 4 hours.
With the competition inscreasing (Discord store, Epic store), I am hoping Steam will make a new player-friendly refund policy. Policy must not be made to adapt to a minority of jerks or elite gamers: it must be fair to casual gamers and those who will really try to make the game work instead of just giving up in one hour.
nb: the Steam software is actually capable (and has been for many yearse) of detecting AFK (lack of keyboard and mouse inputs), and therefore could easily stop counting time not played or used.
ps: in the future, if I am uncertain about a game, I will try to test it without Steam opened (when allowed; generally not possible easily, I know).
I fixed mine in 30 minutes. It was as easy as reducing the settings used to medium. The issue with ARK isn't internet lag, but how well a computer can handle what settings.
The policy was never 4 hours.
Off-line hours are still counted.
Not with out modifications to the game, otherwise all input (even out side the game) would also be counter by the client.
Then there would be people ideling games for hours and those hours not counting, because there was no active input.
The competition isn't for the users, but for developers. Prices will likely remain the same across all the stores.
The current policy is fair for both users and developers, as well as user friendly (though both are subjective).
It is a fact, period. Not an opinion.
Happy you for that you were able to make it work in 30 minutes. You are awesome, super intelligent, bravo. I suggest Steam's Refund policy be adapted to people who are not as highly evolved as you.
The issues you name about input behind an open game is a detail in comparison to how, currently, Steam counted hours are completely off. I have a friend where Steam was showing like he played a game 150 hours a week.
I do not think idling a game should be counted as playtime.
There will *always* be some who will find ways to bypass or fool systems.
It does not justify how Steam can count hundreds of AFK hours, while explicitely marking you as Away.
( I will unsurscribe from this thread, because we always get this kind of odd contradiction on the Steam forums. Not sure why.)
No, it was not. Steam's refund policy was two hours from the get go. It was never four hours.
An article from when the policy was announced:
https://www.pcgamer.com/new-steam-refund-policy-lets-you-get-your-thatmoney-back-for-any-reason/
No mention of 4 hours. Untill this point, Valve had NO state refund policy.
PC troubleshooting 101. Everyone needs to learn the basics. I would have started off with a default settings on the system. If know how to increase them, then it is easy to decrease them. We are talking basic reading here.
You are doing more harm then good to yourself and your cause with statements like that too.
Then the .exe was running in the background as the game was not fully closed.
Yes, it can. Privacy concerns are always present, so the more you monitor, the more issues people are going to have with it.
As you are free to do, buy I suggest offering evidence if you are going to make a claim that something is "It is a fact, period. Not an opinion." There has only ever been a two hour refund policy and that is a fact, as has been shown in the article provided.
And finaly, you don't even have ARK on the account you are using, so unless it was on another account, you either didn't own it or you did get a refund.
2015 post. Clearly states 2 hours, hasn't been changed.
https://www.polygon.com/2015/6/5/8732571/steam-refunds-does-valve-win-either-way
Here you go 2015 June 2nd.
https://web.archive.org/web/20150602175459/https://store.steampowered.com/steam_refunds/
I don't believe that's a wise move to be talking to a mod like that.
If he played the game for that long, either he must love that game, losing sleep, or he left it running.
The API wouldn't know if you leave your PC, or not... All it knows you started a game, and that's it. Also yes there's already ways to get around the playtime, some people are abusing it to get free games, then refund them once they finish them, as soon Steam fix that work around, they be running to the forums making up whatever story complaining how it ran up their time, and was totally not lying about trying to fix it, but you find them lying somewhere sooner, or later, or they give up soon after either way, because they know they're not getting their money back, and a charge back will only flag them.
If you didn't want Steam to count those hours, don't leave the game running, it's that simple.