Is Steam about buying in confidence if you don't like a game, you can refund?

[craig971]

Is this a new policy.....
I have had Steam for 11 years and have spent hundreds and hundreds of pounds. If I buy a game I can complete in under the 2 hr refund limit, I DON'T ask for a refund. However, the fact that you can try for up to 2 hours and for 14 days made me think it was a try before you buy. I mean if you want to know if your PC is up to spec or graphics card is compatible, you don't need 2 hrs to find out over a 14 day period. I am I wrong its try before you buy? By the way just counting the last 2 years I have bought 143 games and DLS's on here. When I asked for a refund today I had an email saying,

"
Steam
Hello craig971
We’ve issued the refund to the payment provider. You should see a credit or see the original charge removed from your statement within 14 days.
It looks like you’ve requested a significant number of refunds recently. If you often have problems with your purchases, please submit another ticket so that we can help you solve these issues.
Please note, that the Steam Refund Policy is not intended as a way to try out games for free. If we have reason to believe that the refund system is used in this manner, we may decline future refund requests."

What the hell?

Anyone here bought a game on Steam and didn't like it but kept it?

[Wolf Knight]

the refund system is not there for you to test games. you are wrong in your assumption.

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by craig971:

However, the fact that you can try for up to 2 hours and for 14 days made me think it was a try before you buy. I mean if you want to know if your PC is up to spec or graphics card is compatible, you don't need 2 hrs to find out over a 14 day period.

You thought wrong. The refund policy is not a substitute for demos. It's fine if you want to refund a game you don't like on occassion, but doing it too often is a no-go.

There is a reason there is an abuse-clause in the policy.

[ShelLuser]

Originally posted by craig971:

However, the fact that you can try for up to 2 hours and for 14 days made me think it was a try before you buy.

Actually.... within this context it's 2 hours or 14 days: the moment you go over either limit your rights to a refund are gone.

See also the official FAQ: https://store.steampowered.com/steam_refunds

Originally posted by craig971:

What the hell?

Anyone here bought a game on Steam and didn't like it but kept it?

Nothing has changed on this matter, this policy has been in effect at least ever since I got active on Steam. It was never meant to be used casually.

During the time I was actively building up my Steam library I could always count the amount of refunds I did in a year on one hand.

And yes, there are a few times when I grabbed a game / DLC and while I wasn't fully sure I figured I'd check it out "later" anyway. In a few cases this turned to be a disappointment. But that's on me ;)

[Slav Mcgopnik]

Steam has a refund system, not a “try before you buy” system.

That’s what demos are for.

[Anxiety]

You are supposed to research before buying, if you have any doubts. Plenty of ways and opportunities to do that.
Using refunds as a trial system is not one of them.

[craig971]

So please tell me, when you ask for a refund why are the options... "not what I expected" "the game is too difficult" "The screen shots don't match the game" Why ask these questions if you aren't to get a refund when the game isn't what you expected??

[craig971]

And the comment to research is pathetic, you NEED to play the game yourself to get the feel of the game. All of you posting here bought a game for £40, didn't like it but kept it? BS

[Slav Mcgopnik]

Originally posted by craig971:

So please tell me, when you ask for a refund why are the options... "not what I expected" "the game is too difficult" "The screen shots don't match the game" Why ask these questions if you aren't to get a refund when the game isn't what you expected??

The problem is you’re wording it as a “try before you buy” system.

It’s not meant for that purpose.

Refunding every game you have a slight distaste for, or treating as a demo system, is not why it’s there.

Checking out things like short gameplay clips isn’t hard, and should avoid things like “misleading screenshots”.

[Zarineth]

Originally posted by craig971:

So please tell me, when you ask for a refund why are the options... "not what I expected" "the game is too difficult" "The screen shots don't match the game" Why ask these questions if you aren't to get a refund when the game isn't what you expected??

Because you are able to use them once for a time. Sometimes you just don't like the game and want to return it. And Steam gives you this ability, as long as you are not trying to abuse it.

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by craig971:

So please tell me, when you ask for a refund why are the options... "not what I expected" "the game is too difficult" "The screen shots don't match the game" Why ask these questions if you aren't to get a refund when the game isn't what you expected??

It's feedback for the devs. And usually within the 14 days/2 hours limit it doesn't actually matter what your reason for refunds is. Unless you refund too often.

When you get that warning, just don't refund for a few weeks and it'll be fine.

Originally posted by craig971:

And the comment to research is pathetic, you NEED to play the game yourself to get the feel of the game. All of you posting here bought a game for £40, didn't like it but kept it? BS

I haven't bought games I didn't like for such prices, no. Usually I wait for lower prices anyway.

Heck, it's quite rare I buy a game I don't like to begin with.

But it's nonsense that you can't research before buying. I've been doing that for 35+ years now, even back in the day when there was much less info on games than nowadays.

[craig971]

You can only research so much before you try yourself. I do not take advantage of Steam. When I see a game that interests me, I go straight to comments and then to youtube for reviews. I have never got to 1 hr 59 minutes then asked for a refund. That is why I am so annoyed with Steam. Maybe the algorithms show a fault for me. I wish it was easier to contact them and discuss this. I am so shocked. Or are they so greedy? I don't know. I have done nothing different than I did in 2011 when I joined. 12 years is a long time to suddenly be told I ask too often for a refund. 12 years!! I'd get it if I joined 6 months ago and never bought a game without a refund request but 12 years, over 200 purchases?? I don't get it sorry.

[craig971]

Thank you @Crazy Tiger

[rawWwRrr]

Originally posted by craig971:

You can only research so much before you try yourself. I do not take advantage of Steam. When I see a game that interests me, I go straight to comments and then to youtube for reviews. I have never got to 1 hr 59 minutes then asked for a refund. That is why I am so annoyed with Steam. Maybe the algorithms show a fault for me. I wish it was easier to contact them and discuss this. I am so shocked. Or are they so greedy? I don't know. I have done nothing different than I did in 2011 when I joined. 12 years is a long time to suddenly be told I ask too often for a refund. 12 years!! I'd get it if I joined 6 months ago and never bought a game without a refund request but 12 years, over 200 purchases?? I don't get it sorry.

This may sound rude but you are not a special customer because of how long you've been one or for how much you've bought over that time. And the statement you're concerned about is simply a heads up. Maybe within the last few months you've refunded more than usually do, or whatever threshold they have for it was breached by you. But they still gave you the refund and have not said they've taken that away, so nothing's changed for you other than someone at support giving you a heads up.

[craig971]

People also ask
Can you refund Steam game because you dont like it?
You can request a refund for nearly any purchase on Steam—for any reason. Maybe your PC doesn't meet the hardware requirements; maybe you bought a game by mistake; maybe you played the title for an hour and just didn't like it. It doesn't matter.

Steam Refunds

Steam
https://store.steampowered.com › steam_refunds

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Originally posted by craig971:

People also ask
Can you refund Steam game because you dont like it?
You can request a refund for nearly any purchase on Steam—for any reason. Maybe your PC doesn't meet the hardware requirements; maybe you bought a game by mistake; maybe you played the title for an hour and just didn't like it. It doesn't matter.

Steam Refunds

Steam
https://store.steampowered.com › steam_refunds

Now, read the ABUSE clause. It's on that page as well.

ABUSE

Refunds are designed to remove the risk from purchasing titles on Steam—not as a way to get free games. If it appears to us that you are abusing refunds, we may stop offering them to you. We do not consider it abuse to request a refund on a title that was purchased just before a sale and then immediately rebuying that title for the sale price.