Refunding a Product Issue

[=]DI[= Syklone]

Hi all,
I am having an issue getting a refund on a product (game-Starlink). The oddity is I bought two copies (not gifted) of the game for two Steam accounts to be used in my home using the same CC for both purchases, however it was quickly discovered that it was not what my childeren expected so a refund was requested (not expected was issues with the coop part and getting it to work properly). The refund was processed on both accounts, yet one is approved nicely/quickly and the other account has been declined 3 times now under ACCC law. Each time I try to explain my case I get a very quick "declined" and a canned answer saying the product is not defective.

How do I get a refund for a product I have purchased twice, yet am only getting half a refund? I feel like I am going around and circles and I need to talk to someone in person to get them to break the cycle of tier 1 canned answer responses as it feels like they are not reading my messages when I am explaining they already refunded one account and I just need this account refunded. I used the same reasons, and details in both but am at a loss now :(
Thanks
(Edit - had ACCC in the wrong part when writing - sorry for confusion)

[Silicon Vampire]

Missing details

For instance

If you gifted it me copy to another account, that account will need to initiate the refund and the gifting account would need to authorize it...

[Satoru]

Note that the ACCC actually prohibits refunds based on "not what I expected" or "I didnt like it" as a refund reason. It actually has to be defective. WHich obviously the game isn't . Thus you are then fundamentally at the volunteer refund policy as per steam.

[=]DI[= Syklone]

Originally posted by Silicon Vampire:

Missing details

For instance

If you gifted it me copy to another account, that account will need to initiate the refund and the gifting account would need to authorize it...

Edited original post but for clarity. I Have two steam accounts and purchased the product on both steam accounts using the same CC.

[The Giving One]

Was either purchase from either account made with any other purchases ?

That can possibly matter. If you purchased anything else with the game on the account where they are refusing the refund, that might be it.

[=]DI[= Syklone]

Originally posted by Satoru:

Note that the ACCC actually prohibits refunds based on "not what I expected" or "I didnt like it" as a refund reason. It actually has to be defective. WHich obviously the game isn't . Thus you are then fundamentally at the volunteer refund policy as per steam.

I didnt change my mind, the product is unable to perform as required. My children played it great at the start to get use to the game but when we tried to coop or link anything it failed and then discovered it won't work as we expected.

Not trying to embezzle funds or anything as the money will go towards a new game in the future or towards some other DLC or whatever they want, but right now i have one account with the funds back and another without.

In summary I have one child ready to purchase something new and another now stuck waiting in limbo. Which is quite odd as I have purchased products before and if they didnt work as expected, returned them and bought something new, and sometimes even spent extra in the store from where I received the product as the service was great. Right now thus is just frustrating me and like you said, it seems I am now at the mercy of some volunteer refund policy making who is not reading what I am asking and just stamping the request each time they see it. :(
Thanks for you support :)

[The Giving One]

You know, your profile is private on this account, and we don't have visuals on the account where you also said you purchased the game, so we cannot check certain details to see where the issue might be.

If you want answers, and we can possibly give them, you would need to unprivate and link all that here so we can see it, game library views also.

Sorry, but all the possible facts have to be looked at and considered, and we don't have all of them as of now.

[=]DI[= Syklone]

Originally posted by The Giving One:

Was either purchase from either account made with any other purchases ?

That can possibly matter. If you purchased anything else with the game on the account where they are refusing the refund, that might be it.

No. I Purchased 1 product with the dlc included. No other seperate games were included and no other titles were added (and no it wasn't gifted as mentioned before)

[The Giving One]

Use the method explained in this guide, not the regular refund system :

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1513248446

Ignore the title of the guide, and use the "I have a question about this purchase". Explain the issue carefully, but be short and to the point and kind in the reply. Hope for a different answer, but don't get your hopes up too high.

If there is too much playtime on one of the games on that account in question, then officially, you don't qualify for the refund, but they might......say again "might" make an exception.

[=]DI[= Syklone]

Originally posted by The Giving One:

You know, your profile is private on this account, and we don't have visuals on the account where you also said you purchased the game, so we cannot check certain details to see where the issue might be.

If you want answers, and we can possibly give them, you would need to unprivate and link all that here so we can see it, game library views also.

Sorry, but all the possible facts have to be looked at and considered, and we don't have all of them as of now.

Hi, thanks for the support, this is most helpful, but what would you like to view?

[The Giving One]

Originally posted by =DI= Syklone:

Hi, thanks for the support, this is most helpful, but what would you like to view?

Well, I posted another post since then so sorry about that, but we would need to see the account library where you said they are refusing the refund, and the games view must also be set to public.

But if there is too much playtime on that game on that account, then just ignore what I said in that post, please. That is probably why, since you said it was played but turned out to be not what was expected.

[=]DI[= Syklone]

Originally posted by The Giving One:

Originally posted by =DI= Syklone:

Hi, thanks for the support, this is most helpful, but what would you like to view?

Well, I posted another post since then so sorry about that, but we would need to see the account library where you said they are refusing the refund, and the games view must also be set to public.

But if there is too much playtime on that game on that account, then just ignore what I said in that post, please. That is probably why, since you said it was played but turned out to be not what was expected.

Hi, thank you, your above guide is very helpful (thank you so much). However as Ubisoft is the developer any action I try to take refers me to their website and deviates from an account refund or any other way to comment to steam.

As for playtime, its 4hrs, however the real play time is likely to be less as the game was left on, but there was also lunch in there and kids reading and trying to work it all out as they went back and forth trying to get it working and alt tabbing to understand what was going on on the Ubiweb page. This is available to Steam support and has been explained, but like mentioned earlier, its like I have a Bot cancelling one request but I had a human read and green light the other refund.

Any other details you have will be more than welcome as this is by far the best action (human interaction) I have had on this issue for the last few days.

Thank you.

[The Giving One]

It really does not matter if the game was simply "left on" , sorry, as no one can verify that. All they can see is the playtime, and if the game was running, then that counts as playtime. You aer supposed to stop before getting to two hours, concerning playtime. Even if trying to troubleshoot issues with the game.

Try to fix the problem as you like, but when you get to 1.9 hours or so, stop. Refund it. That is what you normally should have done.

Some friendly advice also, please. Don't mention anything about ACCC law or stuff like that. Just explain what your problem is with the game. Maybe they will make an exception, if you do that and there is an issue as you said in the OP of this thread.

[=]DI[= Syklone]

Originally posted by The Giving One:

It really does not matter if the game was simply "left on" , sorry, as no one can verify that. All they can see is the playtime, and if the game was running, then that counts as playtime. You aer supposed to stop before getting to two hours, concerning playtime. Even if trying to troubleshoot issues with the game.

Try to fix the problem as you like, but when you get to 1.9 hours or so, stop. Refund it. That is what you normally should have done.

Some friendly advice also, please. Don't mention anything about ACCC law or stuff like that. Just explain what your problem is with the game. Maybe they will make an exception, if you do that and there is an issue as you said in the OP of this thread.

Again thank you, shall persist and see what comes out of this. Is there any other way of contacting Steam without using the poral method, a phone number or email?

As for friendly advice - they are saying ACCC not me. Its a really canned response from Steam which is odd as I asked from the refund, got one nice reply and then the other is this odd reply which feels like no one read and '♥♥♥♥ canned' response it.
Thanks

[The Giving One]

Originally posted by =DI= Syklone:

Again thank you, shall persist and see what comes out of this. Is there any other way of contacting Steam without using the poral method, a phone number or email?

You are welcome, and I am not sure I was that helpful but good luck to you just the same. No, sorry, but there is no way to contact them with phone or email.

Originally posted by =DI= Syklone:

As for friendly advice - they are saying ACCC not me. Its a really canned response from Steam which is odd as I asked from the refund, got one nice reply and then the other is this odd reply which feels like no one read and '[REMOVED] canned' response it.
Thanks

Sorry, then my mistake, as I apparently misunderstood you. If you use the method from the guide, it ensures a human actually looks at your request, as far as I know. If you can't use that method as you just said above, and it redirects you, then I am unfamiliar with that as if you purchased the game on a Steam account, then you are trying to refund that purchase from Valve (Steam) so why it is redirecting you, I am not sure. Sorry as I can't address that as that is the first time I have seen that said here, about it redirecting you.

[RcsPcsN1]

You could go to Steam Support, cause I wanted a refund for a game that I’d owned for two months but I had an alibi for why I couldn’t refund it or try it until it was too late, and then I got a refund for it, just explain the problem to an actual human being and they’ll understand