how to fill complain in EU

[Moonfear]

Hi, i am trying to look into ways how to fill complain about customer rights in EU. Unfortunately steam support ignored multiple tickets, or to be precise, i got multiple automated answers and now i can go either to my country office or EU, which i think is better solution, they should have more experience with this topic than smaller country office.

I am trying to refund game, bought in prerelease version, and which is nothing as advertised after launch. Automated answer is that i own it longer than 14 days (i was hoping devs will fix it), and played more than 2 hours (of course, it was prerelease unfinished game).

Any advice will be appreciated, thank you.

//edit: i dived into EU legislation and this must be reported/solved on national level, if anyone needs starting point, its here:

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/unfair-treatment/unfair-contract-terms/index_en.htm

Regarding EULA and contracts, i am waiting for answer, i am not sure about SW, but for HW any contract must be done in language of customer (at least automation, machinery and services)

[✨Saint✨]

Make a manual ticket and explain the situation, automated tickets are not reviewed by humans.

[feytharn]

Steam refund policy is in full compliance with EU regulations. In fact, if they would inform you prior to purchase, not offering refunds for digital goods after you downloaded them would be in full compliance with EU regulations.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Make a manual ticket.

Find the purchase... https://help.steampowered.com/en/wizard/HelpWithPurchase

Choose "I still have a question..."

Explain the entire issue carefully.

And hope for the best.

[Brian9824]

Advice is to stop buying EA games if you aren't going to listen to what your told. Its very clear that your not buying a promise of a finished game, you got the game as is, and you can't just get a refund if you don't like the finished product.

Next time wait for the finished product and see what that is like if your not willing to take the risk

Assuming this is for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide which you've owned for at least 4 months and played over 30+ hours on so no real chance at a refund

[Haruspex]

You should read the refund rules of your own region.
https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/index_en.htm

If you bought a product or a service online or outside of a shop (by telephone, mail order, from a door-to-door salesperson), you also have the right to cancel and return your order within 14 days, for any reason and without a justification.

Lots of people read that and stop there, satisfied. However if you continue reading you'll see exceptions:

The 14-day cooling off period does not apply to all purchases. Some of the exemptions are:

• sealed audio, video or computer software, such as DVDs, which you have unsealed upon receipt
  
• online digital content, if you have already started downloading or streaming it and you agreed that you would lose your right of withdrawal by starting the performance

Valve is actually more generous than EU rules, due to allowing refunds on games that you have already started playing. According to the EU, you lose your right to refund the moment you begin downloading.

If you haven't already, you can try a manual refund by selecting "I have a question about this purchase" in the support screen. You can politely explain the situation, which will trigger a manual review of the request, and they may make an exception and refund the game. It's not a guarantee though.

[Moonfear]

thanks for advice, i will try manual ticket, but still i think it is not in compliance with EU, as far as i know, i have right to return goods which are not what they are advertised as, maybe i will look more into that or try local office. If someone advertise cow, and promise milk, and i get ox, no milk, its wrong.

[Brian9824]

Originally posted by Moonfear:

thanks for advice, i will try manual ticket, but still i think it is not in compliance with EU, as far as i know, i have right to return goods which are not what they are advertised as, maybe i will looker more into that or try local office. If someone advertise cow, and promise milk, and i get ox, no milk, its wrong.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide right? If so your MONTHS past your ability to refund AND you ignored the multiple places it tells you the game might or might not change. You can take it up with the developer but Steam hasn't had your money for months now.

keep in mind if you do try to sue steam even if you win you can expect them to shut down your account as they reserve the right to terminate accounts at their discretion, of course assuming it even makes it to court which will never happen.

[Crazy Tiger]

Try the manual ticket indeed. Otherwise contact your local consumer agency.

Keep in mind that "false advertising" is a lot more strict than most people think. Especially if it's an Early Access game.

[Moonfear]

Originally posted by brian9824:

Originally posted by Moonfear:

thanks for advice, i will try manual ticket, but still i think it is not in compliance with EU, as far as i know, i have right to return goods which are not what they are advertised as, maybe i will looker more into that or try local office. If someone advertise cow, and promise milk, and i get ox, no milk, its wrong.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide right? If so your MONTHS past your ability to refund AND you ignored the multiple places it tells you the game might or might not change. You can take it up with the developer but Steam hasn't had your money for months now.

keep in mind if you do try to sue steam even if you win you can expect them to shut down your account as they reserve the right to terminate accounts at their discretion, of course assuming it even makes it to court which will never happen.

Honestly, i am old enough to know how world works, so i am OK with loosing my account, what i am not OK with, is indifference of steam and no response.

I had put faith in dev to fix their game, and even after months its not fixed. I have played in beta, haven't touched game since launch. Yes, i know that there were points to refund. Yes i intentionaly did not use those options, still had faith. I have tried to explain it in ticked that the time was during beta (i think it was actualy one of requirements for one of those refund windows).

Also i have checked that manual ticked, its actualy what i tried 2 times, both occasions i got automated reply, and have no idea why. So i decided to put little more hope in dev, and there is still nothing to see. I bought goods which are not what was advertised. And because steam refuse to comunicate i am looking in legal ways.

And to be honest, i am leaving lawyer as last resort, its expensive in my country, even if i am willing to loose my account i like those hundreds of games, and i still think that down the road if i fill complain, someone from valve will finaly answer. Maybe its work deformation, but if someone refuses to cooperate, best solution is to get leverage.

But to be sure, i will try another ticket to solve it.

[Brian9824]

Originally posted by Moonfear:

Originally posted by brian9824:

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide right? If so your MONTHS past your ability to refund AND you ignored the multiple places it tells you the game might or might not change. You can take it up with the developer but Steam hasn't had your money for months now.

keep in mind if you do try to sue steam even if you win you can expect them to shut down your account as they reserve the right to terminate accounts at their discretion, of course assuming it even makes it to court which will never happen.

Honestly, i am old enough to know how world works, so i am OK with loosing my account, what i am not OK with, is indifference of steam and no response.

I had put faith in dev to fix their game, and even after months its not fixed. I have played in beta, haven't touched game since launch. Yes, i know that there were points to refund. Yes i intentionaly did not use those options, still had faith. I have tried to explain it in ticked that the time was during beta (i think it was actualy one of requirements for one of those refund windows).

Also i have checked that manual ticked, its actualy what i tried 2 times, both occasions i got automated reply, and have no idea why. So i decided to put little more hope in dev, and there is still nothing to see. I bought goods which are not what was advertised. And because steam refuse to comunicate i am looking in legal ways.

And to be honest, i am leaving lawyer as last resort, its expensive in my country, even if i am willing to loose my account i like those hundreds of games, and i still think that down the road if i fill complain, someone from valve will finaly answer. Maybe its work deformation, but if someone refuses to cooperate, best solution is to get leverage.

But to be sure, i will try another ticket to solve it.

Except steam did nothing wrong so your grievance is with the developer, not steam. You bought a product sold as is, with an understanding it might never change. Then the product changed MONTHS after you bought it. Any false advertisement would be on the DEVELOPERS side, but as someone who has actually worked in software the courts absolutely side with software developers and understand that features described can change in development due to many factors.

The facts are you exhausted your refund abilities months ago, so hopefully you learn from the mistake and stop buying EA games.

[Moonfear]

Originally posted by nullable:

Originally posted by Moonfear:

thanks for advice, i will try manual ticket, but still i think it is not in compliance with EU, as far as i know, i have right to return goods which are not what they are advertised as, maybe i will look more into that or try local office. If someone advertise cow, and promise milk, and i get ox, no milk, its wrong.

Well lots of people think having a contrary opinion satisfies the legal requirements. Some of those people are grossly misinformed.

Being able to use something like "false advertising", for example, grammatically correct in a sentence doesn't necessarily mean the claim is true. You're free to your own opinion of course. But try not to be surprised when your assumptions don't pan out like you think they should.

Also being able to make a sloppy analogy, may also not be the slam dunk legal argument many people seem to think it does.

Sometimes mismanaged expectations are our own doing, not an indictment against the developer/publisher. And if I had $1 for every time someone had a bogus belief they were wronged by a developer, I'd be the richest man who ever lived, or will live.

I know what you mean, and you are right :) I agree 100%, on the other hand, this is not my first rodeo, unfortunately completely different field where i have zero knowledge :/ only thing applicable in this situation is that when ANY step is made except asking again and again, things change.

In analogy, in my field of work, i had pointed gun at someone head many times, never shot, always got agreement that was win/win for both sides.

[Lithurge]

Early access is effectively like an investment. You speculated ("I had faith") you'd get the return you wanted, even though you're warned you may not. Not getting what you wanted doesn't mean you have a legal right to get your money back.

[Moonfear]

Originally posted by Lithurge:

Early access is effectively like an investment. You speculated ("I had faith") you'd get the return you wanted, even though you're warned you may not. Not getting what you wanted doesn't mean you have a legal right to get your money back.

This is where i have different point of view. One of my jobs was buying and startup of new technologies, and i had few situations when i ordered production line, one year after started instalation, in between this changed that changed, final delivery was wastly different from what i ordered, so we decided to "put faith" in supplier and give him another year to fix it, even agreed on split expenses. In the end we had production line which was different from line they advertised, we had multiple changes of agreement and still I was legaly able to refund it.

Anyways, i understand points of each one of you, so i will one more time try ticket.

//:update - i have contacted one of my ex-coleagues, lookslike i should forget EU and contact directly our country's customer rights office, most of the things you warned me about are on point

[Lithurge]

Originally posted by Moonfear:

Originally posted by Lithurge:

Early access is effectively like an investment. You speculated ("I had faith") you'd get the return you wanted, even though you're warned you may not. Not getting what you wanted doesn't mean you have a legal right to get your money back.

This is where i have different point of view. One of my jobs was buying and startup of new technologies, and i had few situations when i ordered production line, one year after started instalation, in between this changed that changed, final delivery was wastly different from what i ordered, so we decided to "put faith" in supplier and give him another year to fix it, even agreed on split expenses. In the end we had production line which was different from line they advertised, we had multiple changes of agreement and still I was legaly able to refund it.

Anyways, i understand points of each one of you, so i will one more time try ticket.

//:update - i have contacted one of my ex-coleagues, lookslike i should forget EU and contact directly our country's customer rights office, most of the things you warned me about are on point

You would have signed a business contract, written by lawyers, which would have explicitly set out the terms that would allow you to do that. In this case you signed a contract with Valve and agreed to the warnings set out on the games early access page, none of which gives you those rights.

[Moonfear]

Originally posted by Lithurge:

Originally posted by Moonfear:

You would have signed a business contract, written by lawyers, which would have explicitly set out the terms that would allow you to do that. In this case you signed a contract with Valve and agreed to the warnings set out on the games early access page, none of which gives you those rights.

not true

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/unfair-treatment/unfair-contract-terms/index_en.htm

Terms which inappropriately exclude/limit consumers' rights to compensation if the trader doesn't keep to his side of the contract.

Contract terms that are unfair under EU law have no legal or binding force on consumers

also after deeper dive in EU legislation, this is something which must be enforced by national authority, which makes my OP invalid, filling national complain is quite easy.