ChillCore (Banned) Mar 25, 2013 @ 6:43am
Redeem and gift codes in Belgium. No online payments
Hello steam and everybody else who may be able to give some info.

First let me explain the situation ...

I have recently started playing on a certain HL2DM server, I like the place very much and got into more than one pleasant converstation about old games.
I already own most of the offical HL1 versions that are released many moons ago and want to expand my collection a bit. I could register all my old boxed versions online, but 1 (*), and have most if not all already installed. Great service here steam. I bow in thou general direction.
The shops, the ones listed on steam, that sell redeem/gift codes do not seem to be available in my country and I can not find any info anywhere that shows where I can purchase these codes in my country.

I do not do online payment for personal reasons and I never will neither (let's not even talk about this as my mind is made up and nothing you say or do will change my mind on the subject).

Now I want to buy for myself the Orange Box and Garry's mod while I want to give my friend HL2 (perhaps instead orange box if he prefers that over HL2 alone so he too has some games to trade and/or give away; what he picks is entirely up to him, I am paying).

How do I proceed ???

Option 1:
I get info where to get codes in belgium.

Option 2:
My friend lives in germany, If I know that he can buy these codes near his place I am willing to send him the money needed IRL so he can buy and give me what I want while at the same time he would be buying what he wants.

Option 3:
Steam provides me a bank account number to which I transfer money, they put it in my account to my account and I use the credits as normal.

Option 4:
We go via a third party (also a reliable friend who lives in germany) who does do online payments. Read: I send him the money, he buys and gives us the games we want.
This complicates things even more ... and would only be the last option, we still need to ask him if all else falls through.

Option 5:
Workshop would be an option but it would be a shame if I can not take advantage of the current 75% off offer for Garry's mod (I will still buy it even when the deal is over)
Also I want these games now, anything workshop related can and will be of use latere now that I know of this possibilty.

My prefference would ofcourse be option 1 or 3 as that way I stay in control over my money at all times.
Note that any scamming issues are not on the table here ... both of the friends I am talking about above are admins on the server I play on and I aplied too for the same position.
Also it is I myself wo offered to pay, I have not been asked.



(*) Whenever I try to register Gunman Chronicles it says the code is part of of my Game of the year edition of HL1, this is not true as I have bought it seperatly later on ... yes boxed too. Also I can not find this game in my account neither, maybe I am just overlooking something here ... advice please?
I could have made a seperate thread for this and if that is prefered I will. ;)


Regards,
ChillCore.


ps:
I have the same problem buying MineCraft ... I am dying to give Notch and his team my moneyz in order to acquire an official account but I would not know where to get one for the same reason I made this post.
Any advice on the matter here would be appreciated too.


pps:
Just a friendly sidenote ...

Dear Sierra/Valve/Steam (yes, I was playing your games already when you was still Sierra).
Having to register a boxed version before it even wants to start ... bad bad move really. This only punishes the honest clients as bad (if not more) than DRM does.
Crackers (not hackers ... I am a hacker and proud to be one) just continue playing their stolen games as much as before not bothered with whatever you come up with to stop them.
I have my account since 2010 but refused to use anything steam related untill now for this very reason.
Don't get me wrong I have loved (and still do) everything you guys do and if I had the proffesional skills I would not think twice before applying for a job at your place (well understood from my home as I have kids I do not want to leave behind and I do not want to live in the states ever);
But me buying HL episode 1 and 2, and not noticing the register online note on the box (I was too exited with my new purchase for that), way before I registered my copies, to then let them sit there collecting dust for a few years, because I had no internet at that time, made me very very very upset. And that is just mildly expressing my true feelings about this isue.

ppps:
Wow I did not intend to make such a long post.
Also please do not be offended by the previous pps Sierra/Valve/Steam peeps, it is just explaining how I felt in an honest way, and still do, but continuing not using your services like I did for the past few years is only punishing myself.
Last edited by ChillCore; Mar 28, 2013 @ 8:52pm

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Showing 1-15 of 24 comments
Satoru Mar 25, 2013 @ 7:27am 
I do not do online payment for personal reasons and I never will neither (let's not even talk about this as my mind is made up and nothing you say or do will change my mind on the subject).

That entire wall of text is because of this. Why should teh entire world bend to your whim because you refuse to use online payments for 'personal reasons'
Marble Mar 25, 2013 @ 7:35am 
I understand why some people don't do online payments and know a few who refuse as well. Unfortunately this is just a downside of your paranoia. The safest online payments method I am aware of is to use a middle-man broker such as Paypal.

Your friend in Germany could gift you the games, no problem. What you arrange in terms of funding outside of Steam should remain outside and done at your own risk. Keep in mind though that some German versions are unique in that they censor certain titles.
ChillCore (Banned) Mar 25, 2013 @ 8:02am 
Saturo,
Thank you for your reply and you are 200 percent correct in your reasoning that that is/was the reason for posting this wall of text, however ... I do not expext for anyone to bend to my whim in any way, not now and not ever.
My question was and still is how I could purchase the games I would like to have in my country without using online payments whatsoever. Nothing more, nothing less.

The wall of text is because, from experience and I am a C++ developer myself, the better a problem is explained the more accurate and precise the answer 'could' be and will be.
I have been looking for a solution for more then a few months now and finally decided to pop the question here, where I should have asked a few months ago to begin with.
With all due respect, please refrain from further answering if it is only to state the obvious or just repaeat what I already said.

Also, if I were willing to explain my personal reasons, I would have done so, it would have been just a few lines more. ;)




Canti,
I am aware of paypall but that also requires me to link my bank account to an online service before I can use any money deposited in it, not going to happen.

Right German censorship ... I am aware of that but forgot about it for a minute. Thank you for reminding me. I will have to ask him about the rules on the mentioned games before going that way then. at least that opens a window of opertunity. ;)
Thank you for your useful reply.




Hmmm, That opens another question, If I were to go via a french, dutch, or other friend with a nationality where these sensorship rules do not apply, will he still have problems, with sensored titles, if I give him is beloved HL2 or orange box?
Yes I do have many friend all over the world that I could/would trust to send money to before they make the orders. I'd have to pay extra fees but that is another sacrifice I am willing to make, even if I would be paying double the amount of money reuired because of that ;)
Last edited by ChillCore; Mar 25, 2013 @ 10:15pm
Marble Mar 25, 2013 @ 8:14am 
I'm not aware of the laws in those countries, Germany and Australia are the two big ones I know about where they get a censored version. The censor only counts in the country the game is purchased in. For example, if I gifted a game to someone in Germany, they would get the uncensored version. You'd have to check which countries censor which games and for what reasons.

On the topic of Paypal, you don't need to hook it up to your bank account in order to use it. You can use credit or debit cards, people can send you money and then you can spend it in places that accept it, or you can even add funds to the account by check supposedly. And because they pay on your behalf, the people you buy stuff from never see any of your financial details and if your Steam account is hacked your card details won't be at risk.

I'm sure you're set in this already but, just thought I'd throw that out there ;).
Satoru Mar 25, 2013 @ 8:28am 
Any "reasons" to not use online payments are purely based on fears that don't actually exist. You're jumping through a lot of hoops for little reason and zero benefits
Delph Mar 25, 2013 @ 8:58am 
The only place to buy steam wallet codes currently are in Gamestops in the US. Nowhere else currently allows the purchase of them. You're better off just biting the bullet and buying online
ChillCore (Banned) Mar 25, 2013 @ 9:12am 
Saturo ... and your point is ???
It is my choice to not have the benefits that come with it, wether my reasons are valid or not is not even on debate here. Maybe try re-reading that line you quoted untill the end?
For the last time ... your replies do not help me any futher at all as they reveal nada that I did not know allready. :(
I will simply ignore your posts if you continue like this, just so you know.



Canti,
The last time I checked paypall, it is indeed possible to open an account and receive money in it, up to 100 euro's, however before I can spend a single dime I gave to give them the number of my account to see if I really am wo I say I am and not some terrorist looking for funds.
These are new-ish laws made after 9/11 and the funding of the actions that occured that day ... I am very sorry to bring up this, for some more than others, painful issue up again and here but that was the reason to implement these laws.
I will check again to make sure but I am pretty sure that the texts I read were very clear on this.

About that sensoring of games ... I will check what exactly is sensored and who knows maybe I can live with what remains available. ;)
The other german friend that does online payments does have Orange Box and Garry's while living in Germany.
Thank you very much for your help.
I have some options now.

I do hope someone from Valve itself can provide me a (luxembourgois) IBAN acount number where I can transfer via that postal order (or even wiring directly from my bank) into my steam account.
Read: I do not mind sending money from my bank account to online services but simply do not want said services to be linked to it in in any way at all ... I am paying not receiving as with paypall when buying games.
Also It is not eg. Steam or other services I do not trust it is the things that can go wrong with any personal info available online. ;)
Just like Paypall does not trust me for as long as they can not send me a few cents and verify that I am not a terrorist.

And yes mind made up. ;)



Delph,
Only the USA ... I really do hope you are wrong ... not biting any bullets.
I'd rather go to Game Mania here and ask them to order me boxed versions, even if it takes weeks for it to arrive and will cost me a bit more, I will then have to spent some additional money on stamps to get the one of them from Belgium to Germany. Another sacrifice I am willing to make.
I would even open my friend box and mail him his codes so that he does not have to even wait longer to start playing.
Thank you for your reply also, much apreciated
Last edited by ChillCore; Mar 25, 2013 @ 9:26am
Marble Mar 25, 2013 @ 9:18am 
I know many people who use Paypal without bank or cards. They add funds to the Paypal account by selling things or doing artwork requests, they can then spend the money they receive online.

As for anything else, Valve will not accept any other payment method than those listed because the Steam system itself is entirely automated, the time the spent assisting individuals in this way is worth more than the purchases they are likely to make.
ChillCore (Banned) Mar 25, 2013 @ 9:25am 
I will again check paypall first for more info but untill now I have been running in circles unfortunately.
Also I will have a look what the censoring is about with the german versions of games, like I said maybe I can live with it.

Thank you for your time peeps.

Also to whoever moved this topic in the correct place ... thank you for doing so, I was not sure where to post this. ;)
Last edited by ChillCore; Mar 25, 2013 @ 9:25am
ChillCore (Banned) Mar 25, 2013 @ 11:53pm 
My problem is not yet solved but I just had an idea (thouht if you will because the idea is not mine and it's usage is older then Sierra is) that might be viable to implement, could perhaps solve my issue (also anyone else's out there with the same issue and concerns as mine) as well as also increase steam sales which is good for you but even better for us as more money would become available for new games develpment, extra staff and maybe see its first employee that does not work at Valve's offices but at home in his country? (call me maybe ... hint hint. <- Joke; but not really if you know what I mean).

I know you Valve peeps like thinking outside of the box, I am a person that rather rips apart the box and turns it a different kind of box ... while only adding value to that box, not getting rid of what was inside to begin with.

Here goes another wall of text to deter people replying that have nothing to add to the conversation (Me too I have better things to do then reply to them; I could be playing right now):

Steam is an automated service, good and let's just keep it that way.
I also prefer peeps having a massage while thinking on the next great ting to do, instead of doing the boring task of transfering money into people's account.
I agree it would a waste of resources, who cares about the money it costs ... Valve is big enough and would be able to do that.

I do all kinds of payments which are processed autmatically and are not linked to my bank account in ways I do not want it to be linked neither.
How ... buy adding a reference to my payments towards you/them (or anyone else for that matter).

For example I send money to my ISP each month manually but I can hardly imagine someone sitting there and waiting for my transaction to pop up on his screen and link it to my client account.
Water, gas, electricity, shool bills, etc, etc, whatever kind of bill falls in my mailbox the accompanying letter always mentions 'please us this +++123/146/789+++ for every transaction you make towards us'. Often, if not always, the transaction note (overschrijving in dutch but I don't feel like googling right now for the translation(*)) already has this reference filled out for me so so I do not have to look it up each and every time I need it.

Same for my rent, although that is only from me to my landlord and he has only four houses ... I will still add 'Rent April 2013' in that box, even if it is not needed, before I click the button to make the payment go through. Why? So that I have proof of what for I sent him my money in case I need to prove that I paid at all or in case something goes wrong, eg. me typing the wrong bank account nr. and my landlord not receiving my money; this will ofcourse not rectify my mistake towards him, nor will it get me my money back (the person actually having received it has to give it back to me voluntarily; it is my mistake and not my banks so they are not obliged to intervene and will not do so neither) but at least I can show my landlord that I made the effort and will give me a chance to rectify the situation instead of throwing me in the street which he could do if it happens a few times in a row (me not having noticed; he maybe thinking I have cashfllow problems, again, and assuming I will pay double next month or triple the month after that; it has happened before and it will happen again <- again personal reasons I am not willing to elaborate on).

So yeah, in short, give each and every client of yours a reference nr and let any payments made using that be automatically processed by and old 486 I am sure is still lingering somewhere in your basement.


(*) My time is as valuable as everyone of you and during the time it took me to write in this thread, I would habve bought 2 orange boxes, 1 garry's mod, and maybe a few other games I would like to have. so would have a couple of thousend others who feel just like me.


ps:
If anyone is wondering why I write so many errors,... pls tell me how to make desktop sreenshot in WinXP.
I have another issue this time with the box where I am typing this text in and can not be bothered to re-read because my eyes are bleeding. No I am not 12, nor am I illeterate but I have not used windows for anything other than things that do not run on linux for the last five years. Trust me beside a few games there is absolutely nothing that keeps me tied to windows, in fact steam on linux has recently taken another reason to use it way, for which I thank you. Hmm no wait, It has not... my account I created in 2010 ... linux and that is also where I played and finished ep1 and 2 at that time.
I am willing to explain but I am not going to spend time searching for something I do not care about all that much and will most likely never use anywayand I am really not going to reboot just to take a screenshot. ;)



pps:
I just saw something that will end you misery of having to read my walls of text.
MY FRIEND HAS HL2 AND I DO NOT YET ... me very very very sad once more; for me not for him, I have not yet spoken to him to ask how he did it.
I already spent way to much time in this thread ... so instead of continuing to search for a solution I will just give my friend the money to buy the orange box or whatever he wants.
Me??
Not spending another dime on anything anymore untill I can buy games again, boxed and that do not need online registration/payments whatsoever.

ppps:
if someone thinks that I am cheap or difficult feel free to do so,
I am getting ready to go to the bank donating to three things that are very closely related.
One of my favorite games that is opensource and free of charge BTW ...
I only hinted to have their BANK ACCOUNT NRs once and you know what, despite them having paypall available, yes that is easier for them, I got the nrs I needed within 5 minutes.
Once moe dissapointed now, please make me feel better steam, please, please, please, pretty please.

pppps: I am still willing to explain my issue I have with re-reading the box while typing this post but meh ...
Last edited by ChillCore; Mar 26, 2013 @ 12:02am
Marble Mar 26, 2013 @ 12:04am 
They aren't going to change their entire payment processing system just because you won't use any of the available methods.

There are countries where people genuinely don't have most of these payment options at all. If they were going to add any new methods, they would do so for these groups of people, not for one individual who is being awkward :P
ChillCore (Banned) Mar 26, 2013 @ 12:12am 
I understand what you mean ... I am only frustrated here, for which I aplogozise if any offence is taken.
I want to buy games and give people money to make more games ... lots of more games.
I can not.
ChillCore (Banned) Mar 26, 2013 @ 12:15am 
I will still be reading to see if any replies come and maybe possible solutions. but I am out now because I heve better things to do.
Also like I said, if someone tells me how to make tha screenshot I will happily explain my bleeding eyes problem, in a non frustredted way because part of the problem is on my side;)
Marble Mar 26, 2013 @ 12:19am 
I understand, but the reason you cannot is purely by your own choice so you really have no right to be complaining.

I just went to check exactly which payment methods they accept and I saw Paysafecard on there. Why not use that? It's just a pre-paid card you buy from supermarkets.
ChillCore (Banned) Mar 26, 2013 @ 12:25am 
That is absolutely great news.
Please also tell what supermakets sell them here in Belgium the netherland and or france.
Belgium is 300 km long an 60 wide at the shore.
I am willing to take my bike and drive in a radius of 150km from my house to get me one of those.
I am not willing to do what I already mentioned
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Date Posted: Mar 25, 2013 @ 6:43am
Posts: 24