Staff Blog: Steam Refunds

Steam Refunds

On 11/19/2015 at 11:07 PM by Blake Turner

About a month ago, I purchased a game called Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide. It was getting exceptional reviews, and I quite like the universe, so I paid the $40 and jumped right in. Unfortunately for me, none of the reviews mentioned that this game runs worse than Arkham Knight did. Not a single one of them.

This would be all well and good if it were limited to my machine or lower performing rigs, but people with seriously impressive rigs were reporting problems.

However, this is 2015 and games on any system usually take up to a month to work properly, so I gave it 2 weeks. They did patch it, but it actively made the game run worse. In fact, it wouldn't start at all.

This is when I started to think this game would never run on my system and decided to get a refund.

In my refund request, I stated all of my issues and wrote quite a lengthy description of my issues, and 2 hours later I received an automated response informing me that I had in fact played for 2.1 hours and it was 2 days past 2 weeks so I wouldn't be receiving a refund. I guess steam don't even read what you send them.

Now, I somewhat understand the time limit. Most refund policies have one, and this one makes sense as it ensures customers aren't taking advantage of the system and buying games and refunding them (although Valve, come on, we both no that is far too much effort when those kinds of asshats can just pirate the games anyway), but it's 2015. Every game that comes out is broken. Sometimes these games don't get fixed for weeks, or months into their development. Sometimes, they don't get fixed at all.

All I'm proposing here is that maybe you put in a few more perameters. Maybe put into place a system that tracks how many times someone opens the game and how quickly after that the title is closed. I know you already have that information.

Just... Valve, seriously. I love you. But when you have 6 countries wanting to take you to court for breaking consumer laws you should maybe get your shit together.

Joaquim Mira Media Manager

11/20/2015 at 12:06 AM

I think Steam users are going to have to outsmart the system and just play for 30 minutes, and call it quits for every game that doesn't work. Get a refund and send the message back "Don't release your shit and expect us to take it." I don't think Steam has a certification process like Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft have for their consoles, and I don't see Steam starting to do it any time soon either.

Blake Turner Staff Writer

11/20/2015 at 12:39 AM

In principal I agree with you, but at the same time I'm always scared of missing out on awesome games like that. But steam does need to get it's shit together.

asrealasitgets

11/20/2015 at 12:09 AM

I wrote a similar type of comment regarding Origin and Dragon Age Inquisition. The game ran on my PC, but even changing settings, was very stuttery and could never fix it entirely. Sometimes the game ran smoothly, then suddenly hit a wall of shit and either just crash or slow down. The game had been out for a long time, and I figured there had been enough patches out to fix these types of issues, but no.

I was going to try out this Warhammer game too, and wasn't aware of performance issues. Interesting. Sorry about your $40. So many games are gonna be on sale next week for Black Friday for very cheap. Do you have Black Friday where you live?

11/20/2015 at 12:41 AM

Yeah, it's the same on my system. It runs, but I had to fuck with the .ini files to get it to run well.

It's a shame. What I played of the Warhammer game was awesome, but it's sadly not to be.

And we don't have it, but we stillm have those Steam sales :D

Matt Snee Staff Writer

11/20/2015 at 05:02 AM

some people think we should bring corporal punishment back to schools. I think we should bring it to corporations when they fuck up. give me my spank paddle!

Super Step Contributing Writer

11/20/2015 at 12:31 PM

Actually, corporal punishment is still in schools at least here in TX depending on where you are.

11/20/2015 at 01:14 PM

damn! but probably not for corporations in that state!

11/20/2015 at 04:00 PM

No. There are guns for that.

11/20/2015 at 06:40 PM

Holy shit. Remind me to never go to Texas. I'm not against physical punishment for children, but that should be up to the parent to decide - especially when your schools rank so poorly compared to the rest of the western world.

11/20/2015 at 08:13 PM

It's mostly the DEEP SOUTH parts of TX and I think parental approval is needed. But honestly, so many ppl I've met who say "I was spanked and I turned out fine" did not turn out fine. Neither did some whiny time out gen kids. There's so much more to childhood dev we ignore when discussing corporal punishment as though it's a central variable in how someone's raised.

leeradical42

11/23/2015 at 10:16 PM

A lot of issues don't show up until after the time steam refunds require and that's a deal breaker for me but to be fair I have refunded some 40 games so no complaints here...

PixlBit

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