I wrote:
"I purchased The Orange Box on 4/22/2009 for $29.99. I return to Steam only 2 days later (4/24) to find that the cost has suddenly dropped to $9.99. OH NO! I feel really bummed that I missed this deal! I would have waited the extra two days if I had only known the price was going to drop. Is there any way that I can get my original game price refunded and then only pay for the new discounted price instead? If I had purchased the game in an offline physical store they would normally allow me to do this because it was within 90 days of purchase. Or maybe I could just get a Steam Store credit to my account for the $20 difference that I could put towards getting a new game? I would be a very happy customer if you could do this for me. Thank you for your consideration of my request."
They replied:
"Thank you for contacting Steam Support. The terms of the transaction, including the price, were outlined at the time of your purchase. Unfortunately, our billing system is automated and we have no option to offer a partial refund on a game or to apply a credit to your account. We apologize for any inconvenience, and appreciate your understanding."
Fuck Steam.
I knew it was a long shot, but you can't blame a guy for trying.
I know that they didn't do anything illegal, but a lot of offline businesses will give you the sale price if it switches right after you buy it. It's good customer service. Now, as cool as Steam is and as great as their products are, good customer service isn't exactly something they are known for, given that their return policy allows for almost no returns whatsoever and that they load their programs up with all kinds of DRM annoyances. I'm aware that even $30 bucks was a good deal, but having to know that I could have waited a mere 2 days to get 20 dollars off is seriously frustrating, so I don't need you saying "fuck you" on top of it.
J T wrote:so I don't need you saying "fuck you" on top of it.
And I don't like you saying the same, just because you're new to being a consumer. I recently blew a grand on new PC parts, and within a week, I saw some of them go on sale for 10-20% less. I didn't bitch about it. That's business. It's my fault, and I'm not entitled to anything.
Well, I'm happy to report that I can eat my words. Another customer service agent reviewed my request and credited back my money and deleted out my games so that I can buy The Orange Box again at the new $10 price. He just warned me that this was a one-time customer service gesture and that I should be aware of Steam's no refund policy.
Sorry Steam. You know I hate it when we fight.
Maybe you should call up those computer stores, Mozgus, and see if they won't do the same.
I bought my N64 on the day of launch for £299.99. Within weeks it dropped in price by £100. My dad went back to the store to complain about the price drop they refused to refund the difference. So he went home, boxed it up and returned it stating it was faulty. They tried the system in store and when it worked he simply replied "yeah it works, but not like a £299.99 console should". After making his point he just said "I want to return it within the 90 day money back period" they gave him the £299.99 (he made them refund it in cash since that is what I paid for it with). He then walked up to the shelf. Picked up a brand new Nintendo 64 at £199.99 walked back to the cashier and paid for it with the exact same money that they had just handed him.
Why they didn't just give him the £100 in cash is beyond me, since it would have saved the store the embarrassment in the long run.
I can see Moz's point though, I don't see why Valve should feel obliged to refund your purchase, you got lucky I guess. Either that or the representative that contacted you browsed this forum and didn't want the issue to get out of hand. It's better for Valve to save face than attract negative attention in this way.
I don't like Steam's no refunds policy though. It does suck a little bit since you are covered by the 28 day statutory period in this country. I don't know what my rights are regarding online stores. It's something I really should read up on.
WHAT? N64 costs just 300 pounds?
Where I am it costed like 400 or more, and it probably never went under the price of 250 ever, which lead me to have a sad childhood not owning one.
Any how, you shouldn't be upset basically no one should buy a console or anything on launch. For example, in a console, expect it to have faults, no games, extremely high price, and then put into consideration the time it will take until they start producing quality games for the system, not to mention the risk of it failing as a commercial product.
I say you shouldn't get your money back. In truth, its a business deal, you bought the product for the price they asked for, whats wrong?
But I can say it really hurts when you buy a product(apple laptops) for a certain price, and after a week or so a new brand spanking design with everything you dream of is integrated within the computer. It bites really. What I think they should do is all companies should leave a margin where they would stop selling or announcing discounts for like a month before a price drop or an upgrade is out there. This way no one feels that he has been ripped off.
My mother was savvy because she would always keep the receipts for purchases in case they went on sale the next week. She just would take the receipt in and get the refund. She taught me well and I have never had a problem with continuing that tradition. I do feel kinda guilty when I find out on CAG that a game will go on sale Sunday and pick it up full price Saturday and getting my difference back Tuesday just so I could make sure I got a copy before they sold out.
Oh, and on topic: I bought The Orange Box for $10 on Steam. I usually hate FPS, but I am intrigued by HL2... even if I only play it in 10-20 minute bursts at a time. I wish I was better at that game.
BLOG | BST Systems Owned: Atari 2600 & 5200, NES, Game Boy (OG, Pocket, Color, GBA & GBA SP), DSi, 3DS, SMS, Genesis, Sega CD,
Nomad, SNES, Saturn, PS1, Dreamcast, XBox, PS2, Gamecube, Nintendo DS, Wii, PSP, PS3, WiiU, XBOX, 360 XBONE & Switch.
Thank you for your consideration of my request."
