Steam to offer refunds to EU customers for 14 day period

[Chadders87]

Legally talking, retailers are only obliged to replace or refund goods that are not fit for purpose. Online sellers of physical goods have a 14 day window to "inspect" goods before you accept them.

Luckily for us, most retailers are customer focused enough to offer more comprehensive returns policies.

Steam have yet to catch up. They really do need a way for the consumer to be protected from broken and mis-sold games (eg War Z...).

I can understand not refunding games after being played as long as the game remains the same as when you bought it, but if a game gets broken after a day 1 patch and the core developer quits soon after...then we deserve more from Steam.

[Ttaskmaster]

It should be. At least if there is no demo available.

There are usually trailers, if not YouTubes of reviewers with early access.
Beyond that, it's down to you to decide before purchasing whether you like it or not and complain to the Devs if you then bought it and didn't enjoy.
The retailer's job is to facilitate your purchase and deliver the game. They are not really responsible for content (beyond any agre-restrictions on purchase).

but if a game gets broken after a day 1 patch and the core developer quits soon after...then we deserve more from Steam.

Is it Steam's fault that the game broke? Is it their fault that the Dev went bust?
If George RR Martin dies before completing the last book of Game Of Thrones, does that mean I can sue Sky TV for being unable to show the final season that could not even be filmed by [whoever makes the show]...?

[Chadders87]

I agree refunds are not needed for blind purchases, there is enough media out there to allow you to make a fully informed decision, and ignoring these is the buyers error and not Steam. They can't be liable if you find a game not up to your expectations.

Is it Steam's fault that the game broke? Is it their fault that the Dev went bust?

No it is not there fault, however they are the retailer. Just like how Tesco can sell Hellmans Mayo, and Amazon can sell practical everything else. They have a contract with the Dev, and our contract is with steam.

If George RR Martin dies before completing the last book of Game Of Thrones, does that mean I can sue Sky TV for being unable to show the final season that could not even be filmed by [whoever makes the show]...?

Different scenario, we buy games believing they are complete (bar Early Access). A book that is part of a series is that, you pay for the content you receive and not for the future books. And ignoring that, many publishers / authors will have a nominated author to finish a series (Wheel of Time - Jordan / Sanderson).

As for TV shows, I was devastated when I realised Heroes had been cancelled (until I finished season 3... by then I knew why). But again, I paid to get access to the channel and not the specific show.

My point is if content is being specifically paid for and then you are unable to utilise / enjoy said content... Steam should have the facility to "compensate".

[Saracen]

Legally talking, retailers are only obliged to replace or refund goods that are not fit for purpose. Online sellers of physical goods have a 14 day window to "inspect" goods before you accept them.

Luckily for us, most retailers are customer focused enough to offer more comprehensive returns policies.

Steam have yet to catch up. They really do need a way for the consumer to be protected from broken and mis-sold games (eg War Z...).

I can understand not refunding games after being played as long as the game remains the same as when you bought it, but if a game gets broken after a day 1 patch and the core developer quits soon after...then we deserve more from Steam.

But if that happened, you would have the same sort of "satisfactory quality" and "fitness for purpose" rights that you do with any consumer purchase under the SoGA.

This change, from what I can make of it, is ONLY about Steam responding to a change in EU distance selling rules. Those rules have changed over the 2000 DSR in that they handle "digital content" rather more explicitly than in the old DSR, and they provide for close to a 14-day unrestricted right of cancellation UNLESS the seller makes the buyer aware of the loss of the right to cancel, in advance of contract formation AND gets explicit agreement to that.

So what Steam are doing is covering their .... rear end. Unless they include provision like this, some people will exploit that legislative change. So Steam include it.

Their position, it seems to me, is that consumers face a binary choice ..... waive the distance selling right to refund after downloading, installing, whatever, or don't buy. They are saying that they are ONLY prepared to sell to people who waive that right. And the 2013 changes to the distance selling Regs makes it very clear they can do that, by stipulating that they can, but ONLY if they get explicit agreement from the buyer.

In other words, the Regs force Steam (and others) to be SURE you were aware of that restriction, before you bought. Then, the decision whether to not buy, or whether to go ahead anyway, is therefore yours, but the Regs ensure it is an informed decision. Because of the change, you have to know you're losing that refund right, and if you do it anyway .... caveat emptor.

[kalniel]

Which is a very US way of doing things. Over here, I'm not sure you can waive your statutory rights can you?

[eugenius]

Steam is a convenience monopoly. It's not going to last - an open content delivery platform with the option of multiple repositories like apt in Linux will win eventually.

Also,torrent-like acceleration of delivery will be used - Microsoft already uses it for some updates.

When the convenience advantage isn't there anymore, there's no need for Steam and the developers get more money and have independence in marketing their game.

Single vendor app stores are like the DOS era of operating systems. Somebody will add multitasking eventually and make it have no downside.

I look forward to the bundles, lock-ins, scare tactics and exclusives Steam and others will use to keep their free money.