Venting Steam

[Mad World]

That is actually one of the things that absolutely infuriates me about steam, the lack of phone support, seriously a multimillion (billion?) dollar company that doesn't have phone support, what the hell?
And their email support is pretty piss poor too, replies are usually copy and pasted, and they take 24-48 hours to get back to you, this can get really frustrating because each reply takes that long. So if you end up with a chain of responses odds are it took you a week+ to get there. Hell I had an issues with Portal 2, it took me 13 days to solve the problem because of how slow the turn around was in replies. Seriously, you'd think they'd give priority to responding to an ongoing problem.
Also, their reps really suck in general to answer problems, more than once they've sold some bundle of games, just to have the games not work with steam at all and their response is basically one of "though luck", seriously how can a company sell a defective product and not offer and support/refunds.

They don't have phone support, hu? That kind of sucks. I wasn't sure whether or not they did, but I guess not.

And I know what you mean... those copy-and-paste replies can get so annoying. I've had bad issues with Even Balance (PunkBuster) replies (they just don't even reply to my web ticket anymore!), but I digress.

They have a lot of money, so better support shouldn't be THAT difficult to get going. Also, they seem to have a policy of: "This was our decision, and we won't be changing our minds." A prime example is their Valve Anti-Cheat. They think that it's so perfect, but nothing is. They're human; therefore, they can't make perfect things.

They should be willing to admit that - maybe - they made a mistake, and make an attempt to fix this.

E-mail contact proved fruitless. As I said, I have a nagging suspicion they didn't even read most of my e-mails, as the replies were always copy-pastes of previous replies.

As for telephone contact, I repeatedly asked for a phone number to call them and deal with someone "in person", as it were, but... well... see above.

That's very unprofessional of them. They should show the customer that they care.

I bet that if you threatened to sue (as Staskala has already suggested), they'd change their tune. Or they'd - at least - provide you with an actual reply. I'm not saying that you should sue them; I'm just saying that I bet they'd act a bit differently.

 

[Mad World]

Edit: Accidental double post. Meant to make it into one. :/

 

[Caligulust]

I pressed the matter. Eventually, they started requesting that I take a photo of a certain manual with a certain keycode. No mention of even a game name, just "take a photo of a manual with this number". I explained repeatedly that, at the time, I had no means of taking said photo, but furthermore, I had no game with that key. After a while, they finally revealed that the game in question was "Metro 2033"... a game I have never owned. No wonder I couldn't find the keycode they were asking for.

They weren't asking for a certain code, they were asking you to write that code above a game key to prove ownership.

 

[Kapol]

I don't trust Steam, but at the same time they save me enough money that I stay with them for my PC games. The idea that a company can just say 'you can't have your games' and take them away whenever they want just bothers me. It would be especially bad since I have thousands of dollars worth of games (all bought for very cheap on sale, mind you). I remember reading an article on here talking about how people will put up with pretty much anything as long as it's convenient for them, which is sort of what's happening here.

 

[Balimaar]

my first experience with steam was with a store-bought version of Half Life 2. duly started the installation process, reached the part where it says 'enter your CD key'. entered it and then get 'the cd key has been used'. wth?

support email sent and they say there is nothing they can do. i emailed them a copy of my receipt and the cd-key with a support ticket number written on it and they still didnt want to give me my game.

really urinated me off that did.

 

[Mechanix]

Wow, I really wish I had something more to say than "that sucks". I know I'd be infuriated if hundreds of dollars worth of stuff was just gone because some company was too stuck up to do anything. I don't use steam to often myself, but I've realized they're a good platform.....up until now. That's piss poor customer service, and the lack of a phone number to call is just plain unprofessional for a business of this magnitude.

Thank you though, you've convinced me to be cautious when directly downloading games from now on.

 

[Iwata]

Thank you though, you've convinced me to be cautious when directly downloading games from now on.

Well, that's good. That was the whole point of this thing.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I have to agree with the other people who said it sounds like your account has been hacked.

I would approach steam again or even phone them. Tell them you have the games right there and you can take photos if needed.

Inquire about the possibility of your account being hacked. My friend recently moved house and got a 3 days suspension on his wow account ebcause someone was trying to sell gold on it. He managed to get this overturned through being direct with communication.

I can understand it's frustrating but I think you perhaps need to try again with Steam they maybe did not understand through your emails what was going on. Maybe phone up and ask to speak to a manager?

I understand this is a cautionary tale but it's not like trying again would hurt.

 

[Katana314]

If you have discs around you, those photos would be the most helpful ones; proving you have something physically relevant to the game; especially if you can take a picture of a CD key or registration somewhere.

This is the one thing that has always infuriated me about Steam. It's also the reason I use Steam Guard, and have the most complex password I've ever come up with on Steam.

But the thing that pisses me off the most?

"Steam Police, your account is under arrest!"
"What? What's the charge?"
"That's confidential."

No one pursuing actual "justice" answers that way.

 

[Pedro The Hutt]

If you're telling the truth and didn't pirate any game you should be within your legal right to download them off torrents. Granted you won't be able to play on Steam's servers online, but you should be able to get your single player games back. Not sure if I'm right here, so someone correct me if I'm wrong. I don't want to advocate him to do anything illegal.

Nope. He's still not allowed to illegally download th titles, despite him having bought the games and being unable to play them. Shit happens bro.

At least according to Belgian law you're perfectly entitled to make and keep copies of films, CDs and games you legally own. I'm pretty sure torrenting something you legally own counts as doing the same.

And if you're really up in arms about it you could always consider legal action, just saying.

 

[Not-here-anymore]

If you're telling the truth and didn't pirate any game you should be within your legal right to download them off torrents. Granted you won't be able to play on Steam's servers online, but you should be able to get your single player games back. Not sure if I'm right here, so someone correct me if I'm wrong. I don't want to advocate him to do anything illegal.

Nope. He's still not allowed to illegally download th titles, despite him having bought the games and being unable to play them. Shit happens bro.

Provided you can provide proof that you own the game legally if called up on it, I'm pretty sure you can. It's not the act of downloading that's illegal, it's the stealing. So downloading a back-up copy is absolutely fine. I think.

 

[StBishop]

If you're telling the truth and didn't pirate any game you should be within your legal right to download them off torrents. Granted you won't be able to play on Steam's servers online, but you should be able to get your single player games back. Not sure if I'm right here, so someone correct me if I'm wrong. I don't want to advocate him to do anything illegal.

I love how you blasted people for sceptisism in your thread about being mugged but opened this post with "if you're telling the truth."

The irony is delicious.

OT: Dude, this really sucks and I genuinely think you should start an online petition. This stuff sometimes works. Maybe a facebook group?
Other option, call them and cry.

 

[mad825]

Not much that can be done, the safe advice that I can offer is go to your local authority that specialises in consumer protection and take it from there.

Provided you can provide proof that you own the game legally if called up on it, I'm pretty sure you can. It's not the act of downloading that's illegal, it's the stealing. So downloading a back-up copy is absolutely fine. I think.

The only problem is that P2P means that the information will be shared to hundreds of other people off his local drive which will be classed "stealing". Anyway, you are not allowed unless you have permission and in most countries making "back-up" copies from legitimate sources is very sceptical enough as it is already.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Ya that's why the Steam business is so very risky, if they decide you did something wrong there is no way back and all your money is gone.

But I am surprised at the meager response, usually Steam support atleast provides info on what happened and why.
My buddy got his account locked after he switched ISP's, they took this as a sign of someone else logging in and it was all over, it took over a month and him sending copies of his documents to one of their offices before they wanted to acknowledge it's the right guy logging in.
They finally reactivated it but that is one hell of a dodgy system, your entire game collection hanging by a thread that can be cut at the whim of some company.

That is why I keep my distance from these digital distribution systems, until I get a lawfully irrefutable proof of owning those games I don't go near it.
If things don't get resolved I suggest you look for game cracks, those atleast will let you play offline.

 

[Zenron]

This kind of thing was bound to happen when a company has full control over what you can and can't play. Steam is still a great service though, you just got really unlucky.

It kind of irks me that they just refuse to tell you why your account was suspended though. It just seems like they were purposively trying to be annoying for no real reason. They would have saved everyone a lot of time if they had just told you outright what the problem was.

 

[scnj]

Do the games get tied to the account upon installing them?

 

[SenseOfTumour]

I don't know what to suggest really, but can you really not borrow a digital camera, or cellphone camera and take a few pictures of your owned stack of steam games on a shelf, maybe next to todays paper (like the kidnappers do), to prove that you own the games?

I really think it's worth another try, if you've not been in contact for a few months.

Perhaps you just got a bad staff member first time...

I hope things get sorted this time around if you try again.

If you're in the UK I'd try the Citizen' Advice Bureau, ask them what you should do to reclaim your purchases.

 

[Richardplex]

I guess unlucky to be you. every company has flaws, and I don't blame you for disliking steam for it. But I still think the benifits of steam far outweigh the problems, like you had.

ALso, as someone else said, buy the complete valve pack and sell off your games, you'll at least lose no money, but probably net a profit, and have more games than you did before, at least for the first 4 games.

 

[William MacKay]

steam does seem to have a stupid timing system for being offline. i have to request a new 'reactivation code' every time i sign in on my internet browser on the same computer i auto-sign-in to every day because ive been 'offline to long' or its a 'different computer'.
so what must've happened to you is this, except you were away longer and then they fucked up massively. most confusing part: i get emailed the codes, but you had to buy a brand new game for it. that seems majorly stupid: not everyone can just buy a new game to play games they already have.
and the copypasted replies were probably because it was an automatic email sent out: probably the worst thing customer support can do except when its a known problem with a simple solution, or theyre saying 'we have recieved your request and will get back to you within...'
I feel pretty bad for you, and i hope that something eventually gets through to them and they reactivate your old account.

 

[Cronq]

Your account was obviously compromised. Steam has a duty to all legitimate account holders to provide due diligence on their end when it comes to ownership claims. When an account is stolen it is YOUR responsibility to supply the proof of ownership. You provided NO PROOF to steam in any form that you were the account holder, all you did was ask them to provide you with information (this is something that identity thieves would ask for). I'm gunna applaud Steam on this one because you've interacted with them exactly how I would expect someone who stole an account would behave.

Steam's policy is reasonable: If an account is compromised then it is suspended until someone can prove ownership with retail CD Keys or credit card/bank information. You refused both of those. If they give in to your idea of how Steam account security should work any douche bag could email steam and tell them my account is actually theirs. Do you understand how stupid that is?