Steam Refunds & UK Law

[Voxel1ty]

I'm not advocating one way or the other but rather just want to educate some of the playerbase who find they are discontent with their purchase and believe they are owed a refund by Steam.

Before you print yourself out a law degree and become a member of the esteemed and elite internet lawyers, there are a few things you should know about UK laws in regards to the sales of digital software.

Sale of Goods Act

This is the reply you will get from Steam if you try to claim you are owed a refund under the Sale of Goods Act:

"The regulations you are citing do not apply to digital distribution subscriptions, electronic games, or downloadable content."

Why? Because that's what has been ruled by UK courts. Nuff said.

Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000

Under article 6 paragraph 1 of that, there's generally a minimum withdrawal right of 7 days.

But...Article 6 paragraph 3, 1st and 4th pin, services which have already been put to use, as well as "unsealed" software, are exempted from this rule.

The Distance selling ruling technically doesn't apply to digital purchases or for software that have had their seals broken or that require a code. For all intents & purposes, when you begin downloading a game on Steam you have "broken" it's "seal".

But...

This isn't to say it's impossible to get a refund, just that normally it isn't likely. In some cases, you may get a refund on your Steam Wallet (likely) or credit card (less likely) on a case by case determination.

Don't...

Initiate a charge-back on your credit card or a claim on Paypal, if you fancy having access to your Steam account because they will lock your account down if you do so.