After losing his final appeal against a [$ 3,000,000] ACCC lawsuit Valve has issued a statement through Steam acknowledging his error by not offering reimbursements to Australians, while informing them of
Valve's official position back in 2014, when the lawsuit was filed for the first time, was that it did not have a refund policy, something that is guaranteed by the Australian Consumer Law, and while the notice published in Steam is heavy in the jargon, the conclusion is that Valve accepts that this was misleading.
Know your rights
The publication continues to break down the rights that Australians have as consumers when buying Steam video games:
"You are entitled to a replacement or refund by the retail supplier of video games for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage You also have the right to have the video game retailer repair or replace the video games if the video games are not of acceptable quality and the failure does not constitute a major failure. other rights available directly against manufacturers that can not be excluded or limited. "
The Australian Consumer Law also guarantees that products must be of" acceptable quality ", which is described in the Valve publication as:
- "Safe, durable and without defects;
- acceptable in appearance and finish; and
- adjusts to all purposes for which video games of that type are commonly provided. This should take into account the nature and price of video games, and any statement on the packaging or labeling. "
Valve's current Steam refund policy from 2015, states that" Valve will issue a refund for any reason, if the request is made within fourteen days of the purchase, and the title has been played for less than two hours ", although these time limits are not mentioned in the recent announcement, and it is not yet clear whether they apply to Australian clients.
