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Australia fines Valve $2.2 million over its Steam refund policy
Australia's federal court has fined Valve AUD$3 million (USD$2.2 million) after ruling that the company breached consumer law when it didn't offer refunds between 2011 and 2014. This is the maximum fine requested by Australia's competition regulator and it's 12 times more than Valve itself suggested it should pay, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. Justice James Edelman said he imposed such a harsh penalty because Valve willfully disregarded Australian law.
Jibo's social 'family robot' won't ship to backers overseas
International crowdfunding is always risky business. Even if a project makes it to market, overseas backers usually have to pay a shipping premium. Sometimes, it's worse: today backers of Jibo's social 'family robot' have been told the product's release has been cancelled in all markets except the US and Canada. The company is now preparing to issue refunds to customers in 45 countries. The issue? Jibo apparently has a hard time understanding accented English.
Australia: Steam's old no-refund policy broke the law
Were you unhappy that Valve didn't offer refunds on Steam until last June? Neither was Australia. The country's Federal Court has ruled that Valve violated consumer law by denying Steam gamers refunds under any conditions. You're entitled to get your money back on shoddy products, the court says, whether they're digital or physical. The penalty has yet to be determined, but it may be muted given that Valve has already changed its tune.
'Five Nights at Freddy's World' removed from Steam
Five Nights at Freddy's, the jump-scare franchise depicted above that YouTubers love to make reaction videos to, has just joined company with Afro Samurai: it's had a release pulled from Steam due to poor reviews. Developer Scott Cawthon writes on the Five Nights at Freddy's 4 Steam listing that even though Five Nights at Freddy's World might have had a "very positive" rating at 87 percent, he's removing it because he wasn't happy with the reviews and ratings it'd been garnering. He's also requested that Steam-owner Valve remove the time limit from purchase refunds, so that no matter how long has passed between purchase and return, customers will get their money back.
MasterCard Send is a new way to distribute funds quickly
Let's face it: checks aren't convenient. If you're using them to pay for something, there's all the extra writing and mailing. If you're receiving them, there's a whole process for getting them into your account. Well, MasterCard says it solved the convenience issue with Send: a new system that allows businesses and individuals to securely exchange funds in minutes. This means that you'll no longer have to wait for a check to clear or for the transfer to go through. While businesses looking to send refunds, claims payments and rebates are a key focus, MasterCard is letting regular folks leverage the system to send money to friends and family, too. What's more, you don't have to be one of its customers to opt in, and you can use Send to pay for goods at participating retailers.
AT&T customers can get unwanted charges refunded only until May 1st
If you vaguely recall getting a text from AT&T within the past three months about some sort of a refund for unwanted charges, call this toll-free hotline ASAP: 877-819-9692. A rep can tell you if you're eligible for part of the $80 million AT&T handed over to the FTC when the company settled a complaint accusing it of "mobile cramming." That's what you call the practice of sending and charging subscribers for horoscopes, ring tones, etc. without their consent. The carrier reportedly charged customers "hundreds of millions of dollars" for those spammy third-party subscriptions. Once you know you're eligible, file for a refund quickly (either on the phone or online), because you can only do so until Friday, May 1st.
SOE's Adam Clegg apologizes for H1Z1 airdrop snafu
In the wake of this week's H1Z1 early access launch issues and "pay-to-win" airdrop controversy, SOE's Adam "Arclegger" Clegg offered a lengthy apology and explanation to the unruly mob on Reddit. I wanted to address what I said in an earlier stream with NGTZombies prior to our release. I said you cannot buy a gun or ammo and it had to be found in the world. When you are on a stream, and you are talking about your game, you tend to talk a million miles an hour both to keep the information flowing and to keep it entertaining. But sometimes things get said without completely thinking about what you are saying 100% through. H1Z1 is a massive game with a lot of systems, some of which we were tuning every day and finishing last minute. When I said you can't buy any guns or ammo, I completely disregarded the possibility of airdrops and meant that you can't buy a gun or ammo and have it go into your starting loadout, or your loadout immediately like you were buying a gun from the gun store. All that being said, I totally understand how what I said was at the time lying to you guys and I apologize. But please understand that's not what I was trying to do. For those of you that don't know me or understand me, know that I'm not trying to be this monster that is conniving and lying in hopes that you get tricked into buying the game. I am very passionate about making video games and I want more than anything in the world for people to love the games that I am a part of making. Clegg explained that during testing, the loot-heavy airdrops resulted in a "gladiator style brawl" that epitomized the conflict SOE wanted to generate in the game. "Whether you agree with us or not," he wrote, "that is how we want airdrops to work." The second half of his post covers the details of the changes incoming to the system as noted yesterday. SOE President John Smedley announced last night that the studio will grant refunds to those early access purchasers who request them by Sunday. Self-initiated refunds through Steam are also now possible.
Google is refunding the $19 million your kids spent on in-app purchases
It's been three months since Google ended its row with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its in-app purchasing policies. The commission took issue with children racking up large bills on their parents' credit cards, resulting in Mountain View settling to the tune of $19 million. Now, Google is reportedly starting the laborious process of paying back those hit the hardest by purchases. According to Phandroid, Google is sending customers an email that underlines the new Play Store features aimed at preventing unauthorized purchasing and states that it's "offering refunds in certain cases in line with [its] agreement with the FTC." Those that think they're due compensation will have until December 2nd 2015 to apply for a refund.
Elite: Dangerous considers granting even more refunds
Elite: Dangerous might grant refunds to more people than originally thought. Last week, Frontier admitted that it had canceled a planned offline mode for the game, which led to David Braben's announcement that limited refunds would be given to preorder customers who'd never logged in to test the game but not to other backers. As of last night, Frontier is apparently reconsidering that decision. Wrote the studio boss, We initially declined some people's request for refund as our records showed they have already played Elite: Dangerous online. After listening to many of the comments I received after my AMA here, we have since re-opened these requests and informed those people that we will be contacting them so that we can fully understand their individual situation before making a more informed decision. We will be contacting them each in the next few working days. If any Massively readers have successfully received a refund, let us know in the comments. [Thanks, Cotic.]
AT&T to pay $80 million in refunds for unauthorized charges
In order to settle an FTC complaint over unauthorized third-party charges, AT&T will pay $80 million to the Commission for customer refunds. The FTC complaint alleges that the carrier billed "hundreds of millions of dollars" in charges from outside companies for subscriptions, ringtones, horoscopes and more without consent -- a practice more commonly referred to as mobile cramming. It also states that AT&T pocketed at least 35 percent of collected funds that usually appeared as $9.99 monthly additions. Folks who think they might've been charged without giving proper consent can submit a claim with the FTC starting today. AT&T will also pay $20 million in penalties and fees to 50 states and the District of Columbia alongside a $5 million penalty to the FCC. That brings the grand total of the settlement to $105 million. An AT&T spokesperson responded to the matter, noting (among other things) that it was the first carrier to stop billing for this so-called premium SMS content in late 2013. The rest of the statement resides after the jump.
Phones4u comes clean about iPhone 6 preorder refunds: there won't be any
Phones4u couldn't have folded at a worse time. The upcoming expiration of reseller contracts forced the company into administration earlier this month, three days after it opened up preorders for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. While hard-up employees are finding new homes and empty stores new owners, customers who were eager for Apple's newest aren't so lucky. Today, in an email to iPhone 6 preorderers (that's definitely a word) that laid down an upfront payment, Phones4u came clean about the refund process, or more accurately, the lack of one. You see, Phones4u previously stated it would refund any iPhone preorder payments it'd taken, which it probably wasn't in a position to say since, you know, it'd gone into administration by that point.
Google Play officially extends return window to two hours
While Google already had been offering an extended two-hour window for app and game returns, the outfit has officially acknowledged the change. Before the switch, Android users had 15 minutes to decide whether or not they wanted to keep software they'd just purchased. From the title's page in Google Play, options for Open and Refund are displayed during the 120-minute period following the initial download. Once that time is up though, you're saddled with it for good as Refund is replaced the Uninstall button. Don't expect to get multiple refunds for the same app, either. Once you've received your funds back, if you choose to splurge for the same selection again, you can't return it a second time.
Apple offers battery replacements for some early iPhone 5 units
It's hardly uncommon for smartphone batteries to lose some of their oomph over time, but Apple just might be able to help if your iPhone 5's battery has been flakier than usual. The folks in Cupertino have figured out that some of the iPhone 5s sold between its launch in September 2012 and January 2013 have batteries that may "suddenly experience shorter battery life or need to be charged more frequently" and has kicked off a program to replace them free of charge. Mosey on over to Apple's support page to see if your iPhone 5 is one of the affected units -- if it is and you live in the United States or China, you can reach out and claim your replacement battery right now. What's that you say? You're one of those proactive types and already shelled out money for a replacement? Reach out anyway, because Apple may have a refund waiting for you. Alas, the rest of the world will have to wait just a little bit longer -- Apple plans to launch the program in other countries on August 29th.
Codemasters offers refunds to irked Colin McRae Rally players
Codemasters' Colin McRae Rally is a fondly-remembered 1998 racing game for PC and PlayStation that spawned a series of games which would eventually become the Dirt series. So when a Steam page advertised a game by the same name, touting updated graphics, fans were excited. They were less excited when the software they'd purchased turned out to be a port of a 2013 mobile game with a 69 rating on Metacritic. Thankfully, Codemasters is offering refunds to those who feel they were given a raw deal. "As an act of good faith, we have worked with Valve to enable anyone that bought the game to claim a refund," reads a note from the developer on its Steam Community page. Customers will be able to receive a refund by visiting their account transactions page any time between now and August 19 and simply clicking the "Refund" button. Codemasters hopes the gesture, along with an updated product description that's more clear about just what the game is, "goes some way to restoring any lost faith." [Image: Codemasters]
South Korea makes it easier to get refunds for Android and iOS apps
If you've ever been burned by downloading a mobile app that you don't want or doesn't work, relief may be in sight... so long as you're in South Korea, at least. The country's Fair Trade Commission has ordered both Apple and Google to make their app refund policies more consumer-friendly. To start, Apple must make it easier to claim refunds on in-app purchases; if your kid goes wild buying in-game items, you should have an easier time getting your money back. Google, meanwhile, has to let developers set their own refund terms.
PSA: Rebellion revoking stolen Sniper Elite 3 keys
UK development studio Rebellion claims that a batch of Steam keys for Sniper Elite 3 has been stolen, and access to the game from accounts which purchased the ill-gotten goods has been revoked. "One of our PC retail distributors informed us that some of their allotted Steam keys were stolen," the company wrote on its Steam Community page. "We believe these keys were then resold to multiple companies, with no payments going to either Valve or the retail distributor. Steam were immediately informed and have now revoked that set of keys." Rebellion acknowledged that those affected may not have been aware that the key they purchased was illegitimate, and is thus offering the game's "Target Hitler" DLC for free. Rebellion themselves could not offer refunds, but strongly encouraged those who have found their access revoked to contact their seller to receive one. For more details on how to get the free DLC and the full post of Rebellion's explanation, check the game's Community page. [Image: Rebellion]
Apple closes the loophole that allowed users to update refunded apps
No good loophole lasts for long. Apple has made a subtle update to the App Store which most users will never notice, but if you've ever received a refund for an app, you will. For years, users who got a refund for a paid app through the App Store were able to continue getting updates after they'd gotten their money back. Now that loophole has been closed. The change was noticed by Twitter users Michael Simmons on May 24. The App Store no longer allows people who received a refund to reinstall or update the app with a clear message: pic.twitter.com/zR5drjVCke - Michael Simmons (@macguitar) May 24, 2014 The refund update loophole has also been closed in the Mac App store. While some users will be understandably annoyed, this is ultimately a good thing. If users want the freedom to get refunds from digital products which remain on their phone, that's fine, but along with that freedom should come protection for developers. If you don't like their app enough to support it, you shouldn't be able to get the newest version of it for free once your money has been returned.
Microsoft offering refunds following Xbox Live changes
We've all experienced a case of customer bad luck in our lives. Maybe you, oh, we don't know, bought an Xbox Live Gold subscription right before Microsoft announced they would be getting rid of the Gold requirement for entertainment services like Hulu and Netflix? Well if that's the case, your bad luck is about to take a turn for the better, as Microsoft will be offering refunds to customers who no longer wish to keep an active Gold subscription once the changes to Xbox Live take effect. Customers who have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription extending beyond the date changes to the program go live can request to cancel their subscription and receive a refund from Microsoft. Microsoft will offer a prorated refund based on the number of days between the date of cancellation and the date their paid Gold membership ends. Requests must be submitted through the Microsoft support site after the changes transpire but before August 31, 2014, and require up to eight weeks for processing. More info is available on the official FAQ. In its own way, you could say that this is Microsoft's way of offering cash for Gold. [Image: Microsoft]
Sky's Now TV woes continue as streams go down before the Premiership finale
Sky's Now TV streaming service has experienced its fair share of issues in recent months, but today it couldn't have picked a better time to leave users in the lurch. While previous hiccups took the premiere of Game of Thrones offline, Sky Sports streaming went down just minutes before the final ten games of the Premiership season kicked off. That meant many were left without the chance to watch Manchester City secure their second title in recent years. To save face, Sky has begun contacting all Sports Pass customers to issue refunds, whether they were affected or not. While Entertainment subscribers can gain access to Sky's crown jewels for £4.99 a month, Sky protects its TV sports revenue by pricing a one-off Sky Sports Pass at £9.99 per day. The broadcaster will have lost a significant chunk of change trying to put things right, but it may need to invest more in its streaming infrastructure if it wants to stop customers from switching off completely.
Chaos Theory: Funcom flubbed it with The Secret World's mankinigate
I'd rather be focused on the four new investigation missions that just launched in The Secret World, even though I need much more time to complete them all, or yammering on about Tokyo coming next month (did you catch that in the director's letter?). But as the fates would have it, Funcom did something else this past week that has nabbed attention and necessitates a little scrutiny. Mankinigate. Last week during the notable first of April shenanigans, The Secret World poked fun at the fact that female outfits in games (including TSW) are stereotypically skimpy while males get adventuring gear. The item store offered the "Gender Equality" clothing pack: full scuba gear for females and a mankini for males. As hideous as I think the mankini is, I appreciated this obvious jab at stereotypes, not to mention the fact that Funcom listened to players who've requested revealing attire for their male avatars. But then with no real explanation given at the time, the makinis were yanked not only from the store but from players' inventories as well.
