Australia: Steam's old no-refund policy broke the law
You're entitled to refunds if you don't like a downloaded game.
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.
The decision will unsurprisingly make the biggest impact in Australia, but it's an important move wherever you live. It reinforces the notion that digital content offers the same consumer rights as anything else, and might convince other online shops to follow suit if they haven't already.
