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Had my confirmation email as well

"I have recieved and confirmed the information that we need to be able to give you your refund. We have been processing the refunds during this week, and will continue to do so next week aswell, to make sure that this matter is solved as soon and swiftly as possible.
Again we are terribly sorry for the inconvenience this issue has caused you."

We'll wait and see but at least they have confirmed in writing that the refund is going to be sorted....just a question of when.
 
The refund better not be in the form of Steam Credit. I pre-ordered the game through Impulse specifically to avoid Steam... and now look where that's got me. Broken game, and a potentially hacked account on Steam.
 
The refund better not be in the form of Steam Credit. I pre-ordered the game through Impulse specifically to avoid Steam... and now look where that's got me. Broken game, and a potentially hacked account on Steam.

The Steam hack is not something to worry about. It was mainly centered on the forums. These hacking cases almost never lead to any actual problems for the users.
 
You do understand that Paradox does not get to decide how the money is given out right? the distributors decide that, you know the ones you gave money too. Paradox made sure you got a refund in the first place.
 
I've also now had confirmation from Steam that I will be getting a refund to be Steam Wallet as a one time goodwill gesture :) I'm pretty sure Steam will credit this pretty quickly and may be a faster route than waiting for Paradox to sort everything out.

If you live in the UK this is the email I sent to Steam support...

I would like to get a refund for the game Sword of the Stars 2. It has been widely documented that in its current state it is unplayable. The developers and publishers have both openly recognised this fact and have offered refunds to those who want them.

Although they have said that they will continue supporting and patching the game until it is playable I do not feel that I believe them or wish to wait an unspecified amount of time before playing a game that I have already paid for.

It is also obvious that the product is not satisfactory and is not fit for purpose.These two failures mean the product is in breach of the Sale of Goods Act 1979

I do not mind if the refund is direct to my card or offered as credit in the steam store.

I am sure Steam/Valve is aware of the issues surrounding this game and will expidite the refund process.


and this is their reply...

Thank you for contacting Steam Support.

As with most software products, we do not offer refunds or exchanges on games, DLC or in-game items purchased on our website or through the Steam Client.

As a one-time customer service gesture we can issue you store credit for the amount of your purchase into your Steam Wallet. The credit will also remove the title or item from your account.

Please confirm that you would like us to proceed with this credit.


For me, credit into the Steam Wallet is acceptable but I know that for other people this might not be acceptable so your fight may be more difficult.
 
You do understand that Paradox does not get to decide how the money is given out right? the distributors decide that, you know the ones you gave money too. Paradox made sure you got a refund in the first place.

As th man says, its not paradox who is responsible for the refunds its the retailer, they have to refund you then they request a refund from paradox for what they payed paradox for the copy. In the uk the refund law is that the retailer must offer you a full refund on any item that you are not satisfied with (this does not cover non tangeble items such as software) within 28 days as long as you request the refund within 14 days of purchase.

The refund should be give in full by the retailer before the end of the 28 day period, however the refund can be one of the following.

1. A like fore like excanage or exchange for goods of equivelent value.

2. A voucher for store credit (hmv like this one in particular)

3. A full cash refund

Although retailers are obliged to give the full refund it is there choice on what method they use. Infact there are loop holes that allow companys to refuse the refund of a game if the game requires any type of online authentification, as they cannot re sell the item. most game and gamestation stores in the uk will flat out refuse a refund on any pc game that uses steam or windows live.

so to sum up dont be angry at paradox they have already pulled strings with the retailers to try and get you some sort of refund.

Im not sure what the refund rules are in the rest of the world but in the uk thats what happens.

Dont get me wrong im not saying you shouldnt get a refund if your not happy, im just saying be happy they managed to squeeze the credits out of steam. there not exacly forth comming about giving cash back.
 
I've also now had confirmation from Steam that I will be getting a refund to be Steam Wallet as a one time goodwill gesture :) I'm pretty sure Steam will credit this pretty quickly and may be a faster route than waiting for Paradox to sort everything out.

If you live in the UK this is the email I sent to Steam support...

I would like to get a refund for the game Sword of the Stars 2. It has been widely documented that in its current state it is unplayable. The developers and publishers have both openly recognised this fact and have offered refunds to those who want them.

Although they have said that they will continue supporting and patching the game until it is playable I do not feel that I believe them or wish to wait an unspecified amount of time before playing a game that I have already paid for.

It is also obvious that the product is not satisfactory and is not fit for purpose.These two failures mean the product is in breach of the Sale of Goods Act 1979

I do not mind if the refund is direct to my card or offered as credit in the steam store.

I am sure Steam/Valve is aware of the issues surrounding this game and will expidite the refund process.


and this is their reply...

Thank you for contacting Steam Support.

As with most software products, we do not offer refunds or exchanges on games, DLC or in-game items purchased on our website or through the Steam Client.

As a one-time customer service gesture we can issue you store credit for the amount of your purchase into your Steam Wallet. The credit will also remove the title or item from your account.

Please confirm that you would like us to proceed with this credit.


For me, credit into the Steam Wallet is acceptable but I know that for other people this might not be acceptable so your fight may be more difficult.

So, instead of waiting a week or so to get the refund from paradox, you used your one-time-only refund from steam for a game you were going to get a refund for anyways? How does this make any sense?
 
So, instead of waiting a week or so to get the refund from paradox, you used your one-time-only refund from steam for a game you were going to get a refund for anyways? How does this make any sense?

I'm pretty sure "one-time customer service gesture" is not meant to be taken literally. It's probably meant as "we can make an exception in this case for you, but we don't normally do this.
 
So one time.

No, it just means that it's nothing anyone can demand on only because it was done before. I've gotten a couple refunds from Steam in the past (read: more than one), but I also have left quite a bit of money there over the years, which may or may not factor in.
 
No, it just means that it's nothing anyone can demand on only because it was done before. I've gotten a couple refunds from Steam in the past (read: more than one), but I also have left quite a bit of money there over the years, which may or may not factor in.

Absolutely, it is to stop a precedent being set which would open the flood gates to all kinds of refund requests and also gives them grounds to refuse to do a refund if you keep requesting for one everytime you buy a game.

At any rate, I logged into Steam this morning and I have got my refund in my steam wallet so I'm very happy with Steam's level of customer service and I am determined never to let this happen again and always do my due diligence research before buying.
 
Has anyone who purchased through GamersGate received any form of refund as yet ?

It is now almost a week since I received this email from Paradox (and two weeks since Paradox offered and I requested a refund)

Michael, Nov-06 15:29 (CET):
Hello ****
I have recieved and confirmed the information that we need to be able to give you your refund. We will start the process first thing tomorrow to make sure that this matter is solved as soon and swiftly as possible.
Again we are terribly sorry for the inconvenience this issue has caused you.
Kind Regards,
Michael


Still no sign of a refund however.
 
My suggestions in a future release ...

I've worked for software companies before, and I know how razor thin margins in entertainment titles are. I know the developers of most entertainment titles are doing it for the challenge and fun (even if it's not until after release and all the patching), and virtually never get rich.

As such, I'm going to make the following suggestions for any future release of the SotS series.

  • Do not announce the release date until it really looks close. Avoid doing so for the publisher/distributor, despite pressure. SotS is already an established title series.
  • Avoid the publisher/distributor pressure by trying a "paid Beta." Have the "paid Beta" for, say, $20. This will get funds coming in early, and gage popularity (and appease the publisher/distributor), as well as work to be completed (gage release date) and issues not found in internal alphas.
  • Reward those who help in the "paid Beta" with a discounted price on the final release, say only $20 for the release ($40 total), versus $60 for the release price (and don't be afraid to charge $60 for the full release price).
  • For extremely helpful Beta testers, reward them with the full title for no additional price. Also consider free DLC as rewards for other, select Beta testers. This will also entice people to sign up for the paid beta.
 
Reward those who help in the "paid Beta" with a discounted price on the final release, say only $20 for the release ($40 total), versus $60 for the release price (and don't be afraid to charge $60 for the full release price).

The "pay half now and half later" approach is a logistic nightmare for a publisher or distributor (I doubt Steam even supports it). It's better to just offer it at 50% off and treat it like a pre-order, so it's a one-time payment. Arcen Games are currently doing that with A Valley Without Wind and I quite like it. It's basically a pre-order with optional benefits (the beta entry) at a substantial discount.
 
So mixedupjim discovered that the way to get a refund is to live in the UK and cite commerce laws?

Can there be an official update on refunds? I understand that many are being 'processed' but does that mean refunds are being processed on a first come first served basis, or you are just looking at ways to hand out a bunch of refunds at once? I had already responded to an email asking me for confirmation on the refund I requested, but I have received no response since then.
 
Has anyone who purchased through GamersGate received any form of refund as yet ?

It is now almost a week since I received this email from Paradox (and two weeks since Paradox offered and I requested a refund)

Michael, Nov-06 15:29 (CET):
Hello ****
I have recieved and confirmed the information that we need to be able to give you your refund. We will start the process first thing tomorrow to make sure that this matter is solved as soon and swiftly as possible.
Again we are terribly sorry for the inconvenience this issue has caused you.
Kind Regards,
Michael


Still no sign of a refund however.

Same form email, same lack of any update or action so far.