It’s essentially all about refunds: “It is a breach of the Australian Consumer Law for businesses to state that they do not give refunds under any circumstances,” says the ACCL, ”including for gifts and during sales. Under the Australian Consumer Law, consumers can insist on a refund or replacement at their option if a product has a major fault.”
I understand that digital game operate under different guidelines and expectations, but it’s always seemed slightly shady that once you pay for a digital release you’re basically stuck with it with no opportunity for reimbursement. So go on Australia, give ‘em the boot!
Here’s the key allegations from the ACCL:
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Consumers were not entitled to a refund for any games sold by Valve via Steam in any circumstances;
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Valve had excluded, restricted or modified statutory guarantees and/or warranties that goods would be of acceptable quality;
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Valve was not under any obligation to repair, replace or provide a refund for a game where the consumer had not contacted and attempted to resolve the problem with the computer game developer.
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The statutory consumer guarantees did not apply to games sold by Valve.
In a statement to Polygon Valve said, ”We are making every effort to cooperate with the Australian officials on this matter, while continuing to provide Steam services to our customers across the world, including Australian gamers.” The matter will be decided in Sydney’s Federal court this October 7.
