Consumer Impotence
I just posted the following feedback to the Steam Support web site.
The Steam service is pathetic. The company's greed is evident in all things. Companies exist to make profit by providing a service. It seems Steam exists to make a profit regardless of providing that service or any quality thereof.
I purchased a retail game in November, 2009. My friends began playing the Steam version in 2010. We wanted to enjoy the network gaming experience built into the game. Unfortunately, my friends all use the Steam client to launch their game and connect with one another.
I could not connect with them because I had not purchased anything from Steam, and the "Free" client does not allow connectivity without purchase. The client is useless without the social networking capacity built into it. Said capacity is disabled for "Free" users; purportedly to reduce spam messages--which concept is inane at the very least.
My friends mistakenly purchased me Steam copies of expansions for the game we play. I filed a ticket--much like this one--to try and determine a way to make the gifts work, or have my friends' money refunded. It took over 48 hours for Steam Support to return my ticket. There is no phone number for support. There is no live person to communicate with and ask questions of. Instead, I received a canned, scripted response. I did not even get the courtesy of a personalized reply that addressed my particular and specific issues. I received regurgitated information from the Steam web sites.
Said web sites are a travesty. The Support page, Forums, and primary web site all require separate logins. Finding any kind of useful information from Steam sites is a research project worthy of any collegiate graduate program. I wasted two hours of my life looking for information that was, in the end, useless to my cause.
I have never found the Steam software and service to be reliable or functional. The Steam gaming platform causes system performance issues on what would otherwise be a smooth and stable platform. I will endeavor to attach my system specifications for your edification, though I will not be promise anything after being so thoroughly ignored through standard Steam practices. Why should I be forthcoming with useful information if Steam cannot?
The "Free" client requires purchase for regular use, thereby making the description a lie. Games purchased as gifts cannot be declined, and purchases are final. Thus, even though I cannot use an expansion game gifted through Steam, as I do not own a Steam copy of the original game, the friend who unknowingly purchased the expansion cannot receive a refund. Were I to purchase a copy of a game from a retail store and take it back, unopened, it would be refunded. Steam's greed is evident and prolific. The company's ethics are questionable at the very least. I am disgusted.
I am very solidly a lifetime detractor of this service. As I said, it was bad when it first appeared. It has gotten worse. I wish Steam nothing but hard times and failure. I will decry Steam products and services as loudly as possible. None of this is likely to make a difference, as I am one of millions. Steam has made it very clear that it does not care about individual service, and is only interested in profit by any means.
Please do not respond to this message. I truly do not wish to have further contact with Steam, and I have no need of yet another canned response. If you wish to call me and treat me as a human being, I will accept such an olive branch. Otherwise, I am not interested. I will keep my Steam account "live" long enough to figure out how to repay my friends for the generosity Steam has made void. I will then deactivate it, and Steam will never receive another cent on my behalf.
I am impotent. This will not matter to Steam or its parents or affiliates. If it did, the company would have provided me some level of service. Instead, as so often happens, my cries for help were ignored and brushed aside by the lumbering giant. I will not make an impact. Large companies will continue to operate with greed--not proper compensation for goods and services, but greed--at heart. They will continue to ignore the cries and needs of individuals. People are numbers--either as employees or customers. Money is all-important. Do it cheaper, faster, and with less quality while retaining the customer's perception of premium quality.
This is a prime example of why I want out of the technology field. This is why I cannot work in Corporate America any more. This is the flaw in our civilization that will inevitably lead to its downfall.
The Steam service is pathetic. The company's greed is evident in all things. Companies exist to make profit by providing a service. It seems Steam exists to make a profit regardless of providing that service or any quality thereof.
I purchased a retail game in November, 2009. My friends began playing the Steam version in 2010. We wanted to enjoy the network gaming experience built into the game. Unfortunately, my friends all use the Steam client to launch their game and connect with one another.
I could not connect with them because I had not purchased anything from Steam, and the "Free" client does not allow connectivity without purchase. The client is useless without the social networking capacity built into it. Said capacity is disabled for "Free" users; purportedly to reduce spam messages--which concept is inane at the very least.
My friends mistakenly purchased me Steam copies of expansions for the game we play. I filed a ticket--much like this one--to try and determine a way to make the gifts work, or have my friends' money refunded. It took over 48 hours for Steam Support to return my ticket. There is no phone number for support. There is no live person to communicate with and ask questions of. Instead, I received a canned, scripted response. I did not even get the courtesy of a personalized reply that addressed my particular and specific issues. I received regurgitated information from the Steam web sites.
Said web sites are a travesty. The Support page, Forums, and primary web site all require separate logins. Finding any kind of useful information from Steam sites is a research project worthy of any collegiate graduate program. I wasted two hours of my life looking for information that was, in the end, useless to my cause.
I have never found the Steam software and service to be reliable or functional. The Steam gaming platform causes system performance issues on what would otherwise be a smooth and stable platform. I will endeavor to attach my system specifications for your edification, though I will not be promise anything after being so thoroughly ignored through standard Steam practices. Why should I be forthcoming with useful information if Steam cannot?
The "Free" client requires purchase for regular use, thereby making the description a lie. Games purchased as gifts cannot be declined, and purchases are final. Thus, even though I cannot use an expansion game gifted through Steam, as I do not own a Steam copy of the original game, the friend who unknowingly purchased the expansion cannot receive a refund. Were I to purchase a copy of a game from a retail store and take it back, unopened, it would be refunded. Steam's greed is evident and prolific. The company's ethics are questionable at the very least. I am disgusted.
I am very solidly a lifetime detractor of this service. As I said, it was bad when it first appeared. It has gotten worse. I wish Steam nothing but hard times and failure. I will decry Steam products and services as loudly as possible. None of this is likely to make a difference, as I am one of millions. Steam has made it very clear that it does not care about individual service, and is only interested in profit by any means.
Please do not respond to this message. I truly do not wish to have further contact with Steam, and I have no need of yet another canned response. If you wish to call me and treat me as a human being, I will accept such an olive branch. Otherwise, I am not interested. I will keep my Steam account "live" long enough to figure out how to repay my friends for the generosity Steam has made void. I will then deactivate it, and Steam will never receive another cent on my behalf.
I am impotent. This will not matter to Steam or its parents or affiliates. If it did, the company would have provided me some level of service. Instead, as so often happens, my cries for help were ignored and brushed aside by the lumbering giant. I will not make an impact. Large companies will continue to operate with greed--not proper compensation for goods and services, but greed--at heart. They will continue to ignore the cries and needs of individuals. People are numbers--either as employees or customers. Money is all-important. Do it cheaper, faster, and with less quality while retaining the customer's perception of premium quality.
This is a prime example of why I want out of the technology field. This is why I cannot work in Corporate America any more. This is the flaw in our civilization that will inevitably lead to its downfall.