Warning About Chargebacks

[Kodakk]

Ever since Infinity Ward announced the removal of dedicated server support, many members of the PC community have been trying to find ways to voice their disappointment to the developers. The newest trend, as posted on the IW forums, encourages people to perform a chargeback on their credit card, stating that the game is 'defective and does not work as intended'.

While you will get your money back for the game, anybody who performs a chargeback will have their steam account canceled, which means that all other games purchased or activated through that steam account will be lost. I figured this new trend warranted a post on the front page to prevent people from acting rashly only to discover that they lost more than intended.

Thanks to RangerXML for posting this.

Source

[Vreki]

Re: Warning About Chargebacks

Copied from original thread:

It seems every game has a couple of Internet Lawyers who will threaten lawsuits over something ridicoulous.

I suspect that doing a chargeback like this will hurt you more than IW. I am thinking fraud charges and a ruined credit raiting.
Can you do a chargeback on a pizza you didnt like? Or a movie that sucked?

[RangerXML]

Re: Warning About Chargebacks

As far as I understand, charge back is for fraud and payment disputes and not for protests. I do understand the counter argument about a no game return policy, I think its even illegal in CA not to have a return policy and with games that is tough. I knew people back in the day that bought games took the CD keys and returned the games (same with music CDs, rip and return), but this more then a decade ago and these were the same people that use to just copy games before protection.

Again, this is a dumb way of going about it. Unless you are willing to loose all your games, risk you credit score and turn this into a giant law suite DO NOT DO THIS!

[Kodakk]

Re: Warning About Chargebacks

Yeah, I've also heard that it can and will hurt your credit card rating. If somebody can determine all of the risks involved (credit card rating, legality of the transaction, etc.) then I can update the post with more information.

[[Expletive Deleted]]

Re: Warning About Chargebacks

I do understand the counter argument about a no game return policy, I think its even illegal in CA not to have a return policy and with games that is tough.

In the state of Indiana, any item over $50 can be returned within three days. Which is why $49.99 has always been such a popular price point. By raising prices, they gave people, at least in my state, a way to get their money back. Many corporations try to impose policies about opened software and whatnot, but the law is not on their side.

EDIT: The only reason I know this is my short stint as a door-to-door salesman after I left the Army. I had many people buy expensive items from me only to return them after cleaning their homes, thus screwing me out of my $200-$300 commission.

[Vreki]

Re: Warning About Chargebacks

In the state of Indiana, any item over $50 can be returned within three days. Which is why $49.99 has always been such a popular price point. By raising prices, they gave people, at least in my state, a way to get their money back. Many corporations try to impose policies about opened software and whatnot, but the law is not on their side.

EDIT: The only reason I know this is my short stint as a door-to-door salesman after I left the Army. I had many people buy expensive items from me only to return them after cleaning their homes, thus screwing me out of my $200-$300 commission.

But doesn't that mean that they will need to return the DVD? I think the original thread advised to charge back because the retailers refused a return.

[[Expletive Deleted]]

Re: Warning About Chargebacks

Yeah, they would need to return the disc. And yes, many retailers refuse the return in the beginning. Once you raise a big enough stink and talk to the manager in front of enough people, they basically pay you to leave. They start out trying to intimidate people, but when that fails, they know the law and hope consumers do not.

I have other factors in my favor, but it has always worked for me. They do keep track, and if you try to abuse the system they'll get you for fraud. So it's not something I do on a whim.

[=)BiT(= Evant3k]

Re: Warning About Chargebacks

How do they know which steam count is tied to the which retail copy?

[Vreki]

Re: Warning About Chargebacks

How do they know which steam count is tied to the which retail copy?

As far as I can see that is only possible if they know you CD key, or if you bought it over steam of course.

But I cant see you being allowed to do a chargeback without returning the item. And that means they will know you CD key.
On the other hand they will have to do a lot of work before your steam account is closed. The retailers will have to return the game to the the publisher, explicitly noting that they were charged back. And then Activision will have to collect all the relevant keys and make an agreement with Valve to have them closed. And then Valve will have to run the keys through the database and ban the accounts. Which of course will be followed by a huge wave of complaints.
I think its more likely that Actvision just says "Whatever" and dump the games in a landfill. The number of people doing a chargeback is likely to be insignificant.

[PPSKevin]

Re: Warning About Chargebacks

ill keep that in mind

[Mavrik347]

Re: Warning About Chargebacks

While you will get your money back for the game, anybody who performs a chargeback will have their steam account canceled, which means that all other games purchased or activated through that steam account will be lost.

That, is illegal in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland under trade, statutory right and fraud laws. I'm also pretty sure it would be backed up by some international law.

I sure as hell hope somebody does a charge back in the UK and either is or is related to a lawyer.