raymac46 Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 (edited) My daughter bought me a Steam gift card for Christmas. When I tried to redeem it the code wouldn't "take." I contacted Steam support and they told me the card was missing a couple of letters. Later they advised me that the card had been redeemed in their system a day and a half before I got it as a gift. They won't do anything; they advised that my daughter should contact the card vendor (who will no doubt send her back to Steam.) I feel totally ripped off, screwed and let down and I doubt I'll buy anything from Steam in future. Edited December 29, 2018 by raymac46 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 That is pretty crappy. I am surprised that they didn't open up a ticket to investigate as they were also scammed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymac46 Posted December 29, 2018 Author Share Posted December 29, 2018 Buyer beware when it comes to gift cards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlim Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 Yes. It is better to give the person a check than to buy a gift card. Too many are redeemed by scammers before the recipient gets to use the card. There was a good article about just this thing. https://www.askwoody.com/2018/patch-lady-second-day-of-christmas/ apparently she bought her father a $200 restaurant gift card that had been redeemed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymac46 Posted December 29, 2018 Author Share Posted December 29, 2018 (edited) If you want to know how totally useless Steam support is, here is an answer I got from them. Hey there, I'm sorry to hear that your daughter was unable to redeem the Steam Wallet Code. And I understand your frustration. If you believe a crime was commuted, we recommend contacting your local enforcement. We would be happy to assist in any active law enforcement investigation regarding this activity. Once you have an officer assigned to your case, they can direct any questions or legal requests to SubpoenaInquiries@valvesoftware.com. Please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with. Thanks for using Steam, Jean-Pierre Edited December 29, 2018 by raymac46 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goretsky Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 Hello, It sounds like Steam will cooperate, but they need you to first file a police report so they have a legal basis for investigating how the card was used. Regards, Aryeh Goretsky 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 Hello, It sounds like Steam will cooperate, but they need you to first file a police report so they have a legal basis for investigating how the card was used. Regards, Aryeh Goretsky Agreed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymac46 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Share Posted December 30, 2018 (edited) Since I have no details other than the info that Steam gave me what would I tell the police? Steam claimed initially that their card was defective and that in spite of that it was already cashed in by someone else. The police in Canada won't be bothered by something as flimsy as that, especially since I have no idea where the crime was committed (if one was committed at all.) Why do Steam need any legal reason to investigate their own sales? If this happened with a bank, the bank's security would investigate. We are talking about a $50 gift certificate, not a Brinks robbery. Steam is washing their hands of the whole thing, not standing behind their product. They are complicit in the scam if there is a scam. Bottom line we are out the money. Would you continue to buy stuff from a vendor like that? They don't want to help and closed the ticket. Now all we can do is try and get the money back from the original card seller. Edited December 30, 2018 by raymac46 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 Since I have no details other than the info that Steam gave me what would I tell the police? Steam claimed initially that their card was defective and that in spite of that it was already cashed in by someone else. The police in Canada won't be bothered by something as flimsy as that, especially since I have no idea where the crime was committed (if one was committed at all.) Why do Steam need any legal reason to investigate their own sales? If this happened with a bank, the bank's security would investigate. We are talking about a $50 gift certificate, not a Brinks robbery. Steam is washing their hands of the whole thing, not standing behind their product. They are complicit in the scam if there is a scam. Bottom line we are out the money. Would you continue to buy stuff from a vendor like that? They don't want to help and closed the ticket. Now all we can do is try and get the money back from the original card seller. Also, you have to remember that people are actively trying to scam steam. From their standpoint, how would they know that you are not deceiving them? To a company, a police report would legitimize the complaint as a criminal wouldn't make a report of it. Not saying that it is right though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymac46 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Share Posted December 30, 2018 My chances of getting the police involved are slim and none. I have written Steam off as a bad supplier and hopefully my daughter can get her money back from wherever she bought the card. As far as my own credentials as an honest customer go, I have bought a lot of train sim stuff over 5 years - far more than $50 - and they must know that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymac46 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Share Posted December 30, 2018 (edited) One other point. I have the defective card and sent a scan of it to Steam. The scammer who redeemed it could not have had it, since it didn't work. Why would Steam think I am trying to scam them when I am a victim as much as they are? Doesn't make sense. The Steam forum has all kinds of messages about people getting defective cards. Edited December 30, 2018 by raymac46 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunrat Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 I had a similar issue after buying a retail copy of Portal 2 years ago. The included serial showed as already redeemed when I tried to use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymac46 Posted January 1, 2019 Author Share Posted January 1, 2019 Unfortunately, if I want to add anything to my Train Sim in the way of routes I have to go through Steam. They have the sales and best pricing. There are third party vendors but these are mostly add-ons to existing routes, or special locomotives and rolling stock. The other good sim called Trainz is also sold via Steam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlangdn Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 You are correct that the police will not do much - but they will write a report. That report of theft is all Steam should need to start looking on their end. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 You are correct that the police will not do much - but they will write a report. That report of theft is all Steam should need to start looking on their end. Yup, my thoughts as well.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymac46 Posted January 2, 2019 Author Share Posted January 2, 2019 I'm going to wait and see if my daughter gets any satisfaction with the card seller. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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