So where can i get my refund?

[soulweaper]

Anyone else here think games bought online should be able to be returned for a full refund if there full of bugs and broken?

it would not be that hard to disable the game on the account once you got your refund so i cant see any reason why not it would gives consumers more power when it comes to rushed releases.

If i bought fruit at a supermarket i could return it for a full refund if it was full of bugs if i bought a blender from kmart and it was broken i could return it for a full refund to so why oh why cant i return my copy of civ 5 and get my money back from the people that robbed me of my hard earned money when the game was never ready for release and the ai was broken still no path sigh.

I will say this im never buying another full price game again until im sure its relatively decent on release not when game dev's feel like patching it treat your customers better or they wont be back.

As a side note to some reply's i have had regarding pirating if you wanted to pirate a game you wouldent bother making an online account and getting a game to rip then returning it when you could more easily torrent it from someone else im sure there are already torrents up for civ 5 in a lot of cases torrents are up for games before they have even gotten a release.

Also the online component to a lot of games reduces the advantage of pirating it. most savvy gamers will wait for a price drop or special deal of which there are plenty between the different online sites if they cant afford a game at the time.

[Varus2319]

Very subjective determination.

At Kmart you can show the clerk what is wrong with the item. At SuperGrocery you can show that an apple is full of bugs.

With a video game you can't prove that to anyone. More often than not people would be returning things just because they don't like them. Or worse, buy the game, rip the files, then return it (which is why this return policy exists in the first place).

Stores used to accept returns of computer games, long ago. They stopped in short order, however, because of this very problem. Every single one they sold came back. Not because the games were lousy, but because people are shady and will cheat the company if they can.

[Dreamer]

You can certainly try - but as for the fruit-metaphor: You probably wouldn't complain at the plantation of the guys that picked the apple, but rather at your local grocery store.
Go write steam or your local retailer...

That said, it depends on your countries laws. Round here you wouldn't be entitled to a refund, as the product is 'as advertised'.
Your retailer might grant you a refund, or he might not.

[Varus2319]

You can certainly try - but as for the fruit-metaphor: You probably wouldn't complain at the plantation of the guys that picked the apple, but rather at your local grocery store.
Go write steam or your local retailer...

That said, it depends on your countries laws. Round here you wouldn't be entitled to a refund, as the product is 'as advertised'.
Your retailer might grant you a refund, or he might not.

Often times retailer return policies just mirror the manufacturer guarantees. When wal mart takes your Coffee Maker back, they get a credit from the manufacturer for a free, new one. There will be the occasional comp from the store from time to time just for customer satisfaction, but that's just because management would rather not deal with the irate customer whos return is refused.

So generally the root of the "no returns" in video games actually does come from the developers.

[westyofoz]

Anyone else here think games bought online should be able to be returned for a full refund if there full of bugs and broken?
....
I will say this im never buying another full price game again until im sure its relatively decent on release not when game dev's feel like patching it treat your customers better or they wont be back.

You raise some good points and we consumers have been buying buggy games and letting campanies get away with it. Like you I am fed up and sick of it. The only way to change it is to make a united stand in protest. Alas, I can't see that happening and so we will have to continue to put up with it unfortunately.

[Dreamer]

Often times retailer return policies just mirror the manufacturer guarantees. When wal mart takes your Coffee Maker back, they get a credit from the manufacturer for a free, new one. There will be the occasional comp from the store from time to time just for customer satisfaction, but that's just because management would rather not deal with the irate customer whos return is refused.

So generally the root of the "no returns" in video games actually does come from the developers.

Well, then this seems to differ from country to country.
I've worked at a supermarket for some time: When a product was clearly damaged it was sent back to get a replacement from the manufacturer.
But when it wasn't a clear decision, the item was usually taken back to ensure customer satisfaction and then thrown away. In the books this was declared a 'loss' and we didn't contact the manufacturer.

Furthermore from my law lectures I know that there's only a very slim chance to get any refunds for any software products around here (Unless it was obvious fraud or any TOS were violated)

Then again, as I said, this probably differs quite a bit depending on country and retailer.

[Davor]

You raise some good points and we consumers have been buying buggy games and letting campanies get away with it. Like you I am fed up and sick of it. The only way to change it is to make a united stand in protest. Alas, I can't see that happening and so we will have to continue to put up with it unfortunately.

I agree with you. Sadly we as a gaming commuinty will not unite and show companies that we will not stand for it, so we will always get the "release now, patch later".

But you do not have to continue to put up with it. YOU can wait months after release before you buy the game. You can only stop yourself. If YOU can't do this, then you have no one else to blame then.

Unless you are like my son, 9 years old and do not know how the industry works, can we really blame anyone but ourselves anymore? Yes 2K and Firaxis should be ashamed of themselves for the bugs being put out. But if anyone buys a game on a Day One release they should expect bugs and nothing more anymore sadly.

As I said in another post, TES V will be my last game I ever buy on a day one release. I will expect that game to be buggy. Why, because it's a 2K game. Anything with the name 2K on it, I expect it to be rushed out the door. It also has a Bethesda name on it as well, but that is expected from them to be buggy. If a Bethesda game is not buggy, then something is wrong.

BUT the name 2K on it, now I consider it to be a rushed copy that will need be fixing now. Hopefully 2K will fix their tarnished name like EA is doing. I would not buy an EA game for the longest time. 2K is starting to be like EA was a few years ago. A tarnished name. Looks like EA is turning around for the better, while 2K is not. Please prove me wrong 2K.

[Martinoguy]

I agree with you. Sadly we as a gaming commuinty will not unite and show companies that we will not stand for it, so we will always get the "release now, patch later".

But you do not have to continue to put up with it. YOU can wait months after release before you buy the game. You can only stop yourself. If YOU can't do this, then you have no one else to blame then.

Unless you are like my son, 9 years old and do not know how the industry works, can we really blame anyone but ourselves anymore? Yes 2K and Firaxis should be ashamed of themselves for the bugs being put out. But if anyone buys a game on a Day One release they should expect bugs and nothing more anymore sadly.

As I said in another post, TES V will be my last game I ever buy on a day one release. I will expect that game to be buggy. Why, because it's a 2K game. Anything with the name 2K on it, I expect it to be rushed out the door. It also has a Bethesda name on it as well, but that is expected from them to be buggy. If a Bethesda game is not buggy, then something is wrong.

BUT the name 2K on it, now I consider it to be a rushed copy that will need be fixing now. Hopefully 2K will fix their tarnished name like EA is doing. I would not buy an EA game for the longest time. 2K is starting to be like EA was a few years ago. A tarnished name. Looks like EA is turning around for the better, while 2K is not. Please prove me wrong 2K.

This reminds me of a South Park episode, concerning the "wal-to-walmart"