Steam Horror Story... Just completely insane (Now with happy ending!)

I'm seething with anger and I have no outlet, so I'm going to vent. (And maybe stop of a few of you from using the service)

I LOVED steam, I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread for the past two years... I spent almost $1000 with the service, then this happened. I recieved an e-mail from an online acquantance. He said that he had a "gift subscription" for a steam game if I was interested. It was an official "Someone sent you a gift" using the service they provide for this sort of thing. He sent the activation code, it activated on my steam account and I played the game a little while (Dawn of War II). It wasn't my kind of game so I kinda forgot about it, about 3 weeks later...

I tried to sign on steam to play some games and see if anything was on sale and it said my account was deactivated. I knew almost immediately, it must have been that gift (there really is no free lunch). I contacted support, not getting too upset, valve never failed me before. I explained the situation (via e-mail since they don't take phone calls) and waited for my reply. The next day they explained that my gift was purchased with a stolen credit card, recieving such a gift was breaking their ToU and my account was permentely deactivated and there was no recourse. They went on to explain that all games in my account (all whopping $1000 of them) would be deactivated.

I can't get over this. I'm a resonsible gamer, never pirated software in my life... shell out a thousand dollars with the company and they cutme loose... and I didn't even do anything wrong (aside from being naive I guess).

Please read my responses in this thread, it has a little mini-saga attached... but long story short after e-mail Gabe Newell (one of the founders of valve) who apparently actually read my email... my account was reinstated!!! YAY!!! and thanks for the nice repsonses guys, I was losing my cool.

So did your acquaintance steal the credit card?

So did your acquaintance steal the credit card?

vitriolboy

Maybe I'm just naive, but I'd think you'd be able to get your account back if you explained the situation and showed proof and everything.

Maybe I'm just naive, but I'd think you'd be able to get your account back if you explained the situation and showed proof and everything.

starwarsgeek112

Wow thats pretty bad..me myself dont use Steam anymore. Iv heard stories like yours to many times now. I have a good feeling about Impulse, maybe ill use them in the future

You should send an email to Gabe Newell and briefly explain the situation. It might help.

In one sense you were receiving stolen goods but on the other you are a victim of credit card fraud as well. I'm sure there must be some sort of legal precedent in your defence. Contact a solicitor. This highlights how draconian companies can be when you find yourself on the wrong end of their TOU (which no one ever reads. Ever.)

I'm pretty sure they have to do things like this because they can get into a lot of legal trouble if they do not.

Definitely bug the crap out of them.

keep the pressure on them, dont give up

That's really messed up... I hope you get it sorted out! I am always worried about something happening to my Steam account as well.. as the service gets bigger and bigger, they need to step up with some of their policies and the security of the service.

You story make no sense, why someone would sent you a code purchased with a stolen card just like that, for no reason? Personally, the second I would receive that email without a nickname of someone I know (in Rl, not just some dude from l4d), it would go directly in the garbage...

keep the pressure on them, dont give up

DDX2

Also, there's no need to THREATEN to call the BBB. Just do it. They're a helpful source of resolving disputes with companies...

Why would someone shell out 50 bucks for a game to gift it to a person, they don't even know. Sorry, dude this is all your own fault. If they reactivate your account, that would be awful nice of them but otherwise this is your own doing. Don't blame Valve for this

I don't think you supplied all the evidence or your leaving something out.

My friends account was compromised and he got it back within 24 hours.

I don't think you supplied all the evidence or your leaving something out.

My friends account was compromised and he got it back within 24 hours.

As others have said, just keep bugging them. It might take a dozen emails or so, but eventually you should get through to the higher administration.

The lesson of this story is to never accept gifts from random people online. I hope you get your account re-activated!

I'm sorry, but I have no sympathy for you and really question whether you are giving us all the information. You can blame Steam all you want, but this sound all very fishy to me.

I'm sorry, but I have not sympathy for you and really question whether you are giving us all the information. You can blame Steam all you want, but this sound all very fishy to me.

eclarkdog

[QUOTE="eclarkdog"]

I'm sorry, but I have not sympathy for you and really question whether you are giving us all the information. You can blame Steam all you want, but this sound all very fishy to me.

dnuggs40

[QUOTE="eclarkdog"]

I'm sorry, but I have not sympathy for you and really question whether you are giving us all the information. You can blame Steam all you want, but this sound all very fishy to me.

dnuggs40

Why would he be making this up? What motive does he have to lie on an internet forum that probably can't really help him out aside from encouraging him to keep emailing Steam?

"He sent the activation code, it activated on my steam account and I played the game a little while (Dawn of War II)."

What exactly does this mean? When I used a steam gift, all it said was someone gifted me a game and I could install it normally through my games list.

Nothing about an activation code. Sounds like you got a code and entered it into steam like if you purchased a retail game and entered the code to use it in steam...

[QUOTE="dnuggs40"][QUOTE="eclarkdog"]

I'm sorry, but I have not sympathy for you and really question whether you are giving us all the information. You can blame Steam all you want, but this sound all very fishy to me.

BlueBirdTS

Why would he be making this up? What motive does he have to lie on an internet forum that probably can't really help him out aside from encouraging him to keep emailing Steam?

It's the internet...people lie all the time for no apparent reason at all. I am not claiming he is for sure, but something ain't making sense here...

"He sent the activation code, it activated on my steam account and I played the game a little while (Dawn of War II)."

What exactly does this mean? When I used a steam gift, all it said was someone gifted me a game and I could install it normally through my games list.

Nothing about an activation code. Sounds like you got a code and entered it into steam like if you purchased a retail game and entered the code to use it in steam...

[QUOTE="BlueBirdTS"]

[QUOTE="dnuggs40"] I have a feeling we are not getting the whole truth... Something kind of confuses me too...when you get gifted a game you can just install it from steam, but in the first post the TC talks about entering some code someone sent him...dnuggs40

Why would he be making this up? What motive does he have to lie on an internet forum that probably can't really help him out aside from encouraging him to keep emailing Steam?

It's the internet...people lie all the time for no apparent reason at all. I am not claiming he is for sure, but something ain't making sense here...

Word of warning to everyone else," #
Redeeming Fraudulent Gifts

Never accept a gift from an unknown user. Any accounts tied to a redeemed gift from a fraudulent source will be permanently disabled."

Dont accept gifts from people you dont know.

I don't understand Valve's policy on this issue. Why do they have to deactivate the entire account? Why can't they just deactivate the game that was stolen? A person makes one naive mistake, and they lose $1000 worth of games? That's very very unethical.

I don't understand Valve's policy on this issue. Why do they have to deactivate the entire account? Why can't they just deactivate the game that was stolen? A person makes one naive mistake, and they lose $1000 worth of games? That's very very unethical.

Falconoffury

Why? how do they know that he wasnt in on recieving a stolen game? i mean, he can say he wasnt till hes blue in the face, but anyone could say that lie or no lie.

UPDATE!!

OK, while I was freaking out about the account and reading responses... Someone said to e-mail Gabe Newell, and I figured what the heck, I heard he actually responds to some emails and I have a sympathic story... so heres what I wrote:

Mr. Newell,

I know you probably get 10,000 emails every 5 minutes. I heard you actually answer a lot of e-mails (hence this one). On the off chance you actually read this one please give me 2 minutes of your time.

I have been a steam user for quite a while, and during that time I've purchased over 60 games and spent upwards of $1000. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but being a high school math teacher doesn't leave me with a lot of spending money after the mortgage comes due. I recently got caught up in a steam horror situation. I received two steam gifts from on online acquaintance. I don't know him in real life, just online (and now I'm glad I don't).

Apparently, the game he "gifted" me over steam were purchased with a stolen credit card. I had no idea that anything of the sort had taken place. My steam account was deactivated. I contacted support and was told my account "would not be reactivated" and basically I lost all the games in my steam account permanently. I don't know where to go, I'm sure you don't have time for individual consumers... I love value, and virtually every game your company has developed. Please help me... all I want to do is to be able to play the games I bought with my hard earned cash.

If you read this e-mail, I sincerely appreciate your time. Please don't let the cake be a lie!?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the time that I wrote that e-mail to (what I assume is his e-mail address? I found it online) plus about 30 minutes the contents of the e-mail were actually copied to my steam support ticket about the issue. Someone actually read the thing and sent it over to steam support. I'm not getting my hopes up, because the situation makes me feel ill already. But, I seriously can't believe someone read it...

I don't understand Valve's policy on this issue. Why do they have to deactivate the entire account? Why can't they just deactivate the game that was stolen? A person makes one naive mistake, and they lose $1000 worth of games? That's very very unethical.

Falconoffury

[QUOTE="Falconoffury"]

I don't understand Valve's policy on this issue. Why do they have to deactivate the entire account? Why can't they just deactivate the game that was stolen? A person makes one naive mistake, and they lose $1000 worth of games? That's very very unethical.

warmaster670

Why? how do they know that he wasnt in on recieving a stolen game? i mean, he can say he wasnt till hes blue in the face, but anyone could say that lie or no lie.

I don't get it, why would this person give you a free gift? Did you know him? You shoulden't just accept gifts willy nilly like that.....

I have had my account disabled for a few stupid reasons but always got it back. It sounds like you didn't read the ToU sadly and got your account deactivated. You can try to keep emailing steam about this but they are most likly not going to bring it back.

Sorry man.

HUGE UPDATE: About 10 minutes after my e-mail to Gabe Newell was mysteriously added to my steam support ticket I get another e-mail. MY ACCOUNT HAS BEEN REACTIVATED!mfp16

[QUOTE="mfp16"]HUGE UPDATE: About 10 minutes after my e-mail to Gabe Newell was mysteriously added to my steam support ticket I get another e-mail. MY ACCOUNT HAS BEEN REACTIVATED!MyopicCanadian