Refund Request Denied Despite Fair Situation

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Kornet001 5 Aug @ 12:44pm

Hey everyone,

I'm reaching out because I am really frustrated with a refund request I made for Cyberpunk 2077 on Steam, and I am not sure what to do next.

I bought the game about a week ago for 83€ (Ultimate Edition), and just a few days later, it went on sale for around 40€ during the "From Poland with Love 2025" sale. At the time of purchase, this sale wasn't publicly announced, so I had no way of knowing it was coming.

I've played about 35 hours so far because I really enjoy the game, so I am well aware that I am outside the usual 2-hour refund limit. But 40 € is a significant difference, and it feels really unfair to have paid a full price only to see such a steep discount almost immediately after.

I reached out to Steam support explaining my situation and politely asked if there was any chance of a price adjustment or store credit. Unfortunately, my request was denied automatically because of my playtime.

While I understand the refund policy is there to prevent abuse, the strict 2-hour playtime limit doesn't really work in cases like this. 35 hours in 7 days isn't excessive, it just shows that I am a dedicated player, not someone trying to game the system. The policy seems to overlook situations where the problem isn't about liking the game but also fairness in pricing.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Is there any way to escalate this to a real person who might consider exceptions? Or maybe some advice on how to approach this better?

From my perspective, it feels like a gamble on the price, like you're risking paying full price without knowing if a big discount will come soon after. Maybe some of you disagree, but that's how it feels to me.

Thanks for reading. Any help or insights would be really appreciated.

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Showing 1-15 of 56 comments

Wolf Knight 5 Aug @ 12:50pm

the auto system only looks at time played and time since the license was added. if you want a human to look at your request, submit a manual ticket. select the purchase, then select "I have a question" and make your request there.

Beardface31 5 Aug @ 12:51pm

35 hours is FAR outside of the 2 hour policy. Was correct to be denied.

You agreed at the time to pay that price.

Last edited by Beardface31; 5 Aug @ 12:52pm

d3str0y3r 5 Aug @ 12:55pm

The automatic refund system only looks at when the game was bought and hour many hours you have. Whatever you type in the reason box has no impact on the system.

You can try a manual support ticket. Whatever support says will be the final answer. 35 hours is way more than 2 so don’t get your hopes up.

Muppet among Puppets 5 Aug @ 1:11pm

Such sales are all the time. If you want them, buy then.

Beardface31 5 Aug @ 1:16pm

Originally posted by Kornet001:
Despite Fair Situation

Originally posted by Kornet001:
35 hours in 7 days isn't excessive, it just shows that I am a dedicated player, not someone trying to game the system.

Most would consider this excessive... 5 hours a day playing a video game? And you could have beaten the game in 35 hours..

Last edited by Beardface31; 5 Aug @ 1:16pm

JKDos 6 Aug @ 7:09am

You can't get a refund just because of a future sale. That literally makes no sense.
And we're talking 33 hours over the 2 hour limit, not something small like 1 or 2 over.

My suggestion to you going forwards is: Add games to your wishlist, and wait patiently for a sale.

Last edited by JKDos; 6 Aug @ 7:10am

Chika Ogiue 6 Aug @ 7:13am

While Valve will make an exception if you've just purchased before a sale starts, having played 35 hours pushes you past the boundary where such a curtesy is being requested in good faith.

eram 6 Aug @ 7:13am

you can get a refund because of a future sale but only within 14 days and less than 2 hour played.

I bought a game right before it went on sale. Can I get a refund and repurchase it at the sale price?
Yes
https://steamhost.cn/help_steampowered_com/en/faqs/view/5FDE-BA65-ACCE-A411

Kornet001 6 Aug @ 7:38am

Thanks to everyone who replied. I appreciate the feedback, even if some of it was mixed.

I understand the 2-hour policy and why it exists, but I just want to clarify that this situation wasn't about being dissatisfied with the game or trying to finish it and return it.

The problem was the unexpected sale just a few days after the purchase. Since it wasn't part of a known major event and wasn't flagged in places like SteamDB, I had no way of knowing it was coming. From my perspective, that feels like a frustrating and unfair situation, especially when the purchase was well within the 14-day window, even if the playtime exceeded the limit.

I've accepted the outcome at this point, but I hope Steam considers more flexibility in cases like these in the future. Thanks again for the discussion.

AmsterdamHeavy 6 Aug @ 7:52am

The reality is you thought the price was fine. It was fine enough to play 35, 33 past the refund limit.

Youre not losing anything. You paid a price that you thought was worth it.

#10

Leonardo Da Pinchi 6 Aug @ 7:53am

Originally posted by AmsterdamHeavy:
The reality is you thought the price was fine. It was fine enough to play 35, 33 past the refund limit.

Youre not losing anything. You paid a price that you thought was worth it.

Especially since Cyberpunk and its dlc are known for being on sale multiple times a year.

#11

Chika Ogiue 6 Aug @ 8:24am

Originally posted by Kornet001:
I've accepted the outcome at this point, but I hope Steam considers more flexibility in cases like these in the future.

They are never going to consider heavy playtime acceptable for a standard refund request.

#12

nullable 6 Aug @ 8:24am

Originally posted by Kornet001:
Thanks to everyone who replied. I appreciate the feedback, even if some of it was mixed.

I understand the 2-hour policy and why it exists, but I just want to clarify that this situation wasn't about being dissatisfied with the game or trying to finish it and return it.

The problem was the unexpected sale just a few days after the purchase. Since it wasn't part of a known major event and wasn't flagged in places like SteamDB, I had no way of knowing it was coming. From my perspective, that feels like a frustrating and unfair situation, especially when the purchase was well within the 14-day window, even if the playtime exceeded the limit.

I've accepted the outcome at this point, but I hope Steam considers more flexibility in cases like these in the future. Thanks again for the discussion.

Games often go on sale, it's not a secret, and nothing was stopping you from waiting until the game was on sale. The refund policy doesn't change or isn't negated because you chose to buy the game at full price, play it for dozens of hours and were surprised the game went on sale within some window of time.

Or rather I wonder this. If you buy a game at full price, how far in the future does the next sale have to be for you to just shrug and not raise an issue?

Regardless, the refund policy is never going change to be "within two hours of playtime and two weeks of purchase, unless you're unhappy about the timing of the next sale".

The expectation that all sales should be sufficiently telegraphed for your benefit is your own invention.

Last edited by nullable; 6 Aug @ 8:27am

#13

Start_Running 6 Aug @ 8:28am

Originally posted by Kornet001:
I've played about 35 hours....

Yeah no m8 you ain't getting a refund.
You not knowing there would be a sale is rather irrlevant. You deemed the game worth the price and you paid it. Though with the frequency of sales on steam why wouldn't you just wait for the next one?

#14

Truth 6 Aug @ 8:48am

I mean honestly I don't know why anyone would pay full price for an older game like that right after the summer sale just ended and with sales of the game so frequent

#15

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Date Posted: 5 Aug @ 12:44pm

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