Not sure where I should post this. It should be a forum which normally has a large number of SciForms users. I recently made a $29.99 purchase at this Web Site. They provided options to establish an account with various amounts starting at $5.00 I opted for $50.00 (smallest option which covered my purchase), expecting to get a refund for the balance. They will not give refund to the credit card. They only give a credit toward future purchases at their site. Unfortunately for me, I am not interested in other items offered at this site. I consider this somewhat of a scam. I know of no other Web Site which works in this manner. Every other site at which I have made purchases, allows specifying that the specific amount of the purchase be charged to the credit card. If any of you folks want to make a purchase at this site, I advise providing two or more amounts adding up to the slightly more than the purchase price.
It sounds to me like you didn't investigate their "wallet" method of payment/purchase, so while you might disagree with their practice in regards to how they handle monies, it was technically you that overlooked what they were going to do with it. Steam is well known for specific trade strategies that some people find unfair (like for instance if you buy a product that you then decided you don't want, since they deal with electronic software with no physical substance, they do not give refunds and they even state it during the purchase procedure, yet people still attempt to get them.) What you should do Dinosaur is while you have the credit (and since it's still before the 7th December), you should use the rest up on the Steam sales (since there is a fair amount reduced at the moment). Make sure you check out what you are buying correctly before getting whatever you get, as within steam what you can do is "Gift" software to other people, so if you've got a brother/sister, son/daughter, nephew/niece, grandchild etc and they happen to play games on the PC, you could give them a cheap game for Christmas (you then don't have to worry about picking something else up in the realworld) This way you cover your mistake and get at least good will out of it, alternatively you could possible trade the game with someone for real money, however the problem there is likely having to use somebody like paypal as an escrow service to stop you getting ripped again. (I would of offered to, however I've spent way too much on there already)
Stryder: You are correct. This is the first time in many decades that I have felt scammed. Usually, a scam seems to promise something for nothing, a deal too good to be true. This was a bit more subtle than the more obvious scam techniques. Live & learn. In the future, I will recognize this type of scam-like activity. BTW: I made my original Post in order to warn others regarding the Steam Site.
It may be worth giving a call/ shooting an email to their support team - the guys at Valve/Steam are VERY nice and excel at taking care of their customers. Just stay calm and explain you misunderstood what was going on that that you were looking to see what options you had. If you are kind, they are more likely to go out of their way and stick their neck out for you.
If it is the wallet option you used then it isn't a scam. It is like you putting money into an account for games so you know you have it when you want to buy a game whenever it is released. Unless you a very large amount into the wallet and thought it was asking how much you had in your bank /wallet. Then you probably don't deserve to be using a computer and should probably just unplug it and throw it in the nearest trash bin.
That's a bit harsh, isn't it? Maybe they put their policies in the small print. If you want the residue of your money back, they should refund it. Possibly not a scam as such, but not good customer relations either.
@ Dinosaur, Really? I have never seen a website that allows people to enter the amount to be charged, so i am assuming this meant you wanted your item to be listed as a stand alone purchase option. This post is to say that many, many, many websites allow purchasing through credit. Perhaps an online game has convinced you to buy gold and then you use that gold to buy online items. This is very common. especially among gaming sites.
I have found that it is much easier to buy something than to get your money back. Steam is a wonderful source, the games are great and the prices are extremely reasonable. They supply member services that are very helpful - such as constant updates to top end graphics card drivers. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I have long experience with them and am very happy with their services. Sometimes it is more of a misunderstanding than a "scam". Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
They can give refunds if you are in good standing, if you haven't made a habit of it (a one time goodwill gesture) and if you have a legitimate claim for wanting a refund. People have been known to do this through the usage of support tickets, however it can take multiple attempts (Possibly different steam employees). All I can suggest that route is to be adult, be polite and remember you are asking for someone at their end who hears illegitimate claims for refund everyday (when people buy a game during Alpha/Beta or pre-release and it doesn't turn out the way they imagined.) It those cases though they tend to refund in "in-store" credit rather than real money, so in the case of Dinosaur he'd be no better off.
