A Steam-y Issue!

NullenVoydNullenVoyd Orlandish Icrontian
edited July 2010 in Gaming
I think we all enjoyed Steam's wonderful summer sale to one extent or another, but it seems the tail end of the event, especially July 3rd and 4th, saw something that we try to ignore as a possibility.

According to many posters in various places on the official Steam forums, a number of the games they purchased and played around those two days have now vanished from their library or will not play, insisting they need to be purchased (again)!

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1346197

So-far I've seen reports of between $5-$200 worth of games having vanished. I myself have had 4 separate games I bought and one that was gifted to me, no longer shown as mine anymore. It should be noted this does not seem to have affected everyone who bought games during those times.

Speculation and here-say are implying there was a database failure some time in here and only a few-days-old backup was available to restore functionality. People largely claim this due to their icons and profiles having been reverted back to what they were before the affected dates, and game purchases leading up till then still registering as valid and playable.

So-far, Steam support has been silent or downright unhelpful. One user complained of having to supply proof in screen captures of the non-destroyed games list but still waiting for a resolution, and other users have found no response from their submitted tickets on the issue (including me). Steam support has at least acknowledged the issue and is looking into it, so at least those affected can hope.

The best I can suggest is make sure you have what you bought, take a screenie of it, and if you notice something missing don't be afraid to speak up about it. I'm not sure how they'll go about fixing this, but it may not be a bad idea to also get a screenie of your purchase history with your financial institution, and a pic of Steam's version of your records by clicking the "<account name="">'s account" link in the upper-right corner of the main Steam window.</account>

Comments

  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    Thanks for the heads-up :)
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    Let me tell ya too, I love Steam, but having a problem means pretty much helping yourself. Valve is a game making company, they would not know online customer service if the people from newegg or zappos came and wiggled around in front of them.
  • mertesnmertesn I am Bobby Miller Yukon, OK Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    NullenVoyd wrote:
    The best I can suggest is make sure you have what you bought, take a screenie of it, and if you notice something missing don't be afraid to speak up about it. I'm not sure how they'll go about fixing this, but it may not be a bad idea to also get a screenie of your purchase history with your financial institution, and a pic of Steam's version of your records by clicking the "<account name="">'s account" link in the upper-right corner of the main Steam window.</account>
    I can't speak to games received as gifts, but for purchases you should have an e-mailed receipt. That should be proof enough for Steam.

    ...certain e-mails should never be deleted...
  • NullenVoydNullenVoyd Orlandish Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    Definitely mertesn, it was just sounding like that wasn't being considered proof, but all is good, looks like they fixed what they needed to and at least for me. Didn't mean to sound alarmist, was just more miffed about the issue, but they did take care of it without much fuss.
  • ardichokeardichoke Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    mertesn wrote:
    I can't speak to games received as gifts, but for purchases you should have an e-mailed receipt. That should be proof enough for Steam.

    ...certain e-mails should never be deleted...
    This is exactly why I archive all my non-advertising email.
  • JokkeJokke Bergen, Norway Icrontian
    edited July 2010
    ardichoke wrote:
    This is exactly why I archive all my non-advertising email.

    What Ardi said!
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