Steam Precludes Class Action Lawsuits

Valve announces an updated Steam Subscriber Agreement, becoming the latest company to attempt to avoid potential class action lawsuits by prohibiting them as a term of service. Here is their explanation of this:
We’re also introducing a new dispute resolution process that will benefit you and Valve. Recently, a number of companies have created similar provisions which have generated lots of discussion from customers and communities, and we’ve been following these discussions closely. On Steam, whenever a customer is unhappy with any transaction, our first goal is to resolve things as quickly as possible through the normal customer support process. However in those instances in which we can't resolve a dispute, we've outlined a new required process whereby we agree to use arbitration or small claims court to resolve the dispute. In the arbitration process, Valve will reimburse your costs of the arbitration for claims under a certain amount. Reimbursement by Valve is provided regardless of the arbitrator’s decision, provided that the arbitrator does not determine the claim to be frivolous or the costs unreasonable.

Most significant to the new dispute resolution terms is that customers may now only bring individual claims, not class action claims. We considered this change very carefully. It’s clear to us that in some situations, class actions have real benefits to customers. In far too many cases however, class actions don’t provide any real benefit to users and instead impose unnecessary expense and delay, and are often designed to benefit the class action lawyers who craft and litigate these claims. Class actions like these do not benefit us or our communities. We think this new dispute resolution process is faster and better for you and Valve while avoiding unnecessary costs, and that it will therefore benefit the community as a whole.
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119.
 
Re: Steam Precludes Class Action Lawsuits
Aug 1, 2012, 13:14
Re: Steam Precludes Class Action Lawsuits Aug 1, 2012, 13:14
Aug 1, 2012, 13:14
 
StingingVelvet wrote on Aug 1, 2012, 12:46:
Creston wrote on Aug 1, 2012, 12:36:
Everyone knows that with EA, it is. All EA cares about is the bottom line. Valve, I'm not so sure. I think they started Steam because they wanted to get out from a publisher's bootheel, but for a long time, everything they've done to Steam has been to solely boost profits. It's really only the last few years that they've begun listening to their customers and have implemented some things that benefit the customers. (Better support, faster patches, more sales, etc.)

I don't have a problem with Valve, I really don't. Just today I got Max Payne 3 as a Steam code because it's so large I don't want to back it up, and Steam is the store I don't use backups with because I trust it to be there and work. I like Valve's games and the service, if there has to be DRM then Steamworks generally is the best kind.

My entire "issue" I guess is with the people who act like Valve can do no wrong, or are special in some way, removed from things like this terms of service shit. They might be more persuasive and more generous than other companies but they are still out to protect themselves and get your money, period.

On Kotaku today I read a comment about this story where someone said "I just... trust Valve more." That's the personification of the idea I dislike... Valve should not be trusted more than any other company out to get your money. Appreciated? Sure. Trusted? No. As today's news should hopefully make clear, they will screw you as soon as they think they can and should, and do it with a snarky smile.

What amazes me is that it bugs you so much. There are people who swear up and down by a particular news channel, too. And there are even actual EA fanboys! I know, it seems impossible, but there are genuinely people out there who say that Origin is literally the best thing to have happened to PC gamers, like, EVER.

The large majority of 'people' on the Internet are morons.

I like Valve, and I hate EA, but so far I have to say that Origin typically works better on any given day for me than Steam does. That doesn't somehow translate into me liking EA better than I do Valve, though, and that's mostly because Valve allows me to buy games I kind of do really want to play, but not for 50 or 60 bucks, for 7.50 or 5 bucks.

Not everyone's like that. Eh. *shrug* If some people want to worship the sweat under Gabe's armpits, no shirt off my back. Some people still think Will Wright is a genius too...

Creston
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