European regulator: Nintendo refund policy is unlawful
- Thread starter Arthands
- Start date
Digital distribution is fine.
As long as it's on Steam or Origin or some untested platform with similar refund policies.
Console digital distribution has a long way to go.
Digital pre-orders pose very little benefit to consumers. You're 100% correct in this. From the perspective of game publishers and retailers/storefronts, pre-orders are an invaluable tool for being able to gauge pent up sales demand for an upcoming title; as publishers regularly include pre-order rate info. in their announcements to the media and their shareholders. So from that side I can see why they'd want to offer pre-orders on digital content, I just can't see why any consumer would want to pre-order digitally, short of the ability to pre-load the game data to their HDD ready to play immediately on launch.
Ah, I haven't considered this. Do you think this is a huge driver for pre-orders?
I think in Norway, you certainly can because it's the law that Sony complies with. Nintendo does not here...
Every company should allow you to cancel a digital pre-order. This should be a given, and it's ridiculous that Nintendo has not applied it yet.
Many people preorder before knowing if a preload will even be available, so I doubt it. Definitely it helps though.
That said, most games get preloads now. So maybe it does.
I remember buying VOEZ on the Switch to see if I liked the game, I ended up liking it a lot, but I thought, hey, what if i didn't and wanted a refund, surely the eshop whould have a refund option like steam. I ended up looking and found a Q&A page from nintendo.com that basically said: "We can't allow refunds, we encourage costumers to read the descriptions of the titles and images before buying"
Well that was a bummer.
Well that was a bummer.
For big sized downloads, they permit to have the game already downloaded once it's released. But most importantly, you have sometimes discounts for pre-purchasing the game before the release day.
Considering how long it took for us to get Steam Refunds im not expecting major change anytime soon for console.
Eh, we're talking about software that you pay the same price for, but can never lend out, can never trade it, sell off, etc.
Nintendo also just dropped their Wii download service, did they not? So more than likely we're talking noticeably finite lifespans to download.
I really think the Steam policy is where we should be on the whole, right now. Automated, easy to use, lets you boot up the game for a small period of time to check for glaring issues. I feel like that is very fair.
Mods pls merge threads...
https://www.resetera.com/threads/ni...and-europe-norway-is-fed-up.24856/#navigation
https://www.resetera.com/threads/ni...and-europe-norway-is-fed-up.24856/#navigation
I'm not surprised by that reaction. This is a very bad practice and I'm glad Norway and other European countries are not taking their nonsense. They should stop them from selling there all together until they abide by the laws.
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Brilliant, hopefully they'll fine them if Nintendo don't comply.
I'd love to see them force all three console store fronts to at least match Steam for refunds though ideally.
I'd love to see them force all three console store fronts to at least match Steam for refunds though ideally.
Pre-load, bonus, etc... there are pretty clear incentives to pre-orders.
Fucking roast these companies over the coals EU. It is simply incomprehensible how shit like this is still allowed or tolerated.
Next step, make a reasonable refund policy for digital goods law. One that takes into account the type of digital good and is able to differentiate between
different goods. Nintendo and Sony need to be put under legal pressure before they'll follow Steam and Origins example.
Next step, make a reasonable refund policy for digital goods law. One that takes into account the type of digital good and is able to differentiate between
different goods. Nintendo and Sony need to be put under legal pressure before they'll follow Steam and Origins example.
I've been told you can even on the US store, but you need to go through the process of filling in an online form and sending it off to customer support first. The process is also different if you are cancelling before or after 14 days before launch.
Whereas on Steam it's an inbuilt feature and done with a couple of button presses. As it should be.
It's rare but they can include a great bonus, like having immediate access to a remaster of the first South Park game not being offered separately.
Umm, yes you can, at least in EU. The NCC singled out Nintendo because of that.
Nintendo allows 1 digital refund per account, so you have to use that one refund wisely and must call them by phone. You can't get more than one refund.
I'm actually surprised that most people in that sub seem to be supporting this. Seems like just the usual tiny minority of crazy people.
There is a lot of "Nintendo probably just didn't know", though.
While you're at it I highly doubt their "check here to sign away your rights to return the game"-button is legal either.
I'm not sure if this is on all eshops but on the European one you have to confirm that you will forgo your right to return the game within 2 weeks, otherwise they won't let you buy it.
I'm not sure if this is on all eshops but on the European one you have to confirm that you will forgo your right to return the game within 2 weeks, otherwise they won't let you buy it.
The EU specifically say that terms of service agreements which remove consumer rights are not legally binding.
However, digital refunds/returns are not covered fully by the same returns policy that would normally cover physical goods, so it's a little more complicated.
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Nah, that is legal (so far at least). It is currently used in Europe for digital goods. The part about them fulfilling their part of the contract, thus you forfeiting your right to a refund is legal because there is no updated legislation to comprehensively deal with the sale of digital goods yet.
The only way to get a refund is if the game was broken (and even then that is debatable)
I expect there to be legal changes in the coming years that finally put digital goods on the same customer protection level as physical goods.
With the obvious caveat of goods like consumables, subscriptions, stuff like Music or small value items (transactions that would have a higher transaction fee than the nominal price etc)
lol. What a shambles. I think Sony is just as bad.
No wonder I prefer physical, not only is pricing better, but I can cancel whatever pre-orders or even orders (if done quick enough) I want. Then even if something gets delivered, I can return it unopened for a full refund.
Digital always seems more about trying to remove consumer rights and have a monopoly on pricing (on consoles). Fuck that.
You should do the same instead of doing a "SonyToo":
This is unacceptable. Those posters quoted didn't lie.
The same article specifically points out Nintendo for being worse than the others.
All console digital distribution is bad (as well as Battle.net and UPlay), Nintendo's happens to be even more bad.
Yes you can. In Europe at least you can. And this issue is about Nintendo going against European laws.
I pre ordered Monster Hunter World for PS4. And in the mail sony sent me there was instructions to what should i do in case i wish to cancel the pre order. Sony refund policy still has a long way to go to be more consumer friendly but in Europe they let you cancel ur pre-order.
Considering this is literally illegal in many European countries, I am surprised regulators are only now catching on.
Console storefronts will slowly get there, hopefully. Refunding digital pre-orders shouldn't be harder than clicking a few buttons and confirming the refund. Of course, I expect Nintendo to get there 3 or 4 years after the rest at minimum.
Are you talking in general, or on Switch? I'm fairly sure all Switch eShop preorders come with a preload.
Sony's shitty policies in the US are what finally got me to stop pre-ordering digitally. The benefit of being able to play at midnight of release day isn't as important as not buying junk like LBP3 or Driveclub before reading reviews or waiting to see if there are performance issues. So I guess I'd like to thank Sony for curing me of my own stupidity.
What fanboyism? You can't cancel digital pre-orders on the e-shop at all. Other platforms have a long way to go but that doesn't change the fact that Nintendo is behind even them, which is what the article even stipulates.
Customer support lied to you.
I once bought a game on PSN and spent ten minutes playing it only to find that it was missing a feature that I expected. I sent an email to Sony's customer support (UK) to request a refund on the basis of the expected missing feature.
They sent a reply and granted the refund immediately without question. After the refund, my licence on the game had been modified to expire at the date and time of the refund (thus could no longer be started), and the cost of the game had been refunded to my PSN Wallet.
I ended up buying the game again later once the missing feature was added in an update.
I'm surprised Nintendo would run afoul of the law this way given their previously strict adherence to laws regarding digital goods.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-12-10-nintendo-explains-crazy-wii-u-eshop-restrictions
Even the Wii shop, as much shit as it got, acted far more like a purchase of a physical good than any of the other digital platforms as a resale of your system would include all the digital goods bought on it.
I'll personally give them a month to react given their previous behavior...I'm guessing they'll just temporarily disable preorders until they have a solution.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-12-10-nintendo-explains-crazy-wii-u-eshop-restrictions
Even the Wii shop, as much shit as it got, acted far more like a purchase of a physical good than any of the other digital platforms as a resale of your system would include all the digital goods bought on it.
I'll personally give them a month to react given their previous behavior...I'm guessing they'll just temporarily disable preorders until they have a solution.
In general.
I also don't preorder very often, so the situation might have changed.
I didn't even know this was the case. I never digitally preordered a game before. I mean why would you? Just... you know buy in on the day you want it?
But there should be a system in place for refunds. Digital distribution needs to have exactly the same rights as physical.
But there should be a system in place for refunds. Digital distribution needs to have exactly the same rights as physical.