Self-service
Refunds for digital games have been a pretty dour situation for a long time. When Valve announced it wasfinally implementing returnsfor Steam purchases, it was a big win for digital marketplaces. As for console marketplaces, though, you’ve basically had to prove your case before the idea of a refund would even be entertained. It wasn’t impossible, but the hoops you needed to jump through were ridiculous.
That won’t be the case in a few months for Xbox users. According to aReddit post, the newest Xbox Dashboard preview has a feature for “Self-Service” refunds. This allows you to issue a refund for any purchase provided you’ve played less than two hours and its been 14 days since purchase (the same policy Steam has). Everything is automated, so you won’t need to wait for approval.
The obvious exceptions include DLC and season passes. Microsoft also notes that “certain” Windows 10 apps won’t be eligible for refunds (probably Office 365, that piece of garbage). Microsoft also warns that refunds can be rejected if they believe a user is abusing the system, so you won’t be getting free demos out of this.
This is great news, even if the policy is a bit strict. Having some kind of recourse for shoddy purchases or flat out bad games is a bonus. I’m just curious how things like “Gold” or “Limited” editions will work where the season pass is included in the purchase. Also, I’d love if we could get a digital return that doesn’t automatically give me marketplace credit in lieu of returning my money.
The steps to get a refund are as follows (credit to RedditorChickern):
Please note the below conditions for requesting a self-service refund:
Self-Service Refunds are finally here For Xbox One & Windows 10[Reddit]
