Steam/Valve disabled my account

[brikis98]

I bought HL 2 over a year ago and had a ton of fun beating it. I then put the game aside and didn't play it for a while. just yesterday, i picked up a new widescreen monitor (fw900) and wanted to see what HL 2 would like like on it. i launch steam for the first time in a while, login in, and BAM, i get the message that my account is disabled.

i looked online and i guess valve disabled tons of accounts, either if they were suspected of cheating or hacking (which i NEVER did) or if their cd key was compromised (ie, some1 else uses a cdkey generator and randomly comes up with your key). maybe it makes sense to disable a cd key that valve suspects to be compromised, but the manner the did it in is ridiculous.

i didn't get ANY warning (by email or phone) that something was wrong. they made ZERO effort to resolve the situation. they just disabled my account and that's it, $50 down the drain through no fault of my own.

not to mention steam was a POS to begin with - took forever to activate the game the first time and having to login every time you want to play single player was a pain in the ass. and now this.

i emailed them and demanded my money back, but i somehow doubt it'll do much good... has this happened to any of you guys?

UPDATE: I got an email back from Valve asking me for a copy of my receipt and pictures of my DVD case showing the key. I sent those in and am awaiting further response.

UPDATE 2: After checking my cd key and receipt, Valve reactivated my account. However, they said:

Your phone had been flagged as possibly hijacked, as a security measure your account was disabled.

I'm trying to figure out what the hell that means...

UPDATE 3: so apparently, my email address had been used to hijack mutliple accounts, which is kind of disturbing to begin with. but here's what really bothers me:

We do not keep records of past account information
...
as a result, the account was disabled as a precaution until the owner of the account emailed in for assistance.

They don't keep account information? That sounds like total BS to me: personal information is worth a lot of money to companies and the vast majority carefully collect and store this information in databases. Also, earlier they told me my phone (?) was marked as hijacked? Now my email is marked as hijacking? And despite all these warning flags that my account is being hacked or is doing the hacking, they make no attempt to contact me?

i've emailed them AGAIN for further clarification (like, should i be worried some1 has my email password?) and to let them know that a responsible company should make an effort to contact the customer.

 

[Jeeebus]

read the EULA. The gaming company is always right. Besides, you didn't purchase the right to play online. Which basically boils down to this: If you send a nasty email demanding your account re-activated, it's going to get you nowhere.

I'd try a friendly phone call. Probably will get you nowhere, but you never know.

 

[DaveSimmons]

bought HL 2 over a year ago and had a ton of fun beating it. . . . i emailed them and demanded my money back,

So you had the game, played it, enjoyed it, had trouble reinstalling it, and your next action is to demand your money back?

Why didn't you demand they make it work? That's a sensible demand, asking for money back is not.

 

[brikis98]

what the hell is wrong with you guys?? did you read the post? do you know anything about valve/steam/HL 2??

lets try again:

1. i bought the game ("collectors edition")
2. i installed the game (required signing up for an online account and a lengthy activation process)
3. played it (each time required a login even though i was only playing single player) and beat it
4. didn't play for > .5 years (but didn't uninstall it)
5. tried to play again yesterday and was told my account was disabled

since the online account is REQUIRED TO PLAY, even SINGLE PLAYER, disabling it is no different then a valve rep coming into my house, uninstalling the game and taking back the game DVD.

how is any of this my fault? how am i, in any way, in the wrong to ask for my money back if i can no longer use a product i paid for???

think of it this way: you buy one of those new cars that won't start unless you have the right key that sends an electronic signal to the motor. you drive it for a month and then the car company disables your key. wouldn't you ask for your money back???? or at least for a key that works?

 

[Trevelyan]

If you cheat in a game, your account is not disabled. You just get banned from VAC servers, but you can still play the game.

VALVE DISABLES ACCOUNT FOR:

Piracy or Hacking
This includes using an unauthorized ("hacked") Steam client to access Steam, attempting to register fake CD Keys, or attempting to register a CD Key which has been published on the internet.

Credit Card Fraud
Any fraudulent credit card use or credit card chargebacks (regardless of when the transaction occurred).

Hijacking or Trading Other Users' Accounts
Do not use Steam accounts which you did not create.

Account "Phishing" and Deliberately Deceptive Activity
This includes contacting other users outside of Steam or over the Friends network under a misleading screen name or e-mail address (i.e. "Steam Admin" or "John@Steampowered.com") and requesting password or account information.

Buying, Selling, or Trading Accounts
This includes listing an account or CD Key (if the physical CD Key is not being provided) on an auction site or message board.

http://support.steampowered.com/cgi-bin...fg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=368

Contact support if you think it's an error. It's possible your account was hijacked, or if you let your friend use your account, that's agains the rules too.

Contact support: http://support.steampowered.com/cgi-bin...fg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=294

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Trevelyan
If you cheat in a game, your account is not disabled. You just get banned from VAC servers, but you can still play the game.

VALVE DISABLES ACCOUNT FOR:

Piracy or Hacking
This includes using an unauthorized ("hacked") Steam client to access Steam, attempting to register fake CD Keys, or attempting to register a CD Key which has been published on the internet.

Credit Card Fraud
Any fraudulent credit card use or credit card chargebacks (regardless of when the transaction occurred).

Hijacking or Trading Other Users' Accounts
Do not use Steam accounts which you did not create.

Account "Phishing" and Deliberately Deceptive Activity
This includes contacting other users outside of Steam or over the Friends network under a misleading screen name or e-mail address (i.e. "Steam Admin" or "John@Steampowered.com") and requesting password or account information.

Buying, Selling, or Trading Accounts
This includes listing an account or CD Key (if the physical CD Key is not being provided) on an auction site or message board.

http://support.steampowered.com/cgi-bin...fg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=368

Contact support if you think it's an error. It's possible your account was hijacked, or if you let your friend use your account, that's agains the rules too.

Contact support: http://support.steampowered.com/cgi-bin...fg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=294

thanks for the response. i didn't do ANY of those things. the only possibility is valve screwed up and thought i did or my cd key was hijacked.

however, as valve made NO attempt to inform me, i have no idea why my account was disabled. and that, IMO, is completely unreasonable.

 

[Trevelyan]

Yes, it would have been nice to at least notify you.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: brikis98
thanks for the response. i didn't do ANY of those things. the only possibility is valve screwed up and thought i did or my cd key was hijacked.

however, as valve made NO attempt to inform me, i have no idea why my account was disabled. and that, IMO, is completely unreasonable.

Not unreasonable if somebody got a hold of your CDkey. Yeah, you didn't do it... but do you think they know that? You do know you can get keys and such reset if you request it, and send pictures of the box and cd key proving you bought it. Demanding your money back is stupid because you already installed the game and played it.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: gorcorps

Originally posted by: brikis98
thanks for the response. i didn't do ANY of those things. the only possibility is valve screwed up and thought i did or my cd key was hijacked.

however, as valve made NO attempt to inform me, i have no idea why my account was disabled. and that, IMO, is completely unreasonable.

Not unreasonable if somebody got a hold of your CDkey. Yeah, you didn't do it... but do you think they know that? You do know you can get keys and such reset if you request it, and send pictures of the box and cd key proving you bought it. Demanding your money back is stupid because you already installed the game and played it.

it IS unreasonable to cancel an account without informing the account owner!! i had said it would make sense to close an account if the cd key was compromised but you HAVE to make some attempt to notify the actual owner. otherwise, you're punishing not only the criminal but also a paying customer for no goddamn reason.

i wouldn't demand my money back if valve had made any attempt to resolve the situation with me rather than just flat out disabling my account. i did nothing wrong, so why should i need to go through the hassle of reseting my account, sending pictures, etc (with no garauntee of success) if valve did NOTHING on their part? i pay THEM money and i have to do ALL the leg work? no way. that's why i want my money back.

 

[Trevelyan]

Honestly, you won't get your money back. But there is a very good chance they will reopen your account if you explain that you didn't do anything to violate the Steam Subscriber Agreement, and that its possible your account was compromised since you haven't played in 6 months.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Trevelyan
Honestly, you won't get your money back. But there is a very good chance they will reopen your account if you explain that you didn't do anything to violate the Steam Subscriber Agreement, and that its possible your account was compromised since you haven't played in 6 months.

prob. true, but it doesn't hurt to try. one thing's for sure: i'm def. not buying HL: episode 1. maybe it's a good game, but it's not worth the hassle of steam.

 

[erikistired]

it's amazing, nobody ever does anything wrong and yet things like this happen. steam is great, works perfect, generally it's the user who has the problem.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: fisher
it's amazing, nobody ever does anything wrong and yet things like this happen. steam is great, works perfect, generally it's the user who has the problem.

Yeah, I was definitely leaning toward user error on this one. I had not played HL2 for several months,then fired it up again a few weeks ago with no problems (just took forever to update).

Besides, you get more flies with honey than vinegar. You should have just called them and explained to them the situation in a calm, rational manner, you are more likely to get things resolved that way.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: fisher
it's amazing, nobody ever does anything wrong and yet things like this happen. steam is great, works perfect, generally it's the user who has the problem.

Yeah, I was definitely leaning toward user error on this one. I had not played HL2 for several months,then fired it up again a few weeks ago with no problems (just took forever to update).

Besides, you get more flies with honey than vinegar. You should have just called them and explained to them the situation in a calm, rational manner, you are more likely to get things resolved that way.

how could it be user error? it's not like you can accidentally disable an account... i haven't given my cd key to anyone... and this isn't a "driver error" or other such crap - it's a cancelled account.

why is it that you guys choose to blame this on me? i would love to see your reactions if the same thing happened to you....

 

[Trevelyan]

The thing is, there definately is a REASON for this to have happened. Most of the time these things are automated, so it wouldn't just happen randomly.

Like I said, your account was probably compromised, ie someone got your password and hacked into it, and then tried to hack Steam to get free games. It's not unheard of.

Just contact Valve and let us know what they say. I'm sure they can clear this up for you.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Trevelyan
The thing is, there definately is a REASON for this to have happened. Most of the time these things are automated, so it wouldn't just happen randomly.

Like I said, your account was probably compromised, ie someone got your password and hacked into it, and then tried to hack Steam to get free games. It's not unheard of.

Just contact Valve and let us know what they say. I'm sure they can clear this up for you.

i agree - i'm sure there was a reason and i've even said it was probably valid. what pisses me off is valve didn't contact me. it really wouldn't have been that hard for them to add an email send to their automated account cancellation code. as it is, i'm left w/o any idea why it happened and obviously unhappy.

if/when i hear back from them, i'll let ya'll know.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Typical humanity... Always looking for the worst in people and never giving them them the benefit of the doubt. Not sure where people get this idea that companies never make mistakes and some people who claim they are innocent really are not. Imagine that... It is almost as if this forum is quite worthless. You come on here claim you are innocent, about half of the people that respond accuse you of wrong doing!

There were some great posts in here that were constructive, but most were not. I also love how people say "I put the game down for 5 months and played and it worked fine for me! Must be something you did"... Are people really that short sighted? Basically it boils down to this "If I am not affected, I don't give a F__K what happens to you"... Real nice.

 

[sandorski]

Quit whining to us and whine to Valve. Every once in awhile there's a major Account Banning and sometimes innocents get caught in the crossfire, mainly because someone else has used a Key of an innocent.

E-mail/Call Valve and politely explain your situation and they'll tell you what you need to do.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: sandorski
Quit whining to us and whine to Valve. Every once in awhile there's a major Account Banning and sometimes innocents get caught in the crossfire, mainly because someone else has used a Key of an innocent.

E-mail/Call Valve and politely explain your situation and they'll tell you what you need to do.

I did contact Valve as I said in my first post. I posted here to see if anyone else had experienced the same thing and if you guys had any advice. Some ppl chose to help, the rest decided to blame me. real nice.

 

[KeithTalent]

Ok, I probably overreacted in my first post; my apologies. I was not trying to place blame on you and I have no interest in doing so.

I just always get annoyed when people have a problem with something and their first inclination is to make demands/attack/sue or whatever.

I agree they should have notified you, but it seems that a polite call to Valve may have been able to get you farther than any sort of scathing e-mail or letter.

Again, my apologies.

KT :beer:

 

[sandorski]

I disagree on the notification. Many of the accounts are totally illegitimate and they would not even have the ability to notify anyone. I think your Account not working and coming up with an error is notification enough. Seems to work fine to.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: sandorski
I disagree on the notification. Many of the accounts are totally illegitimate and they would not even have the ability to notify anyone. I think your Account not working and coming up with an error is notification enough. Seems to work fine to.

see, i don't see how an account can be "totally illegitimate" - it's either legitimate or was legitimate and got hijacked. i had to give valve a bunch of my personal information (email included) to sign up for steam and i had to provide a valid cd key to play HL 2.

so valve definitely DID have the ability to notify everyone. it's called a mailing list. they're not hard to use and I would very much appreciate knowing that valve suspects my account - which, again, has my PERSONAL info - got hijacked.

 

[PingSpike]

I'm just curious, did you have a strong password? I can understand cd key generators getting your key...but once you've registered it, don't they need your steam login information to use your key?

I'm just wondering how people's accounts get hijacked.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: PingSpike
I'm just curious, did you have a strong password? I can understand cd key generators getting your key...but once you've registered it, don't they need your steam login information to use your key?

I'm just wondering how people's accounts get hijacked.

the password was fine - it wasn't a word in a dictionary and followed many of the other important rules (capitalization, funky chars, etc). so... i'm not sure how these accounts got hijacked, but obv. it happened. i wouldn't be too shocked if valve had another break in (like when the source code got stolen b4 hl 2's release)...

 

[Jeeebus]

Your problem, as I see it, is you have a sense of entitlement for Valve to do something for you. I'm telling you, review your EULA, and maybe you'll be quite shocked to find all of what it says. I'm not trying to get on your case, and I'm not trying to insult you. But if you approach this problem by demanding from Valve everything you're entitled to, you will indeed get everything that you're legally entitled to... which is nothing.

I already said what you need to do. Calmly call up their tech support, explain your situation, tell them how much you love playing their game and how you were shocked when you tried to load it up and it didn't work. I guarantee you that your chance of success in that method is 100x greater than sending angry entitlement emails that are just going to be ignored.