First posted by Reddit user gaymerRaver, and confirmed in a statement to Polygon, Microsoft is going to offer self-service refunds for digital games on Xbox One and Windows 10. Currently, self-service refunds are in “pilot testing” for select members on the Xbox Insider Program.
As you can see in the message sent to Insiders, refunds will be offered within 14 days of purchase, provided the game has been played for less than two hours. DLC, Season Passes, and other add-ons are not eligible for refunds:
You’ve spoken; we’ve listened. In support of offering gamers the freedom of choice, we’re making changes to the Microsoft Store purchase experience by offering customers a simple way to instantly return digital products like games and apps through account.microsoft.com.
When a game or app leaves you wanting more, we’re here to help. Self-service refunds on Xbox One and Windows 10 provide a quick, simple way of returning a digital product.
To request a self-service refund:
- Navigate to account.microsoft.com and sign-in
- From the top menu bar, select Payment & billing > Order history
- Navigate to a purchased game or app, and select Request a refund
Please note the below conditions for requesting a self-service refund:
- Games and apps are eligible for self-service refunds within 14 days of purchase if you have less than 2 hours of play time across all accounts.
- DLC, season passes, and add-ons are not eligible for self-service refunds.
- The game or app must be downloaded and launched before requesting a self-service refund.
- You must wait for at least 1 day after the game or app’s release before requesting a self-service refund.
- Certain Windows 10 apps may not be eligible for self-service refunds.
- Microsoft reserves the right to block access for users who abuse self-service refunds.
On PlayStation UK’s help site, they say “you can request a refund to your PSN wallet within 14 days from the date of transaction,” but only if you “have not started downloading or streaming your purchase.” For pre-orders, you can cancel at any time before the release date, or within 14 days after payment was taken, “provided that you have not started downloading or streaming the content to your device.”
On PlayStation US’s help site, under the ‘I don’t like what I purchased’ section, they don’t mention a return policy, and instead only suggest that you “contact us so that we may investigate your issue further.” On the PlayStation Store pages for games you can pre-order, Sony says, “Cancellations and refunds are not available except where required by law.”
Do you think Sony should follow in the footsteps of Steam and Microsoft and offer self-service refunds?
[Source: Reddit, NeoGAF, Polygon, PlayStation (US, UK), PlayStation Store]
