Replace Steam "support" with actual support

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CATCH PHRASE 6 Sep @ 6:52am

I'm so sick of this. I've been around for 15 years and some change, and aside from refund request approvals (which is just one line of code, it doesn't take an entire person to verify the 2-hour, 2-week thing), I've seen them actually answer maybe two tickets.

But the other 99% of the time, they dodge questions, delete tickets without notification, kid the user with "we've provided all the information we can" without providing any at all. It's exhausting.

Sample case, I saw a post on another discussion board that was explaining their grief in the laziness of the devs of a game I like. Their bonus packs have been atrociously expensive for how utterly lackluster and useless they've been. I agreed with OP and mentioned a specific grievance I had within their failures. No hostility, no other posts in the thread yet, full agreement. All was well.

Another guy I know who tends to be a really petty shill came along, fired shots at OP without explaining his case and generalized the player base as stupid for not appreciating the devs' unpolished, uncaring, "please give us more money" approach to updates. I didn't have time to respond; I was suspended for harassment of other users.

I ask Steam support where the harassment was, and all I got was "we checked your post and can confirm the suspension was necessary." Ticket closed.

New ticket, "why was it necessary?" Ticket deleted, no notification.

New ticket, "why was it necessary?"
"We've already provided all the information we can. Talk about something else." Ticket closed.

Meanwhile, that shill is free to not only retain his post but drop more, and they're not even on topic. He's just being rude to OP. That's totally fine, though. I'm out of line and he's a good boy because harassing other users is only harassing other users when you're NOT harassing other users.

I'm waiting for the punch line. This has to be a long, drawn-out joke.

Last edited by CATCH PHRASE; 6 Sep @ 6:56am

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Showing 1-15 of 50 comments

Boblin the Goblin 6 Sep @ 7:02am

Originally posted by CATCH PHRASE:
I'm so sick of this. I've been around for 15 years and some change, and aside from refund request approvals (which is just one line of code, it doesn't take an entire person to verify the 2-hour, 2-week thing), I've seen them actually answer maybe two tickets.

But the other 99% of the time, they dodge questions, delete tickets without notification, kid the user with "we've provided all the information we can" without providing any at all. It's exhausting.

Sample case, I saw a post on another discussion board that was explaining their grief in the laziness of the devs of a game I like. Their bonus packs have been atrociously expensive for how utterly lackluster and useless they've been. I agreed with OP and mentioned a specific grievance I had within their failures. No hostility, no other posts in the thread yet, full agreement. All was well.

Another guy I know who tends to be a really petty shill came along, fired shots at OP without explaining his case and generalized the player base as stupid for not appreciating the devs' unpolished, uncaring, "please give us more money" approach to updates. I didn't have time to respond; I was suspended for harassment of other users.

I ask Steam support where the harassment was, and all I got was "we checked your post and can confirm the suspension was necessary." Ticket closed.

New ticket, "why was it necessary?" Ticket deleted, no notification.

New ticket, "why was it necessary?"
"We've already provided all the information we can. Talk about something else." Ticket closed.

Meanwhile, that shill is free to not only retain his post but drop more, and they're not even on topic. He's just being rude to OP. That's totally fine, though. I'm out of line and he's a good boy because harassing other users is only harassing other users when you're NOT harassing other users.

I'm waiting for the punch line. This has to be a long, drawn-out joke.

Post a screenshot of the ban message.

CATCH PHRASE 6 Sep @ 7:07am

https://imgur.com/a/yHWGsRS
Foul language, plenty of censorship, no harassment. They didn't even address the foul language, though. Support just "confirms" it's harassment.

Boblin the Goblin 6 Sep @ 7:20am

Originally posted by CATCH PHRASE:
https://imgur.com/a/yHWGsRS
Foul language, plenty of censorship, no harassment. They didn't even address the foul language, though. Support just "confirms" it's harassment.

Looks like the ban was appropriate.

CATCH PHRASE 6 Sep @ 7:32am

Sounds like you know something I don't. Can you point out the harassment?

Tanoomba 6 Sep @ 7:39am

Originally posted by CATCH PHRASE:
Another guy I know who tends to be a really petty shill

Found your problem right here. If you are this comfortable using insulting and disrespectful language to describe others, then it's probably not a rare occurrence.

CATCH PHRASE 6 Sep @ 7:47am

Originally posted by Tanoomba:
Found your problem right here.

That guy goes out of his way to derail threads and give people a hard time. You could even check that discussion board for yourself. You'll spot him quickly. But speaking plainly and literally isn't disrespectful. He does petty things and defends the way the devs harass and taunt players.

My case in contesting Steam support is in how the situation was handled, and you would know that by reading the rest and checking out my "harassment" that I've posted, which didn't involve the shill in the first place. I only mentioned him for comparison because, again, harassing other users is only harassment when it's not harassment. But the guy who harasses in the same place is just fine.

Last edited by CATCH PHRASE; 6 Sep @ 8:02am

xBCxRangers 6 Sep @ 7:52am

Originally posted by Tanoomba:
Originally posted by CATCH PHRASE:
Another guy I know who tends to be a really petty shill
Found your problem right here. If you are this comfortable using insulting and disrespectful language to describe others, then it's probably not a rare occurrence.

Well is calling one a "petty shill" really cause to get banned from a service we pay for?

I've been called way worse than that, with no care or concern from moderation.

Are Steam Moderators biased? Maybe not good at their jobs? Maybe AI in dire need of a Patch?

Or maybe if they went full throttle on the IDs, they would have to be as petit being the word police.

HikariLight 6 Sep @ 8:17am

Originally posted by xBCxRangers:
Originally posted by Tanoomba:
Found your problem right here. If you are this comfortable using insulting and disrespectful language to describe others, then it's probably not a rare occurrence.

Well is calling one a "petty shill" really cause to get banned from a service we pay for?

I've been called way worse than that, with no care or concern from moderation.

Are Steam Moderators biased? Maybe not good at their jobs? Maybe AI in dire need of a Patch?

Or maybe if they went full throttle on the IDs, they would have to be as petit being the word police.

You don't pay for access to the forums or to use Steam.
Both are free.

You only pay for access to the game.

Remember, you don't have freedom of speech here.

So if you start insulting users (especially if they don't agree with you, remember these are DISCUSSION forums, not affirmation forums), the moderation has EVERY right to remove you.

This is not your house, you do not get to choose what is allowed or isn't.

Steam (for the general forums) and the game devs (for game hubs) choose what is and isn't allowed in THEIR spaces.

So, no insulting other users is never going to be considered ok in a forum.

Thermal Lance 6 Sep @ 8:24am

You been around for 15 years and still can't voice an opinion without resorting to foul language?

William Shakesman 6 Sep @ 8:39am

Originally posted by CATCH PHRASE:
That guy goes out of his way to derail threads and give people a hard time. You could even check that discussion board for yourself. You'll spot him quickly. But speaking plainly and literally isn't disrespectful. He does petty things and defends the way the devs harass and taunt players.

My case in contesting Steam support is in how the situation was handled, and you would know that by reading the rest and checking out my "harassment" that I've posted, which didn't involve the shill in the first place. I only mentioned him for comparison because, again, harassing other users is only harassment when it's not harassment. But the guy who harasses in the same place is just fine.

In the culture enforced on Steam, "speaking plainly and literally" actually IS disrespectful. The paradigm here is weirdly more strict than professional settings and less in various ways, and this catches a lot of people off guard. You must understand that the Steam rules do not match how the majority of society prefers discourse and act accordingly. When in Rome, do as the Romans do after all.

Steam vastly prefers (and all users here see no moral issue with) you use the passive voice rather than directly describe the bad behavior of another individual. Describing someone's bad behavior accurately can be construed as an insult, so it is best if you do not ascribe anything directly to a specific person. Most users here practice this sort of discourse, lobbing free floating insults without a subject, and act no small amount of smug at people who do not know that is what Steam prefers.

Speaking of that smugness, Steam also prefers you don't use this forum to ask about specific bans. Nobody here is a Steam employee, nobody here has any knowledge beyond observation of application of the rules to help you. And nobody here can be any more helpful or descriptive than Steam Support, who, as you have observed, is neither. They are almost certainly going to lock this thread.

Originally posted by Thermal Lance:
You been around for 15 years and still can't voice an opinion without resorting to foul language?

Honestly, being gaming for 15 years and still gasping at a bit of foul language as though it is bad at all is nothing to be proud of.

Last edited by William Shakesman; 6 Sep @ 8:43am

#10

Tanoomba 6 Sep @ 8:43am

Originally posted by CATCH PHRASE:
That guy goes out of his way to derail threads and give people a hard time.

Even if that were true, using blatantly insulting language warrants a ban.

Originally posted by CATCH PHRASE:
He does petty things and defends the way the devs harass and taunt players.

Hyperbole like this probably wasn't helping your case, either.

Originally posted by xBCxRangers:
Well is calling one a "petty shill" really cause to get banned from a service we pay for?

You don't pay for it but yes, it really is cause for getting banned.

#11

William Shakesman 6 Sep @ 8:45am

Originally posted by Tanoomba:
Originally posted by CATCH PHRASE:
That guy goes out of his way to derail threads and give people a hard time.
Even if that were true, using blatantly insulting language warrants a ban.

Originally posted by CATCH PHRASE:
He does petty things and defends the way the devs harass and taunt players.
Hyperbole like this probably wasn't helping your case, either.

Originally posted by xBCxRangers:
Well is calling one a "petty shill" really cause to get banned from a service we pay for?
You don't pay for it but yes, it really is cause for getting banned.

Very true. I am known as one of the more honest and respected users on this board because I do none of these things.

#12

CATCH PHRASE 6 Sep @ 8:56am

Originally posted by Tanoomba:

Originally posted by CATCH PHRASE:
He does petty things and defends the way the devs harass and taunt players.
Hyperbole like this probably wasn't helping your case, either.

It's not a hyperbole, but thank you for the reminder that you're not looking into it. 👋
_

Back on topic, I still have no insight about how "you're right, OP" is harassment.

#13

CATCH PHRASE 6 Sep @ 9:11am

Originally posted by William Shakesman:
In the culture enforced on Steam, "speaking plainly and literally" actually IS disrespectful. The paradigm here is weirdly more strict than professional settings and less in various ways, and this catches a lot of people off guard. You must understand that the Steam rules do not match how the majority of society prefers discourse and act accordingly. When in Rome, do as the Romans do after all.

Steam vastly prefers (and all users here see no moral issue with) you use the passive voice rather than directly describe the bad behavior of another individual. Describing someone's bad behavior accurately can be construed as an insult, so it is best if you do not ascribe anything directly to a specific person. Most users here practice this sort of discourse, lobbing free floating insults without a subject, and act no small amount of smug at people who do not know that is what Steam prefers.

Speaking of that smugness, Steam also prefers you don't use this forum to ask about specific bans. Nobody here is a Steam employee, nobody here has any knowledge beyond observation of application of the rules to help you. And nobody here can be any more helpful or descriptive than Steam Support, who, as you have observed, is neither. They are almost certainly going to lock this thread.

Yeah, I'm painfully familiar with these things. That's why I dropped this in the suggestion forum, though it's likely to be locked, as you said.

I still detest that people got pedantic about the example case - some obviously not looking into it and freaking out regardless - and threw around wokery-esque bickering. You've said to expect that, and I do, but it's just more reason for the suggestion.

These goals and the protocols that feed them really are atrocious.

Last edited by CATCH PHRASE; 6 Sep @ 9:23am

#14