Steam
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Pushed me to piracy to play the games I own
I had a terrible experience with Steam after my account was compromised in October 2024 via a VNC connection while I was away from home. This resulted in a permanent ban from the network, locking me out of thousands of pounds worth of games I've purchased over the years. I used family sharing to switch between my two accounts – this banned one being my primary with my entire library. The ban not only affects network access, friends, and purchasing but also blocks family sharing and the marketplace. My options were limited: either play on the banned account with zero online features, or abandon my entire game library and start over on my alternate account. Frustrated, I contacted Steam support three times, but each ticket was closed without any investigation. They simply stated, "It's your account, so it's your responsibility to ensure security." I even reached out directly to Gabe Newell and several Valve executives via email, but received no response whatsoever. In the end, I've been forced to find alternative ways to access the games I legally own, as Steam has proven unreliable. Anyone claiming Steam provides great recovery support or truly cares about customers is likely exaggerating – I've seen no evidence of that in my case. Avoid putting significant money into Steam if you value account security and customer service.