Steamdeck Here...

[ZacWilliam1]

I'm incredibly frustrated angry and upset, so I'm gonna vent for just a minute if that's ok.

So last year I thought about getting my son (14) a Steamdeck for xmas. He loves video games and uses steam a lot. It didn't work out timing wise last year but I remembered this year and reserved one early at the end of summer.

It shipped at the end of September. Great right?

Nope.

FedX said current delivery on Oct 3rd, original Oct. 6 right from the start. The 3rd passed and they changed it back to the 6th. Ok. No problem. The 6th came and it said On Truck for Delivery at 4:22 am. I was home all day. It was not delivered. Tracking did not update. I said "Ok, maybe they just didn't get to me, it'll probably come tomorrow."

It did not come on the 7th. Tracking info did not update or change. Still said on truck for delivery. I called FedX the evening of the 7th. The operators could tell me nothing and said they would open an investigation and get back to me.

Saturday the 8th passed. Still on truck for delivery. Sunday passed Still on truck for delivery. I called Fedx back they could still tell me nothing but were investigating.

Monday passed and I opened a support claim with Steam. Explained the situation. Still on truck for delivery.

Yesterday Tuesday the 11th came. Nothing. On truck for delivery UNTIL 4:30 PM I got an update from FedX saying the tracking page had been updated. SOMEONE AT FEDX RETROACTIVELY WENT BACK IN AND LISTED THE STEAMDECK AS HAVING BEEN DELIVERED BACK ON THURSDAY SIXTH.

I am furious. I call FedX again. They can tell me nothing but will have the agent looking into call me asap. (They have not.)

I updated my Steam support request with these new developments.

It is now one day later. No contact from FedX. Still no reply from STEAM support to my original help request from Monday.

I cannot tell you how frustrated and angry I am over this. $420 is not small money for us. This was intended to be my son's big christmas present.

I can't even file a claim on FedXs site because they require you to enter the address and phone number the product was sent from and Steam does not share that info anywhere.

I have photos of the tracking info on my phone showing that it said it had not been delivered on Sunday and Monday before someone changed it yesterday. But at the moment I can't get either party to even contact me about it.

-ZacWilliam, I don't know what to do or say about the whole thing at this point.

 

[Pocket]

I've seen pictures of the box Valve ships these things in. They make it really obvious what's in them; they might as well print "HEY THIEVES, THIS IS THE ONE YOU WANT" on it.

 

[ZacWilliam1]

Update:

So Fedex was Zero help but steam was pretty great. Immediately said they would send me a new one (or a refund), but this new one would have to go to the nearest FedeX Office store and be picked up there. That was fine.

It shipped out 2 days later. I watched the tracking info each day. Hit my state yesterday. Was out for delivery to the Fedex office store today. Watched the tracking...

2:15 pm - "Deliverey Exception - Recipient has refused package, No action needed it will be returned to sender."

Immediately took photo of the Shipping status. Then updated my support case with steam that the FedEx Office they insisted on sending it too has apparently refused it and sent it back. Then I called FedEx's useless help line where they told me it was still on the truck and they would tell the driver to turn right around and take it to the FedEx office and call me as soon as it was ready for pick-up. As of 7:41 this has not happened. I honestly don't expect it to.

I'm curious if Steam will try again or just decide I can't have a Steamdeck and give me the refund they offered the first time...

End Result: Still no Steamdeck here.


-ZacWilliam, if I had to guess a driver tried to (or did) steal it like last time and didn't realize the address it was going to was a FedEx office and not a residence and it would be very clear they had not refused it... Just my guess...

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Anything this expensive should never be shipped in an obvious box.

 

[ZacWilliam1]

Update #2

Steam said they'd talk to fedex and fix it.

The tracking info reactivated, said it started moving again and would be delivered this Monday.

Since then it has moved from one town away from me here in Connecticut yesterday, to across the state from me this morning, and now says it is 9 hours away in Vermilion, Ohio.

It seems like they are still sending it back.


-ZacWilliam, I've let the Steam support folks know and am waiting,

 

[Rhinox]

**** Fedex at that point. They clearly have someone there whose stealing. ****, I'd call the cops too. Give them everything.

 

[Tm_Silverclaw]

Fedex sucks horribly. They should be sued. They lost a BBTS package of mine... I finally got it, by -another- fed-ex employee who happened to know where I was. It had been delivered to the effing school across the street.

When I called Fed-Ex about it the first time, they said "Well it had been delivered! Nothing we can do!"

 

[ZacWilliam1]

Update #3

Yes FedEx blows. They've been awful through this whole thing, even leaving aside the, y'know super likely worker theft, their customer service has been absolute garbage. It's very clearly in another country with operators who have no power to do anything except look at the same screen you can access and make a note in their computer and who never follow up or call you back when they say they will. It's just the worst. I will never use them again at this point if I have any choice.

Anyway.

Steam on the other hand has been pretty wonderful. Quick and responsive. They are sending me out a *THIRD* Steamdeck. Let us all wish this one luck.

I mean they're still sending it by FedEx which is kinda indefensible at this point but since it's the only way they ship I assume thats a contract thing the folks trying to get me a system have no say in.

They let me choose a different FedEx Office delivery location this time. I picked a large really nice store near my work instead of the one near home they tried last time. It has the added bonus of not being near the town where the previous two seem to most likely have gone "missing" (where they were when their tracking went bad). Maybe I can avoid the thieves...

We'll see what happens. :/


ZacWilliam, Status: Still no Steamdeck here but Steam is still trying...

 

[Pocket]

I wonder how many times this has happened, and if it's limited to just FedEx or if everyone is doing it. Because, let's face it, if you're a driver for any of these companies, the only way you could possibly be penalized for theft is if the employer just believes all reports of it without evidence. Because there cannot possibly be any evidence of a theft, unless their drivers are forced to wear body cameras and back away after dropping off packages. And without evidence of a lack of theft, customers can just as easily falsely report thefts to scam freebies.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Is there any way you can do in-person pickup?

 

[Tm_Silverclaw]

I wonder how many times this has happened, and if it's limited to just FedEx or if everyone is doing it. Because, let's face it, if you're a driver for any of these companies, the only way you could possibly be penalized for theft is if the employer just believes all reports of it without evidence. Because there cannot possibly be any evidence of a theft, unless their drivers are forced to wear body cameras and back away after dropping off packages. And without evidence of a lack of theft, customers can just as easily falsely report thefts to scam freebies.

There have been numerous numerous reports of FedEx stealing Steam Decks, as well as PS5s, and Xbox S|X.

Simple fact is Fedex is completely un-reliable and should be investigated.

 

[ZacWilliam1]

Update #4 - Woo! Steamdeck here. Third time, and a new nicer delivery store did the trick. Just raced down here as soon as it said delivered and picked it up.


-ZacWilliam, was half convinced it was gonna be another Charlie Brown and the Football moment, but FedX finally managed to deliver one intact.

 

[wonko the sane?]

HA! Mozeltov my friend!

Let us know what you think of it, I've had my eye on one since they announced it.

 

[Pocket]

The Steam Deck is a seriously impressive piece of tech, considering what it has to do—run current-generation Windows games through what's basically an emulator using hardware a fraction of the size of a laptop. And as the one person I know who owns a Steam Controller, I'm seriously jealous of the upgraded controls and hope they release a "Pro Controller" based on them soon. The second stick is going to be a game changer, not because sticks are inherently better than touchpads (they're NOT!), but because a touchpad integrates poorly with gyro aiming. It's hard enough to keep one's thumb perfectly steady at the best of times, but when you're rocking the whole device around it's basically impossible—throwing off your aim exactly when you need precision the most.