Oculus made it easier to justify taking a chance on VR content that you may not like. The company will now honor refund requests for customers who are not satisfied with their software purchase. Oculus’ new refund policy mirrors the refund system that Valve introduced to Steam a couple years ago. Oculus will now allow you to return content that you’ve tried for a short period. The refund policy covers content designed GearVR and Rift headsets, including apps, games, and “many experiences,” but the rules for each platform vary.
Content that you’ve purchased for the Oculus Rift headset features a 14-day money-back window, as long as you don’t spend more than two hours playing the game or using the app. Software that you purchase for the GearVR platform must be returned within three days to be eligible for a refund. You also get only 30 minutes of use to decide whether you want to keep it.
The new Oculus Store refund policy is managed by an automated system that verifies the eligibility of your refund. Oculus said it doesn’t offer refunds on films, software bundles, content purchased as part of a bundle, or content purchased from within an app. It also won’t issue a refund for the same content twice, so if you buy something, return it, then buy it again, you’re stuck with it.
Oculus said that refunds could take up to five days to “review, verify and process.” Once you submit a refund request, you lose access to the software in question. If the refund is denied, you’ll gain access to the software again. Oculus said a denial from the automated system isn’t set in stone. The Oculus refund policy FAQ suggests that you may request refunds through customer support even if it’s not eligible for the automated refund system.
“If you would like to return content that is not eligible for a refund under this Rift Content Refund Policy, or if you feel that you are otherwise entitled to a refund, please contact us at Customer Support. Nothing in this Policy shall affect your statutory rights.”
The new refund policy makes it easier to justify taking a chance on content that you’re unsure of, but don’t expect to use the Oculus Store as a game rental platform. Oculus said that it might deny content refunds if it detects multiple attempts to return content in a short period.
