Hi SGers, sometimes I’m confused with the Not Received status.
Here’re some examples from my giveaways:

  1. I sent a broke key
  2. I sent a key of another game
  3. I sent a key but winner already owned the game
  4. I sent a regional lock key
  5. My winner marked not received accidentally

In above cases these winners all marked Not Received, but there could be different reasons, mainly two types:

  1. Creators didn’t send key/gift
  2. Winners received unavailable key/gift

Usually winners just mark Not Received and no more feedback given, I have to contact them then update new key or raise support tickets.
Would it be more convenient if winners has an additional feedback option?
If winner could mark “Broke key” then the creator could note the status change then update key asap.
If winner could state “Owned” then the creator could directly raise a reroll ticket.

These options are additional reasons for not received, and the gib status would be not received in any reason.
But them might provide creators and winners more convenient experience on SG.

Personal experience:
Sometimes the winner is hard to reach. (Once I spent three weeks on a Not Received case)
I really don’t like to add friends -> deal with issues -> remove or be removed

5 years ago*

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Would you like more options or feedback for Not Received?

View Results
Sure, I’d like to have more choices
Nah, I’m satisfied with current function
Thanks, I don’t really care

The listed game is either recieved or not recieved, that's all there is to it. The only other option that I'd consider would be a pending/hold option for pre-orders that aren't yet available.

If winner could mark “Broke key” then I could note the status change and update key asap.
If winner could state “Owned” then I could directly raise a reroll ticket.

Winners can already do this in the comments, there's no real benefit to programming an alternative system for it.

5 years ago
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Yep they could comment, however in my cases, almost all the winners just marked Not Received and no more feedback given.

Current case:
Step1. I note Not Received
Step2. I contact the winner for discussion
Step3. I update a key
Step4. Winner retry

If there’re more options:
Step 1. I note Not Received & Broke key, then I update a key and winner retry
Step 2 could be skipped (Usually it takes time)

5 years ago
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That's weird that they wouldn't say anything in the comment about a non-working key, that should be the excecption though most people will at least give you the opportunity to fix the problem before marking not received.

5 years ago
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If anything, there should be a notification for the creator when one of his winners marks a giveaway as not received, so the creator can evaluate and resolve the situation, including reaching support if appropriate.

I don't find anything positive in extending not received to another degree, it doesn't really matter for anybody, the option is here to prevent abuse for both the creators and the winners, not to provide feedback about the key being redeemed. By definition you shouldn't create giveaways for stuff that isn't redeemable in the first place, and in the perfect world there should be no "not received" at all. SG should not encourage users to post giveaways they're not sure about by highlighting that not received is fine when picked with "the key was region locked" or "the key was already used".

5 years ago*
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A perfect world of 💯 received giveaways is all we want.
According to SG status dashboard, 98% of the giveaways have a happy ending.

No creators wanna provide unavailable keys, but we can’t control everything.
Devs might deactivate some keys, bundle sites might mark wrong game titles, we cannot check the status of keys.
If you know about how to check key status please share your idea.

Received status notification is a good point then.

5 years ago*
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No creators wanna provide unavailable keys, but we can’t control everything. Devs might deactivate some keys, bundle sites might mark wrong game titles, we cannot check the status of keys.

And this is why support never makes you problems when the creator asks for giveaway deletion, even after the giveaway has finished, as long as all the winners of the giveaway agree to that. You made the giveaway, not the dev or a bundle site, it's your responsibility to provide the winner with the title you've created the giveaway for. If you can't do that, because of one reason or another, then either discuss the case with the winner and make him fine with the giveaway deletion, or take the not received mark which precisely and rightfully states that the winner didn't receive the game you've created the giveaway for. It's your problem, not the winner's, and it doesn't matter whether it was your mistake, dev mistake, bundle site mistake or your dog ate the note with the key.

No need to add any extra options for that, no need to confuse people and no need to encourage them to make invalid giveaways, on top of extra time, maintenance and re-defining the system for no good reason.

5 years ago*
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Besides deletion, there’s option to update keys and resend,
In that case I hope I could know the not received reason and fix my giveaways asap.

These suggested options are additional reasons, and the gib status would be not received in any case.

5 years ago
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You can already discuss with the winner why he marked it this way, and I don't really believe a winner would just mark not received upon receiving invalid key and move on. It's irrational.

When a winner receives a key he can't redeem, he should usually leave a comment under the giveaway that the key is impossible to redeem, which is a standard practice that everybody should follow, and I do that myself as well. I even automatically agree to giveaway deletion in case the creator is unable to provide replacement, to save him on already existing trouble.

No reason to extend not received feedback for that, if anything, it should be further defined in the guidelines to act this way if appropriate.

5 years ago*
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Archi, I admit that you’re a perfect winner. Different people would behave differently and we call that diversity.
In my opinion any feedback is reasonable even no feedback is understandable.
Not all SG members are active or follow the guidelines well.

My idea origins from that case:
One of my winners found he already owned the game, so he directly marked Not Received.
I knew the reason after some weeks cuz the winner was AFK.
Anyway a contactable winner is better than AFK winner.
I wonder if he could mark “Already owned” when “Not received”, that would save both time.

5 years ago
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1) Check if the user have game already before sending the key
2) If user marked as "Not Received" and have the game on his account - file a ticket "Request Received Feedback" and you will get a feedback, and user will be suspended.

5 years ago
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Thanks for your note. \:cat-paw:/
1) I didn’t check...I always assume that entries didn’t own the game
2) Yep my friends advise me to request Received Feedback, but in that case the winner told me that he owned the game so he marked Not Received. Not sure if that would cause suspension.

5 years ago
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But you said you that you found out the reason after some weeks, so he just silently marked as not received and had the game at the same time. It's logical to assume that he violated the rules. And after that - it's up to him to prove he didn't.

5 years ago
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I was thinking that in the giveaway winners, there should be a private posting section to make communication easier.

5 years ago
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Direct messages on SG?

5 years ago
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yeah, maybe though only for a small section between winner and creator, and maybe when everything's settled they can close the message section.. it could be a nice idea!

5 years ago
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But a winner could just post in the giveaway with the issue about a key (and yes that could be missed if someone sent alot of gifts and others just thanked).

5 years ago
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There are times I as a creator want a talk with the winner too. Without relying on Steam Friends to chat.

5 years ago
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Some SGers suggest to use email as another communication channel.
But I’m not sure if that’d be more effective than Steam.

5 years ago
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The thing is that in the end, the game wasn't received.

When you get an invalid key, do you receive the game? No.
When you get a region-locked key that doesn't work in the region you're giving the key to, do you get the game? No.

There's a reason there's only "Not received" and that's because it shows a precise outcome. That the winner didn't receive the game. I personally don't think we need to muddy the waters by adding these "Sure, I broke my promise, but it was because the key wasn't what the winner needed, pls be lenient" options. The outcome's always the same and in the end the reason's also always the same as well.

5 years ago
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Well, the result is not received in any case.
These suggested options are additional reasons of Not Received.
If the creator could directly know the reason of not received, it’d be convenient to fix the gib asap.

5 years ago
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To be fair, comments exist on giveaways. So when they don't receive a valid key, they can contact you there. I guess we've basically abandoned the original idea of giving keys that you know will work. While I don't like it, I can see how letting people have this doubt will increase the odds that someone will make a giveaway.

Though, I wrote the comment, thinking you wanted it to be publicly showed, so when someone sees that you haven't given what you promised, then it'll say instead of "Not received", it'll say "Wrong region" or something similar to basically make it seem less harsh, no matter that the broken promise stays just as broken.

Perhaps a private extra information tab would be good after marking as "not received", where you can add what the problem was. As long as no one but the maker and the winner see it.

5 years ago
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I sent a key but winner already owned the game

This one should not be marked as not received, this one should be rerolled.

5 years ago
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Er it’s in SG guideline but I still got Not Received in that case>_<
Then I asked SG support for advice and they thought it’s pending for a long time so they suggested me to delete instead of reroll.

5 years ago*
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Did you contact Support? They would have re-rolled it promptly.

5 years ago
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Since the winner already saw the key, we don’t know if the key is still available.
To avoid further risk I agree to delete instead of reroll.

5 years ago
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Ah, I see. That's a bother. To be honest, I check all my winners for past problems, and sometimes check their accounts to see if they already have the game if I think they look unreliable. It takes time, but it makes me feel more secure.

I also see now that I didn't properly read your post in which you clearly say that you did contact support, sorry about that. I'm having my first coffee now, but my brain isn't fully attached yet.

5 years ago
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Let them reroll the GA and make a new GA, with the same key, in the Ninja Retreat Group (if you are there a member) or in the Lootboy Group (more active, so the better choice right now) with a "please allow me to delete if the key isn't ok" sentence.

5 years ago
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As the "not received" feedback can only be selected after 7 days have past, is this really a common occurrence for winners to wait 7 days then mark "not received", instead of commenting immediately about the problem?
I've had winners sitting on their key for over a week while still appearing online all the time (yay...), but I've never had someone who waited until the "not received" feedback becomes available instead of immediately commenting about a key issue. That seems... quite irrational. And I'm not sure people who do that would be that proficient at picking the proper "not received" reason, would that feedback be made more detailed.

5 years ago
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Winner ALREADY have a feedback option - giveaway comments. What really CAN be useful - is a way to message the winner directly on site, and even that's not necessary, because there is a email for that, and you can always add winner on steam.
And, btw, "I sent a key but winner already owned the game" is not a valid case. Good practice is to check if winner has the game on account before giving them the key (It can be an issue with giveaways of >50 copies though).

5 years ago
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Many commentors are writing that its pointless to have extra options for Not Received, yet they don't address the possibility that the winner may not communicate the reason for "Not Received".

So let's actually explore what can be done or can happen in that case:
If the winner marks GA as "Not Received" but does not leave a comment on the GA regarding the reason, then the only other option is for the creator to either leave a comment on the GA in hope the winner will notice (unlikely) or email the winner directly with the user's email address on the GA's winner page.
The winner would respond to the email with the reason for Not Received, not reply at all, or the email is invalid & bounces back. The former would allow possible resolution.

Isn't it safe to say that the vast majority of users entering GAs are often motivated by receiving free games to at least leave a comment or respond to an email they receive? Or does this happen more often than people assume? Is non-response more common with certain types of GAs: Public, low level, low points?

On a different note...

update key asap

To be clear, this can only be done from the GA winner page, but can the key be updated before clicking Sent? I forget.

5 years ago
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If the winner marks GA as "Not Received" but does not leave a comment on the GA regarding the reason, then the only other option is for the creator to either leave a comment on the GA in hope the winner will notice (unlikely) or email the winner directly with the user's email address on the GA's winner page.

The creator may also contact the winner by posting in one of his or her giveaways or responding to one of his or her comments. Some users do not have giveaways or comments, so this is not always an option.

A creator who has attempted to contact his or her winner and failed to do so should file a ticket with support including screenshots of attempted contact. We then deal with the giveaway depending upon circumstance.

As for updating the key, I believe that may be done at any time while the key is hidden. (Hiding or displaying it is a toggle.)

TL; DR: Still no point in having extra options.

5 years ago
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Keys that are mistaken or invalid should be marked "not received." It is up to the creator as to how he or she wishes to handle things after that.

Keys that are owned should be re-rolled. They should not be marked "not received" because the key actually was received. The proper response from the winner is to leave the giveaway unmarked and notify the creator. It is the creator's responsibility to check ownership of a game before giving the key to the winner.

I can think of only one situation where additional feedback may be warranted, and that is when the creator gives the wrong version of the correct game. (Remember Pirates of Black Cove Gold?) Fixing that requires communication between both parties, however. Ticking a box isn't going to be enough, so there's no need for another box.

More importantly, any creator who gives keys to winners without initiating contact is opening him or herself up to trouble. Why would you not contact your winner before handing over your key? Wouldn't it be better to check if he or she is still alive and responsive before turning over the key? Don't you check the status of your winners before handing over the game? Surely, you want to at least check that he or she owns the game, first. You don't have to be a moderator to get someone's attention. Just hold onto the key for a day or two. In most cases, the winner will contact you asking about his or her win. If not, you can send an email, wait for a response, and if there is none, ask Support for a re-roll (due to non-response from winner).

5 years ago*
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I hate when a winner adds me bugging for a key only hours after the giveaway ended.

5 years ago
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Deleted

This comment was deleted 5 years ago.

5 years ago
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:D

5 years ago
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They never do it twice. :O

5 years ago
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We sometimes get User Reports with the complain being "did not give me key" just minutes after the giveaway ended. P

Most winners, however, will wait until the week is up before contacting you.

5 years ago
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Winning
Won gifts should be activated to the Steam account used during registration, and they should not be regifted, traded, or sold.
Allow the giveaway creator one week to send the gift. Please be patient and do not contact them during this time. If the gift is not received after one week, you may contact the giveaway creator on Steam to follow-up.
Winners should correctly mark their gift as received or not received within one week of the giveaway closing. This feedback should be kept up-to-date if the status of the gift changes.

Quoted from SG guidelines.

The guidelines are they should be waiting for a week before contacting you. I tend to wait almost a week before contacting the gifter for the win if they haven't sent the key/gift. I am pretty certain the vast majority of giveaway creator's do not contact the winner before sending the key. I know if I have made 50 or 60 giveaways in quick succession, I am certainly not going to wait for all of the winners to contact me before sending the keys.

5 years ago
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+1. That sure seems like a bureaucratic nightmare. I've already filled my tax papers recently, I don't feel like doing some more paperwork for the Internet... Usually, places where I give stuff make it easy, not a headache.

5 years ago
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+1

5 years ago
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You do whatever works for you. There are many ways to check on a winner before sending a key off into the ether, and I choose to use one or more of them for my own giveaways. That may be one reason I almost never encounter a problem.

5 years ago
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Either they got the game or they didn't is plenty of options. There are avenues of communication and if that fails, support can help.
No need to complicate things any further.

5 years ago
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I don't think it's necessary, either. If someone receives a key that doesn't work or even already owns a game (which in itself is odd, except for DLC, everybody makes mistakes ;>) and does not bother to get in contact with you to resolve that issue, I highly doubt this person cares to distinguish between why he marked your GA as not received anyway. Might come across like a hassle, but just checking the winner's SG or Steam profile for activity and maybe their previous wins via SGTools can save you a lot of trouble, at least that's my experience. Anything further should always be handled manually IMO, since these things tend to get complicated very quickly, and I have to commend SG staff regarding solving such problems, the few cases I had were always easily and swiftly solved.

5 years ago
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Let's needlessly complicate a simple system.

Edit: A simple system that already confuses a lot of users

5 years ago*
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would be nice to get a notification when a game you gave away is marked as not received, insted of manually checking pages and spot one with a red X...

5 years ago
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Yep, it’s not easy to find a random X from giveaways...

5 years ago
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