Why Can’t You Refund Nintendo Switch Games?
Many people ask the same question about Nintendo Switch games: Why can’t you refund them? Unfortunately, there’s a good reason why you can’t, and it’s one that you might not expect.
It Isn’t As Simple As You Think
Returning Nintendo Switch games isn’t as simple as taking them back to the store or sending them back in the mail. That’s because digital purchases are much different than physical purchases.
When you buy a physical game, the store owns it until you purchase it. As soon as you pay for it, you own it. That makes returning it simple, as all you have to do is bring the game, in whatever condition it’s in, back to the store.
With digital games, however, the store does not own the game. Instead, the publisher does. That means the store is just a middle man for the publisher, and the publisher is the one that actually owns the game, not the store.
Publishers Don’t Want Refunds
The reason why publishers don’t want customers to be able to return their games is because it increases the likelihood of them getting their game pirated or copied. If it were found that a game was being refunded and then pirated, there would be serious consequences for the publisher. Not only that, but it would also hurt the publisher’s bottom line, as they would no longer receive any money for that game.
It Is Possible to Refund a Game
While it’s impossible to return a digital game to the store, it is possible to get a refund. You just have to go through the publisher or the Nintendo eShop.
At the Nintendo eShop, you can usually get a refund if you have a valid reason. Usually, these reasons include not liking a game, not being able to play it, or not being able to download it. If your refund request is accepted, you will be given a credit for the game and can use that to purchase another game.
With the publisher, however, it is not always possible to get a refund. The publisher may only allow refunds on certain games, or only within a certain period of time after purchase.
Conclusion
So, why can’t you refund Nintendo Switch games? The answer is that it is not as simple as returning them to the store. Instead, refunds must go directly through the publisher or the Nintendo eShop. Even then, there may be certain restrictions for getting a refund.
