xeL. How to Properly and Effectively Submit a Steam Support Ticket

Alright guys, I know I know, this seems kind of a no brainer for most people. However, I get around 10 people a day asking me to help them retrieve accounts, get them undisabled, or straight up ask me how they should contact Steam Support.

In this guide we are going to address:

• How to create a Steam Support Account
• Understand when a Steam Support Ticket will and will not work
• How to submit a ticket for Retrieval (for both bought and personal accounts)
• How to submit a ticket for a Disabled account (for both bought and personal accounts)
• You and Steam - What kind of "relationship" you need to build and how you should communicate with them
• Myths verse Facts about Steam's support system.

Section 1: Creating a Steam Support Account

Go to www.support.steampowered.com: MAKE SURE THIS IS THE ADDRESS YOU ARE AT.



Click on "New User"
In the fields, it is best to use the name that is on the Paypal/Credit Card you are going to be providing to Steam, if this applies to you. Your email should be the email registered to the account if it is available.



Please do not choose a username or password that is the same as any other account for anything else you own. Do not choose a public email either. It's extremely easy for someone to steal your email and gain access to your Steam Support account, as well as your Steams.

You should receive an email with a verification link. Click this and your account will be made.

Section 2: When is a Steam Support ticket going to work?

The problem with Steam is that they are fickle. Their support system is comprised of many agents who have different opinions regarding different situations.

WILL WORK IF: You own a physical CD Key, full credit card information, full Paypal information, and the verified email. You can no longer retrieve accounts with Original Email or verified email alone.

WILL NOT WORK IF: The you do not have any of the above, if someone else has retrieved the account using the same information, if your account is being retrieved from another location, or if you have illegally obtained games on or your Steam account.
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Section 3: How to Submit a Support for Retrieval

Submitting a ticket for retrieval is different than submitting a report for a disabled account. There is only one reason for you to retrieve an account: if it was stolen from you.

It states on the Steam website that they require Proof of Ownership in order to give you the information.

Steam values your Proof of Ownership based on:

• How old it was: the older the Proof of Purchase, the better it is.
• Consistency: whether or not the purchase details match your previous purchases.
• Value and Quantity: yep, you can badger Steam more if you've purchased more games.

To submit your ticket, login and click "Ask a Question" in the upper left corner of the page. Provide your email and a relevant title. Choose "Account Questions -> Hijacked/Stolen Account" for your Subject and Category.



With Steam, it is best to be descriptive but get to the point and provide proof. The "Add Attachment" system is used to attach pictures of your CD Key's, bank statements, Paypal screenshots, and screenshots of your purchase receipt emails.

An example of a submitted ticket:

The more information you can provide, the better. Make sure your story is well structured, accurate, and makes sense.

If your ticket is successful, Steam will email you with your username and a new password.

If they require more information, they will also request it via email.

Section 4: How to Submit a Support for Disabled accounts

The primary difference between a ticket submitted for a disabled account and a ticket for a retrieval, is that Steam accounts are disabled for many many reasons.

These include but are not limited to: your account being stolen, you using the same email on multiple accounts, you logging into a stolen account on the same IP as your account, you stealing an account and it being retrieved, your account found with illegally obtained games, your account being detected as being bought/traded/sold, or two people attempting to retrieve the same account at once.

Obviously, you cannot undisable an account if it is stolen/illegitimate. However, you can undisable account if you logged into a stolen account unknowingly and your own account was disabled. The same applies for the same email situation.

The format for your Steam Support ticket will be similar to your tickets for retrievals:



Note that there is a different category for disabled accounts.
Do not forget to create a well formatted report with all the necessary proof you can find.

Section 5: Steam and You

Like anything else in life, it does not hurt to be respectful and use proper grammar in your reports. Steam will be able to quickly sort through your report and get the account back to you if your report is well formatted and easy to read. However, you should still use a pressing, urgent tone to encourage them to get back to you as soon as possible.

If you need to retrieve your account multiple times, it is best to use the same Steam Support account. Remember, they know that the owner of the support account most likely is you, and you own the account. However, retrieving the same account too many times with the same proof will cause Steam to ask for different proof of purchase.

If you have multiple accounts and you want to have the same email on them, it's recommended to have them all linked to the same Steam Support account. Having good communication with Steam helps you keep your Steam accounts safe and ensuring they get back to you quickly if your accounts ever get compromised.

Section 6: Mythbusting the Steam Support System

1. Steam doesn't work on weekends: MYTH
2. You must be the original owner to retrieve accounts: MYTH
3. You must have original email to retrieve accounts: MYTH
4. You can retrieve Steams with only the original email: MYTH
5. You can retrieve Steams without proof of purchase: MYTH
6. You cannot have multiple Steam Support Accounts: MYTH
7. Your Steam Support account can retrieve your account indefinitely: MYTH
8. More expensive games will allow you to retrieve your account with a higher success rate: MYTH
9. xeL is awesome: FACT ^_^

Thanks for reading guys. Good luck!
(If you have questions or anything to add to that MYTH/FACT list, please contact me)
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If anyone needs help with their Steam Support tickets and has issues that the guide doesn't address thoroughly enough, feel free to contact me and I'll personally help you submit a ticket.