Ubisoft Wouldn't Refund My Pre-Order. Here's What Changed Their Mind.

I pre-ordered Star Wars Outlaws from Ubisoft for $69.99. The reviews came out and they were terrible. I tried to cancel my pre-order but Ubisoft said pre-orders are final and non-refundable.

Under EU law, pre-orders of digital goods have a cooling-off period unless you have started downloading the content. I had not downloaded anything. I cited EU Directive 2011/83 to Ubisoft support. They still said no.

I filed a complaint with the European Consumer Centre. Ubisoft finally processed the refund after the ECC contacted them. The refund took about six weeks from start to finish.

Ubisoft's refund policy contradicts EU law. They know this but they count on customers not knowing their rights. If you are in the EU and Ubisoft refuses a pre-order refund, you have legal rights.