It’s always frustrating when you order something expensive and it gets tossed over the fence or shoved into a bin. But what’s even more frustrating is when it gets left out in the open and you return home to find that it’s magically disappeared. That’s what happened to Reddit user mdumtshali, who ordered a Steam Machine for £1,000 (around $1,300 USD) only for it to be pinched from their doorstep.
“Ordered a Steam Machine, but was at work when the delivery driver arrived,” they explained. “Quite annoyingly, I saw the notification for the doorbell just as I came out of a meeting. The driver left my box outside my door – I actually have video of him trying to cover the box with a plastic bag that was lying around – but ultimately, it was gone when I got home.”
Initially, OP reached out to Steam Support, who asked them to check with their neighbors to see if anyone had taken it in — they hadn’t. The community implored them to continue speaking with support and not to contact Royal Mail, with a Reddit user who works in the industry rightfully pointing out that Valve is the one responsible for the delivery, as per the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Thankfully, they came back with an update, confirming that Valve is “sending out another one.”
Valve is pretty lax when it comes to replacements, which is hardly surprising given its consumer-friendly refund policies. Just last month, the company sent a replacement Steam Deck case to a dad after he posted that his newborn had thrown up on his original one.
However, even with a new Steam Machine en route for OP, the community is imploring Valve to take more precautions with such pricey tech.
“Had similar with Parcelforce,” drewsausage commented. “Valve need to be marking these as high value! Anytime RM/PF deliver me something and I’m not in they take it to the post office for me to collect. In fact, they’re usually the best for not just leaving it on my doorstep.”
Reddit user Zoopmittyzoop, who claims to be a delivery driver in New York, also claimed that “none of the delivery so far required a signature,” which would have prevented Royal Mail from leaving it outside on mdumtshali’s doorstep.
So, there’s plenty that Valve could do to prevent similar disappearances from happening, but for right now, OP is at least getting their Steam Machine — while a stranger makes off with some free tech.
