Correct. That was before game release and you had between Aug 11th and Sept 23rd (release day when maybe you were playing more than the 2 hours?) to request a refund. You chose not to and instead played the game.
We all make choices. I completely understand that you want ladder and wanted it sooner, but if that was the critical factor you should have refunded it during the 5 or so weeks that you knew about the ladder delay before release. You would have gotten your refund granted right away.