Antivirus firms "short-changing" customers

[Chiefcrowe]

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/security/363322/updated-antivirus-firms-short-changing-customers

 

[TJCS]

Throughout this year i have seen reputable AV companies offer their products 1-year for free through either promotions or free-after-rebate type of deals.

AVG and Seamantec is sure has some customer-winning backdoor strategy.

 

[lxskllr]

I dunno. It's up to the user to determine when their free subscription ends, and when they should purchase additional time if desired. I don't trust any company to extend time correctly, so I do it myself. If people are wiling to shutdown their brains, and allow themselves to be led by the hand, they have to accept that sometimes they'll be walked off a cliff.

 

[MadScientist]

On another note. I suppose you would want to know when your AV subscription is up and pay for it before it expires.
Symantec though automatically charges your cc about 2-3 months before your subscription expires, unless you contact them to cancel it.
I got a call yesterday from a former client whose Norton AV subscription is up in 2/2011 but will be billed on 12/18/2010 for another year. I told her to cancel it and when it expires I will, or she can, uninstall Norton, and install MSE.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Another reason just to use MSE.

 

[GeekDrew]

On another note. I suppose you would want to know when your AV subscription is up and pay for it before it expires.
Symantec though automatically charges your cc about 2-3 months before your subscription expires, unless you contact them to cancel it.
I got a call yesterday from a former client whose Norton AV subscription is up in 2/2011 but will be billed on 12/18/2010 for another year. I told her to cancel it and when it expires I will, or she can, uninstall Norton, and install MSE.

I obviously don't know the details of this, but I - and a bunch of friends for whom I bought subscriptions - use Norton Internet Security. They did not renew my subscription (didn't mention it, nor do it). The software started popping up 30-day warnings when the subscription was ending, but at the end of that period, the software shut down.... still no credit card charged. (I bought subscriptions using the newest version, which was substantially less expensive (when on sale) than the upgrade.)

Also, I did go through both the renewal and upgrade processes in Norton, because I wanted to disprove that article. It's as Symantec claims, and was extremely clear to me. Renewing extended the existing subscription, whereas upgrading began the new subscription immediately. They made it clear, and it was not buried in legal print.

 

[MadScientist]

I obviously don't know the details of this, but I - and a bunch of friends for whom I bought subscriptions - use Norton Internet Security. They did not renew my subscription (didn't mention it, nor do it). The software started popping up 30-day warnings when the subscription was ending, but at the end of that period, the software shut down.... still no credit card charged. (I bought subscriptions using the newest version, which was substantially less expensive (when on sale) than the upgrade.)

Also, I did go through both the renewal and upgrade processes in Norton, because I wanted to disprove that article. It's as Symantec claims, and was extremely clear to me. Renewing extended the existing subscription, whereas upgrading began the new subscription immediately. They made it clear, and it was not buried in legal print.

She purchased Norton AV, not sure if it was only the AV or the suite, directly from Symantec with her cc. http://us.norton.com/index.jsp

Edit: The client called me today, 12/6, and wanted Norton uninstalled and MSE installed. After checking her computer, I found out that her subscription for Norton 360 was up on 1/13/2011, not 2/2011 as she had first told me. She also had received an email from Symantec that her cc would be charged on 12/18/2010 if she did not contact them and cancel. I saw the email. At least they contacted her first, but why should she have to contact them and cancel or get charged.

 

[Lemon law]

I may not be as bullish on MSE as some, but its not the only excellent freeware AV on the planet.

And its hard to get ripped off when you pay nothing for excellent service.

If you want the perfect AV that lets nothing through, you will not find it on planet Earth for any price.

But if you want a bulletproof security system, install your OS using original OEM software, shut down the computer, un plug the computer from all wall and battery power, walk away, and never reboot the computer ever again. And you don't even have to do your OS updates or bother with an AV and other security programs.

All others on earth merely can only talk about how relatively good their overall computer security systems are and how much they pay per year to keep the malware away.

 

[jadinolf]

I pay for and use avast!

If I didn't, I'd probably run MSE