Auto-Renewal of Antivirus Software
Perhaps I'm a bit biased because I am a huge fan of automatic payments. A dozen years ago, keeping track of bills meant keeping complex calendars of what needed to be paid when, keeping a close eye on the mailbox for paper bills, spending time writing checks, and then balancing the account statement with your check register each month. It was a system that prompted some folks to hire out their bill paying tasks and one that proved particularly complex for the elderly or infirm.
The Web has changed all that. Today, we can bank online, take advantage of automatic bill pay, or have the reoccuring amount debited from a plastic card automatically. And if any of that fails, there's always PayPal. And it's all, mercifully, hands-free. Today, if I find myself having to write a check, I begin looking for alternate providers that take plastic or automatic bill payments through my bank. I'm pretty extreme about it too - if there's no hands-free payment option, I'll move to another provider.
Part of it is time. I don't have much to spare in that department. Another part of it is convenience. I really don't want to have to worry about whether everyone is getting paid on time. And when it comes to antivirus software, it's about security.
A lapse in an antivirus subscription means that necessary updates don't get delivered. And sans those necessary updates, your system isn't being protected against the latest threats. Literally tens of thousands of new malware variants are constantly being delivered via the Web, email, Twitter, Facebook, and pretty much any other Internet-enabled service you can think of. Often, the only thing that separates you from that malware is the antivirus software installed on your computer. A single day's update can protect against thousands of new threats.
It's discouraging to see the New York Attorney General brand automatic renewal of antivirus subscriptions as somehow deceptive, when in fact it's just smart security.
If time, convenience, and security aren't important to you, there are easy opt-outs provided by both vendors. For Symantec, just visit their customer support page on the Symantec website and click the Chat Now button to speak to a live customer service representative. For McAfee, you can chat, email, or phone in the request. Just go to service.mcafee.com and choose the option that best works for you.
completely uncalled for…
Over all, I tend to agree with what you say. However, I think it is only right that vendors make it absolutely clear if they are running autmatic renewal because it helps those of us on low incomes to budget for them. If it is not made 100% clear that a payment will be taken in, say, Octiver 2009,then some people might find themselves in for a nasty surprise.
Of course, I appreciate it is very much the responsibility of the purchaser to read the terms and conditions of their purchase. However, I do sometimes get the impression that some vendors hide the renewal details away for marketing reasons.
The answer is for all vendors who use automatic renewal of subscriptions to be required to send an advisory email to the purchaser one month before the subscription is due. If nothing else, this is courtesy. If you are about to take someone’s money legitamately, it is polite to remind them of this.
I am decidedly _NOT_ a fan of auto-pay because I once authorized and then the host changed the rates and auto-drafted six times what I had budgeted!
Seems the original host sold the business and neglected to inform the new owner I was using my family space for a non-profit!
I was running a good bit tighter, then and it meant several overdarft fees and no groceries until payday.
Took a couple months to straighten things out, too.
As for auto-pay for subscriptions to AV Def? Not ever! It’s too easy for the rates to change.
Mike Sr.
THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN FINED THEY SHOULD NOT BE IN CONTROL OF YOUR CREDIT CARD. If you purchase McAfee by download on line and you use your credit card to purchase they will automaticaly take it out the next yr and they will do it before the expiration date.I thought this was terrible because I was not aware that they can use your card number without you knowing. So your pin number means nothing. You have to email them to stop auto payment the followig yr. If I knew that in the beginning I would have not used my credit card or a download purchase.. So now I have NORTON AND I PURCHASED IT ON A DISK SO NOW I AM IN CONTROL MY OWN CREDIT CARD PURCHASES.
People complain when you do something for them, but also have the chutzpah (nerver) to complain when, if you DON’T do it automatically, they wind up with a problem (i.e., virus, trojan).
It’s another case of the liberal politicos at work.
I wish that Symantec had an Auto-Renewal after my First year with them.
At that time (2004-05), I was a Computer Novice & Could not Renew my Subscription in time on my iMac & due to that my Computer got Infected.
I understand that my Comment is Supportive of the practice which they have been found guilty of, but I feel that, in some cases, it is well worth it to have Automatic Renewal.
NIS2009 has a calendar on its’ page that shows how many days you have left on your subscription. There’s a box to click on to renew at any time. I think it’s a great way to keep users aware.
I believe that part of the claim of the suit is that the credit card is charged several weeks before the definitions expire. The new subscriptiose expiration date starts from the day your card is charged not from the day your old subscription expires. I like the automatic renewal but I think the renewed subscription should start on the day the old one expires, giving you a full year of coverage.
>> I believe that part of the claim of the suit is that the credit card is charged several weeks before the definitions expire.
No, the claim was that the subscriptions were being automatically renewed and customers may not be aware of that fact.
I am a fan of you and your newsletter. However I disagree totally with you on this one. I did not know that mcAfee and Symantec used this practice. I don’t like someone having control over my credit card. Moreover what if I decide I don’t like their product and want to change to something else. People should keeptrack of when their subscription expires and take care of it themselves. I say Hurrah for the state of New York.
This is from a so called third world country called India, of which an average American is possibly ill informed even though we know what DC stands for, and that Washington DC and Washington State are two things. The thing is this: we use http://www.avast.com with daily updates and no nonsense functioning. But it is free, does it matter much?
At McAfee, the agreement to accept autorenewal was contained within the “multi-page” licensing agreement that hardly anyone ever reads. It was not intuitive as to where to go on their website to cancel autorenewal. They also gave you no electronic notice near your expiration date that your credit card was going to be charged. They could have even sent you an email repromoting the software and then saying “to be renewed automatically, do nothing, click here if you choose not to renew”.
Only $ 3,75,000!
It should be have been more.
I had nis2008 and they did upgrade the definitions to nis2009 automatically, BUT they did not inform me that I had to manually download and install the 2009 version. I was running 2008 until I accidentally found,thru their ads, that the gui I had and the 2009 were toally different.
just got nicked by pctools stopped using months ago no emails just charge and hell of hell to cancel no ph #s, by the way I AM NOT IN FAVOR 1 they all nag for weeks to renew second ya think the definitions just suddenly are no good they always scam us and claim its to help us, try getting money maybe writer has more time and industry connections and its no big deal