August 4, 2009
I recommend Avast! as an anti-virus program. The Home Edition is free. If you do not have an anti-virus program, you need one. This is a good one for free. See a review of the Home Edition here.
Avast! asks non-home users to pay. If you make money with your computer, Avast asks you to pay by purchasing the identical Pro edition. This is voluntary. It's a matter of conscience.
Top Ten Reviews rated a number of paid programs higher than Avast!, some that cost less than Avast's $40-a-year version. See its review here
Avast's marketing program depends on getting users of the Home Edition to start paying for the identical Avast! Pro edition out of conscience's sake. Problem: users sometimes cannot pay. The system will not accept the clients' credit cards. I have been a paying client since 2005. This year, when my update subscription ran out, I tried to renew. The system rejected my application. It did not say why.
I tried again. Rejected. I tried about five times. No success.
So, I contacted the sales department. I explained my problem.
Your system will not accept my credit card -- no reason given.Can I order by phone?
Sales sent my inquiry to customer service in order to get someone else to handle the grunt work. No commission here! I got this reply.
Dear Sir,
Thank you for your email, and your interest in avast! antivirus products.
Our online shopping is run on our behalf by Element5(www.element5.com), so all transactions, refunds, etc, are actually performed on their site. If you have a problem with your credit card, please contact them at; accounting@element5.com.
We do not deal with direct phone orders for purchases less than 200 licences. Could you please tell me what you are trying to buy?
If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best regards,
[name]
ALWIL Software a.s. support team
So, I sent an email to the address he told me to use: the outsourcing company that controls the flow of funds back to Avast. I explained my problem.
How do I renew my subscription with Avast? Your system will not accept my card.Can I do it by phone?
Then I waited. Nothing came back. That was on July 30. Nothing still has come back.
I thought Avast should be appraised of this. I assumed that, from Avast's point of view, it is a good thing to find out if the company that controls Avast's flow of funds has got a problem accepting funds from a long-term client. So, on July 30, I sent this message to the fellow at customer support. It included my original letter to the outsourced firm.
I wrote:How do I renew my subscription with Avast? Your system will not accept my card.
Can I do it by phone?
That was six hours ago. No response from them.
I think it will take personal intervention from someone at Avast who is in charge of renewals.
This was just to much for the fellow in customer support. Personal intervention? When there is no commission involved? Taking time out of his busy schedule to solve what may be a widespread problem that is costing his firm money? Just who did I think I was? So, it was time for the "get lost, bozo" letter. I received it on August 3.
Dear Mr North,
Thank you for your email, and your interest in avast! antivirus products.
And I repeat; ALWIL Software does NOT run its own e-commerce operation. This is done for us by Element5(www.element5.com). You should contact;
accounting@element5.com.
I cannot assist you with the credit card rejection issue.
If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best regards,
[name]
ALWIL Software a.s. support team
My guess is that there are lots of people like I am who have their cards rejected by the outsourcing company. It's just my guess. Maybe I am the only one. In any case, the paying Avast subscriber's solution is simple and cheap.
1. Delete Avast! Pro from your hard disk.2. Download the free Home Edition, which is identical.
3. Ignore any twinge of conscience, since the folks in customer support have no intention of helping customers renew the service. Since they don't care, why should you care?
That's why I regard Avast's marketing strategy as half-avast marketing. The minions at the bottom are not paid to solve problems. They are paid to transfer problems, delay solutions, and blow off customers. Management may not think this is why these minions are being paid, but the minions know better. The reward system is structured to let minions get away with this.
Under such a situation, the paying customer is the minion's perceived problem, not the possibility of what may be a source of reduced income for the company: the outsourced firm. His task is to collect his salary and avoid extra work. Solution: Blow off the paying customer.
The paying customer's solution: Blow off Avast! Pro.
When your company's payments system can't take someone's money, you have a problem. Do what you can to solve it. This means telling the minions to solve it or at least report it. Offer incentives for those who do and penalties for those who don't.
Simple.
In short, don't be half-Avast.
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