Had s little trouble with a virus protection program and got to wondering if anyone else has had the problem.
We have a Dell laptop which came with McAfee. There were a few things that we didn’t like, so decided not to renew it when it ran out, but replace it with another brand. Well, a couple of weeks before it was due to run out, it automatically renewed itself. Didn’t know it was going to do that, but when my wife turned it on one morning it had already done so.
Well, as I found out, I couldn’t cancel it on line, so had to place a phone call. You ever done that? Dang, I think they make you wait with the phone to your ear for what seems to be days and weeks, just to get you to change your mind and hang up. I fooled them; I just hit the speaker button on my phone and hung up the receiver. Then I could go on with whatever I was doing on my desktop computer. Later I did get to talk to someone and they said that they would remove the charge to my credit card. Which they did, so I figured that it was over with – wrong.
Since we still had 10 days or so left on the subscription, we were in no hurry to install another one. It just so happened that I purchased one yesterday to install next week.
Late last night, just before my wife was going to shut the laptop down, she called me over and said to look at the window that popped up. It was a McAfee window and it said that your new updated program had been downloaded and would be installed with the next restart. WHAT!! I had cancelled that and had got my money back. So now, if we would ever turn off that computer, the next time we started it, McAfee would install itself.
I quickly went in and removed the McAfee program, which by the way required a re-start. Loaded the new anti-virus program and will now have to check my credit card to see if I got charged again for McAfee.
Just think of all those old computers that you scrapped. They probably have active virus protection on them unless you actually cancelled it. Since the bills show up at different times of the year on the credit card, it can slip through unnoticed. Never, ever make anything automatically renewable. You and your heirs will be paying for it until the end of the world, or until you get a different credit card number.
Now you know just one of the reasons I dropped McAfee years ago. It in itself is a virus!!! I hate the dammed thing. I been using Trend Micro for about 5 years now and have been very pleased with it.
ReplyDeletehave dell laptop with mcafee too, and hate it, will not renew. glad u posted this and made me aware. BUT, ive never EVER had auto renew for anything on my cc. lolol and i always check the charges. (was a bookkeeper in my past)
ReplyDeletedont understand how it could renew when it came with the laptop, without u saying to.
Ben, When we ordered the laptop, it came pre-loaded with a two year subscripbtion to McAfee. I should have taken it off when we got it, knew better, but the miser in me didn't. Free is free, you know, until it rears up and bites you.
ReplyDeleteTROUBLEnTX, I like the labtop very much, just didn't like McAfee. We didn't sign up for auto-renew. It must have been hidden in the rules and regulations you have to agree to when activating a program.
I never use my real credit or bank card online for anything! I use those Visa, American Express cards from the store like the money order checks of old! Most people never saw it, but on Dateline or one of those nightly news shows a few weeks ago they had a warning about WIFI. It seems to be like the cell phones of old because you can be sitting close by from a person and hi-jack his screen and follow along with what's going on! As their example, a college kid was ordering a book online and the guy was following along 50 feet away like he was ordering it! He went over to the kid and showed him the order with all of his credit card info and the kid was in shock to find out that people can do this! I'll bet the roadside parks and rest areas are full of lurkers and thieves!
ReplyDeleteFred, I agree with you. Although AMX is very good about taking bad charges off the account, we have set up a seperate checking account with a Master/Visa debet card for it and only keep a small amount in the account.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when traveling, I use my Verizon Coast to Coast internet account instead of WIFI. It even works when going down the road.
So many ways to get screwed by the folks out there in the Blue Nowhere, we need to be very careful!
ReplyDeleteGlad you got it fixed, buddy!
WOW!! Seems like a money making deal from another corupt corporation!! Buy stock..
ReplyDeleteHJ, you are so right. It seems like everywhere you look there is a guy with a screw-driver.
ReplyDeleteHey Frann, they sure know how to get the money coming in (scare tacktics) and keep it coming in (auto renewal).
Ah, thanks Dell and McAfee. Ditto my experience with McAfee. Have you tried to uninstall it yet? Best of luck with that one. I'm no technology dummy, either. I'm a former geek with 15 years high up in the IT foodchain. My Dell laptop is a piece of garbage, too. Do I sound negative about Dell and McAfee? I guess I am.
ReplyDeleteI can have McAfee for free. But I don't use it.
ReplyDeleteMicrosoft Security Essentials is FREE, and they never ask you to upgrade it for $.
I have had viruses and trojans, and it quickly got rid of them, as long as I don't click on them, they go away.
Happy Trails, Penny, TX
The best way to protect your self from much of those viruses and malware out there is to simply not run windows! Macs or your old PC with Linux (http://www.linuxmint.com/) not just help you avoid the issue, but you'll be amazed at just how much that AV software slows down the machine.
ReplyDeleteI bought an Asus 1015 Netbook this summer. These machines already have slow processors, something that would be considered budget 7 or 8 years ago. It came with windows 7 and McAfee, and only moved at a crawl. I immediate removed McAfee and it became bearable. The next day I put Linux on it and it could fly.
Virus protection software is essential to guard one's PC from existing computer viruses. These will not only target files but, will also affect PC performance that will lead PC owners to inconvenience.
ReplyDelete