Appalling Customer Service

[ianpricelabrador1]

Am I alone?

On 22 Aug, I took out a subscription for Spyware Doctor . I had had SD with Antivirus up to 31 July, but didn't want to pay for antivirus software I don't need/want (I have other AV software), so I uninstalled the old version and bought a completely NEW subscription of SD (ONLY). I downloaded the software and ran the executable, following the instructions, but when I click on the 'Spyware Doctor' shortcut (or go through start>programs), I am told that I need to perform a Smart Update to download the malware removal databases (it doesn't open up the regular SD window). If I click on this it tries to go into a smart update and then tells me that my subscription has expired and I need to renew it! (It takes me to the web page to do so, of course.)

I then uninstalled SD completely using the 'uninstall' routine you provide and checked that the Program Files folder contains no SD folders - there may still be Registry entries, but that depends on how good the 'Uninstall' software is! However, again, when I reload the 'new' version, and follow the instructions, SD still takes me to the 'renew subscription' page on the web site where it shows our old licence number (of course.) I have so far had SD for SEVEN days (for which I am paying, of course) but cannot use it, of course. I submitted a customer help request - literally seven days ago (so much for the 'we endeavour to reply within 24 hrs' message that comes back) - and have heard absolutely nothing. I am not a PC idiot, but am completely stumped by this problem and it seems that PC Tools are happy to snap up my cash, but then provide NOTHING in the way of support.

I have now e-mailed the support folks, but am not optimistic. I am truly frustrated and intend to resolve this and then go elsewhere for malware protection - I've been a loyal customer of PC Tools for some years, but am thoroughly cheesed off. Perhaps, now they're being taken over by Symantec, they no longer care?

[Howard]

yep I am being to think the same. I have been waiting for Firefox compatibility for an age and it keeps getting delayed with no reasonable explanation. Symantec products are crap. PC Tools will follow. I am also about to give up!

[haapy]

ianp... send achen a pm. he will walk you thru removing you old license code so you can enter the new code. Simple procedure.

[haapy]

ianp.

please review the posts as well, the info is out there

http://www.pctools.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47303

[ianpricelabrador1]

Thanks, Haapy - contacting PC Tools support seems to do absolutely nothing - I've got two tickets running and have sent "what the hell is going on" messages daily for the last 5 days, AS WELL AS e-mailing PC Tools 'support' directly. I have received absolutely nothing in reply, other than the standard "we endeavour to reply in 24 hours" and you can see how much boll*x that is. It's now been 8 days since I first asked for support. I've requested that they either help me or refund my money - neither has happened. You can, perhaps, understand my angst! :mad:

Anyway, thanks for the tip on PM'ing :) - I will try that and see if I can get somewhere with that route. The thing that REALLY aggravates me, though, is that I paid for this 'service' 8 days ago and PC Tools were quick enough to bill my credit card; since then, I've had no service and, of course, no malware protection. At 30 Euros for the year, I've been swindled out of almost a Euro; not much, but there IS a principle involved here, in my opinion.

ianp

[ianpricelabrador1]

yep I am being to think the same. I have been waiting for Firefox compatibility for an age and it keeps getting delayed with no reasonable explanation. Symantec products are crap. PC Tools will follow. I am also about to give up!

Howard

I agree- the news that Symantec is taking the company over did not fill me with joy. I can cope with the odd problem, but it's the complete lack of response that is really doing my nut. Unless I want to spend a small fortune telephoning Australia, I have absolutely NO way of contacting them in any satisfactory way. And all I mean by 'satisfactory' is that I seem to warrant a reply!

ianp

[john7]

Howard

I agree- the news that Symantec is taking the company over did not fill me with joy. I can cope with the odd problem, but it's the complete lack of response that is really doing my nut. Unless I want to spend a small fortune telephoning Australia, I have absolutely NO way of contacting them in any satisfactory way. And all I mean by 'satisfactory' is that I seem to warrant a reply!

ianp

Oh s***t I just paid my renewal, seen that Symantec have taken PCTools over too late. At least I have now cancelled automatic renewals and have a time to start looking fro a replacement as I have used products taken over by Symantec before and they always go down hill fast and become bloat ware even faster. This going back to a much earlier software firm called PCtools as well who produced much better utilities then the, even then, poor bloat ware of Symantec.

If you think customer service here has become poor, hang on for the effects of the take over to see what poor customer service and products really are!

[haapy]

ian.. Give this forum a shot. There are a lot of friendly helpful members who do their best for other members. After all we are in this together.

I was very unhaapy to hear the news of the Symantec purchase. That reallly sucks.

If the product does go south like others in the past that Symantec fubar'd there is always SpySweeper and Vipre to choose from. They have been worthy competitors in the past. I hope it does not com to that tho.

[swannie]

ian, one thing, if you PM'd, PCT is closed over the weekend so you probably won't get a reply before Monday.
We are all devasted about the Symantic takeover and by a strange co-incidence all renewal discounts suddenly disappeared last week leaving those of us who are due for renewal with full price option only. Leads one to wonder...
However, as haapy said, the forum is great and you can be sure you'll get help when you need it from here. There does seem to be a problem with old registration info not deleted from registry but this can be fixed and AChen is the man to help you with this, so be patient.

[ianpricelabrador1]

Thanks for all the comments, guys - after my recent 'corporate experience', you've certainly boosted my mood a bit!

Swannie - good point on 'the weekend' and I will try and contain my impatience (and vexation as I watch my subscription money dribbling away for nowt!) It still doesn't account for the absolute lack of response from the 'support' team, though. Buyer beware, I guess...:(

ianp

[swannie]

One other suggestion - suggest that they give you another month's sub free to cover the time lost. No harm in asking...

[ianpricelabrador1]

Swannie

Don't worry - I intend to get some kind of compensation!! :D

[AChen]

Am I alone?

On 22 Aug, I took out a subscription for Spyware Doctor . I had had SD with Antivirus up to 31 July, but didn't want to pay for antivirus software I don't need/want (I have other AV software), so I uninstalled the old version and bought a completely NEW subscription of SD (ONLY). I downloaded the software and ran the executable, following the instructions, but when I click on the 'Spyware Doctor' shortcut (or go through start>programs), I am told that I need to perform a Smart Update to download the malware removal databases (it doesn't open up the regular SD window). If I click on this it tries to go into a smart update and then tells me that my subscription has expired and I need to renew it! (It takes me to the web page to do so, of course.)

I then uninstalled SD completely using the 'uninstall' routine you provide and checked that the Program Files folder contains no SD folders - there may still be Registry entries, but that depends on how good the 'Uninstall' software is! However, again, when I reload the 'new' version, and follow the instructions, SD still takes me to the 'renew subscription' page on the web site where it shows our old licence number (of course.) I have so far had SD for SEVEN days (for which I am paying, of course) but cannot use it, of course. I submitted a customer help request - literally seven days ago (so much for the 'we endeavour to reply within 24 hrs' message that comes back) - and have heard absolutely nothing. I am not a PC idiot, but am completely stumped by this problem and it seems that PC Tools are happy to snap up my cash, but then provide NOTHING in the way of support.

I have now e-mailed the support folks, but am not optimistic. I am truly frustrated and intend to resolve this and then go elsewhere for malware protection - I've been a loyal customer of PC Tools for some years, but am thoroughly cheesed off. Perhaps, now they're being taken over by Symantec, they no longer care?

I have replied to your PM :)
And I'll also check what happened to your ticket.

[ianpricelabrador1]

OK, I give in.

AChen sent me a tool which ran successfully on my laptop but seemed to have no effect on my PC. I have now e-mailed PC Tools to ask for my money back (I see on their web site that they offer a 30 day money back guarantee.)

I do appreciate AChen's efforts, but I'm very frustrated by this whole 'experience':

a. It took me 9 days to get any actual help and that only came because I decided to post a message on this forum and someone (another punter who just happened to read my message, I guess) suggested I contact AChen!

b. I can appreciate that immediate response from PC Tools (to help requests and e-mails) is a bit much to expect, but over 240 hours after submitting my first request for help, I've still heard nothing; that cannot be acceptable. AChen said he would look into the problem, and I am grateful, but this is no system - two help desk tickets and an e-mail have been ignored/lost/the system is not capable of responding within 10 days. That's a long time to go without malware protection, in my view.

c. Finally, this seems to be a known problem (inability to take up new registrations); if so, why does it not feature in the web site FAQs (if it does, I never found it and I looked at length)? Why do PC Tools not make it easier for the punter to resolve this problem by providing a warning and/or advice on how to overcome it? Or is it just a cunning ploy to steal unused 'protection time' off folks? So far, I, for one, have paid for 10 days protection for my two computers and only in the last few hours have that malware protection for just one of them.

d. Life is too short. It looks from this forum as if others are having similar problems with PC Tools' so-called 'customer support'. I object to shoddy customer service and would rather go elsewhere.

Ciao

[Keith Allen]

I am having exactly the same issue - see below. Had no reply for two days and it really beggars belief how you heard nothing for 9 days.

http://www.pctools.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53636

I will be strongly advising anyone to steer clear of PC Tools from now on - this is a really shambolic way to treat paying customers.

[ianpricelabrador1]

I am having exactly the same issue - see below. Had no reply for two days and it really beggars belief how you heard nothing for 9 days.

http://www.pctools.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53636

I will be strongly advising anyone to steer clear of PC Tools from now on - this is a really shambolic way to treat paying customers.

Actually, it took 12 days in the end - so, don't hold your breath! That said, before that (after 10 days), I got in touch, through this forum, with AChen who sent me a tool which solved the problem - suggest you PM him. I'm gobsmacked that the only real solution involves having to track down someone on the forum, through basically trial and error. Clearly, PC Tools are aware of the problem, so why, at very least, is it not in their FAQs on their web site? (I certainly never found any help on the web site.)

In the end, having paid for 12 days of useless SD (and therefore having two vulnerable computers), and having sent countless messages on 3 separate help tickets, I had a thin apology for the delay; they didn't respond to my suggestion that they change their automated response, "we endeavour to reply within 24 hours..." to read, "we endeavour to reply within two weeks...". What also irked me was that they seemed to imply it was my fault for buying a new licence, rather than just renewing the old one - but I wanted a different product (ie, SD WITHOUT AV), so could see no other way to do it, a point they failed to recognise.

Anyway, having spent years telling friends that SD is the best product, I will no longer be doing so; I've already posted warnings on Amazon's pages for future users.
:mad:

[ianpricelabrador1]

yep I am being to think the same. I have been waiting for Firefox compatibility for an age and it keeps getting delayed with no reasonable explanation. Symantec products are crap. PC Tools will follow. I am also about to give up!

As I said, I absolutely agree. In my younger, more naive days, I used Norton very happily, but as I read more, I realised how bad it was and now make 'other arrangements'. Of course, PC Tools are massively optimistic. Here's what they said, when I suggested that, as bad as the customer service is at present, it must surely get worse as Symantec take over (our e-mail discussions, coming after 12 days waiting by me, have not been very constructive!)...

"By joining Symantec, PC Tools will be able to leverage Symantec’s experience and resources to accelerate the development of innovative consumer technologies. Symantec also gives PC Tools the financial resources to effectively compete in the market and to deliver new cutting-edge products as the market and consumer needs evolve."

Personally, I remain to be convinced...:rolleyes:

[Keith Allen]

Seems that PC Tools and Symantec are made for each as both make their software a nightmare to remove/upgrade.

[ianpricelabrador1]

Seems that PC Tools and Symantec are made for each as both make their software a nightmare to remove/upgrade.

:D True enough...it's a bit disappointing, really. I know there are folks out there who don't rate SD, but I've always found it really good. (Of course you never know what the computer is carrying, but that your protection software just faisl to detect!) Interestingly, having resolved the issues (and not continued with my "I want my money back and let's get rid of this software" anger), I ran a check of my PC with SD - I have 16 infections (presumably picked up while SD was NOT working); some of them look a bit vicious (though nothing to REALLY worry about, thankfully.)

Given how painstaking I've been in the past with malware protection, it's really annoying - I ended up with 12 days without SD and I KNOW that my machine was clean before then (I hadn't used it between the previous licence expiring and applying for the new licence as my PC had been in removals.)

So, you can imagine how pleased I am - the only other option would have been to stop using my PC while I awaited PC Tools 'support'.

[Scotteh]

I sent in a email about 5 days ago and has "reply within 24 hours" but still no reply?

[ianpricelabrador1]

I sent in a email about 5 days ago and has "reply within 24 hours" but still no reply?

see my posts - give it about another 7 days!