Watch those bills from anti-virus companies
In a time gone by and forgotten, anti-virus programs were a one-time purchase with free updates. Now the big commercial packages are all subscription services with annual fees. What many do not realize is that purchase of a security program from some big names automatically enrolls you for these annual payments. The companies are not particularly upfront about the automatic charges and cancelling the service is not always easy. Windows Secrets has looked at the practices of four major players and reports:
…the unfortunate truth is that the practice of enrolling customers in automatic renewal for antivirus and other security products is not limited to Symantec. Indeed, it has become an industry standard. Microsoft Windows Live OneCare, Symantec, McAfee, and ZoneAlarm all enroll customers into the companies’ automatic subscription-renewal programs with the purchase of a subscription-based product. In most cases, customers aren’t given a choice to opt out, and only find out about the annual renewals when they receive an e-mail notice or see a charge on their credit card.
For some users, automatic renewal is a boon, since it saves the annual chore of manually renewing subscriptions to new virus definitions. Others view the policy with suspicion, especially since these policies are often not made clear at the outset. Moreover, the amount charged for the renewal each year can change, depending on the going rate for the subscription at the time of the renewal.
The article goes on to give some details about the practices of the four companies. The policies range from fairly upfront for ZoneAlarm to well-hidden for Microsoft. According to the article:
Of all the companies I tested, Microsoft’s all-in-one security and maintenance package, Windows Live OneCare, has the most-hidden automatic subscription-renewal policy and is the most difficult to learn how to cancel.
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