Complaint Review: DataSafeXL

On July 29, 2010, on the strength of a full-page Ozgrid advertisement and product description which included the promise of a 30-day money back guarantee, I chose to purchase XL Safe Pro for the price of $399.  I had immediate problems with installation and activation.  As pointed out to Data Safe XL, it was apparent that the vendor was more concerned about protecting its self-serving interest to restrict the use of its product to a single computer at the very onerous expense of a purchaser by requiring several pages of instructions and multiple email correspondence back and forth, with registration code and activation key, in order to install and to activate what should have been a simple Excel add-in.  Even following those instructions in letter and spirit, I was able to expose a variety of flaws that led to an inability to activate the add-in.  It wasn't until August 1, 2010 that Data Safe XL saw fit to modify, not simplify, the onerous installation/activation process that allowed for the activation of the add-in.  

Following installation, I immediately noticed that the add-in was using VB macros in order to bring about the creation of a so-called "Blank XL Safe Pro File."  As long as I have worked with commercial software, even including freeware, this was my first experience with a user-defined, homemade macro.  Any commercial vendor should be able to convert VB code into a .NET DLL, OCX or EXE in order to perform a task.  To create the workbook a name and a path for the created file had to be provided before the so-called blank worksheet could be opened.  When an attempt was made to open the workbook, Excel's Trust Center disabled the macro and would not allow for it to be enabled even when the settings were changed to allow it.

As it turns out, Xl Safe Pro does not have a valid digital signature.  When I pointed this out as the reason why the creation process was inoperable, I was accused of not knowing what I was doing and Excel was accused of being the cause of the problem.  I had already requested a refund before the activation process, but giving the vendor the benefit of the doubt, I took the time and effort to evaluate the add-in on its merit and its was obvious that Data Safe XL not only had a very flawed and inoperable product but that the entire process was a scam meant to defraud unwitting purchasers.  


Order ID: 38753RQ-7K86R