Complaint Review: PC Drivers Head Quarters Inc.

I got a refurbished computer that came with a new hard drive.  While installing Mozilla Firefox, I got a pop-up message saying my drivers were out of date (this seemed plausible to me).  The pop-up had a fairly detailed description of which drivers were out of date and the most noticeable thing was a graphic across the top indicating the "health" of my computer was "poor".  I should have figured out that the "information" on the graphic/pop-up was not specific to my computer right then... but I didn't.  I clicked on the link to have the "drivers" downloaded.

When I got to the web site (Driver Support) I filled out the credit card info - I felt comfortable doing this because it seemed like a service associated with Firefox and I like them.  I ws then sent two emails.  The first saying that a product license key would be sent to be as soon as my payment was processed.  The second started off with bold print saying 'call to activate your software and for technical support - 24/7' and provided a toll free number.  This email was at least two pages long and further down on the second page there was a product license key that I did not see until I was gathering info to dispute the charge with my cc company.

I speak with a lady named Crystal who immediately asks for me to log onto a site to give her remote access to my computer so that she can "make sure everything is installed correctly".  I see her install one of the "drivers" and then she looks into the event log while that is downloading.  She asks how long have I had the computer and makes a comment about something seems "wrong".  Did I have anybody check out the computer before I purchased it?, she asks.  While looking at the event log she says something about how something isn't right.  There are too many entries and that this will become a critical issue.  She would have to transfer me to a "senior technician" to get these serious problems addressed.

Then I spoke with Martin; AKA "Marty".  At some point along the way (probably when my call was transferred), I was now working with "Tech Live Connect".  That was the title of the dialogue box that popped up... but there was never anything typed in it!!  All the communication was done verbally, as we were talking to one another on the phone.  Martin (American, no foreign accent) wentto the event log and repeated the same vague but dire warnings.  I should sign up for this service that will get everything straight.  The cost is ~$350.  I say no way.  "I just called because I wanted to get my Driver Support software activated".  Then Martin tells me I can subscribe for a shorter period of time for ~$200 - 24/7 service for all of my computer problems, technicians that are just as good as Microsoft technicians, and my computer would last seven or eight years.  I had to repeatedly tell him "no", "no way", "not going to happen", etc. before he gave up.

And, to make matters worse, the "drivers" they were installing were nothing more than a boat load of malware.  I had 132 "identified objects" identified by a scan directly after having only a few of the "drivers" downloaded.  Then I searched for rip-off reports and there is no shortage of them.  These scammers are portraying themselves as experts, deliberately misleading folks about the "health" of their computers, and then profiting from their BS.  

If there is a class action suit.. I'll participate!  And I would imagine it would be painfully easy to set up a sting on these diceitful, dishonest and downright dirty a*s hats.

And to be fair, they did refund my cc when I sent a written request.  I'm still pissed for having to go through all that unnecessary stuff and having to wonder if I got all their s*** off my new computer.