Complaint Review: Swanksoft Technologies

I have paid $40 for a Spyware product that either does nothing useful for my computer, or should have been free. I got a banner ad from SpyKiller tonight, saying that it detected "spyware" on my PC and soliciting me to check my computer for "spyware" using its free trial program. When this happened before, in 12/2003 (my date is approximate), at which time I was led to the company's website to buy a copy of its program, which I did then.

So if Spyware's ad "detects" spyware on my computer, why can't it even detect its own program and ignore me? This looks like a case of rip-off adware -- the very thing that SpyKiller is warning me to protect my computer against! And charging me and other PC users $40 for the privilege of using.

Subsequently, I logged on at www.SpyKiller.com, where I was greeted with the same warning message, and soliciting me to buy a copy of the SpyKiller program -- priced at $39.95 within the next 24 hours only.

When I tried to back out of SpyKiller.com's intro webpage, and return to a previous page loaded in my browser, I was greeted with a "last-chance" offer on a pop-up banner to buy the program for just $29.95. Just the kind of adware they're supposed to be protecting me against! So, to add insult to injury, they attempt to re-sell already-registered users a program they already own for $10 less than what I and most other users paid.

Furthermore, I've been getting adware pop-ups from other companies as well.

SpyKiller also takes forever to load. I am worried that maybe this program is increasing my computer's start-up time to no good effect and I wonder if I should remove it.

Bill
Santa Rosa, California
U.S.A.