VintageCad.com NotTooOldToBeSold.com This company sold invalid "used" software, then closed down and opened a new company when problems arose Internet
VintageCad.com is a re-skinned company that used to operate as NotTooOldToBeSold.com, which had a previous report here:
https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/not-too-old-to-be-soldcom/internet/not-too-old-to-be-soldcom-ntotbs-total-rip-off-new-york-internet-1320610
They sell "used" software, wherein they give you what they claim is a 100% valid registration number. They won't legally transfer the number to you, of course, they say so right in their fine print, but they'll swear it's legit, they'll stand behind it, and you can contact them if you have any problems. Of course, you can't contact them if they're shut down and disappeared off the web, which is what NotTooOldToBeSold did.
But it didn't disappear. The company simply switched names, got a new domain, and is now selling "used" software under a new name, VintageCad. They will flatly deny they have anything to do with NotTooOldToBeSold. They never heard of them, and you're out of luck if you bought something from them, because VintageCad has never heard of NotTooOldToBeSold before.
But VintageCad started up shortly after NotTooOldToBeSold disappeared. They claim, on their site, to have been operating for "years" even though the website is only a year old. The phone number is in the same area code. Oh, and they have identical text on their website, complete with an identical typo. And oops, their new website has code in the pages that calls an address in their old domain.
So, yes, VintageCad IS the same company as NotTooOldToBeSold. They will take your money and give you a registration number that works at the time, because companies like Adobe can or will let things slide for a while before they throw up an error notification. But when that error notice comes, you're out of luck, because VintageCad will have moved on and become something else. And unfortunately, they'll do a better job of covering their tracks next time.
Bottom line, don't buy used software unless you find the company on the software manufacturer's list of authorized resellers. (Autodesk has such a list.) And don't buy from anyone who won't jump through the legal hoops of transfering a license to you.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Karen
SAN JOSE,California,
United States
Now they're getting sued by Autodesk
#3Author of original report
Fri, October 05, 2018
Case# 3:18-cv-03467, if you want to look it up yourself.
law360.com/cases/5b1f1a8b9127552cfa000002
After all that detective work I did to prove the two companies were the same, and then a month later a lawsuit filing makes it plain as day.
But, yeah, they're getting sued by Autodesk for using their trademarks and LYING about being an unauthorized reseller. If you've given them any money, I'd suggest calling them up and trying to get it back now.
Karen
SAN JOSE,California,
United States
UPDATE: They now claim the first company was a "supplier", plus more details from Adobe
#3Author of original report
Tue, June 05, 2018
Had a lengthy talk with VintageCAD yesterday. They're now admitting that they DO know about NotTooOldToBeSold, but they were a supplier, from whom they bought bulk licenses. When I asked why the website pages and text were the same, and why their website was trying to find files on a "supplier's" defunct domain, he kept saying "it doen't matter" and "who cares?". Well, it matters and I care because it means you ARE the company that was ripping people off, not an innocent victim. He kept offering to send me a new registration number. No, they wouldn't legally transfer it, but he promised that THIS one was legit.
I also talked to Adobe. Turns out the registration numbers that NotTooOldToBeSold were selling were never valid in the first place, and Adobe's rep admitted that Adobe doesn't validate all numbers right away; bogus ones are flagged and shut down in waves. So NotTooOldToBeSold was knowingly selling bad licenses and counting on going out of business when the crackdown came.