Complaint Review: Avira Operations GmbH & Co. - Internet

My sorry Dell netbook screen burned out, some of the keys had fallen off and it  was time to get another one. I thought it would last more than two years but it was just worn out!

So I bought a real laptop where I controlled what is being installed on external CD-ROMs and not having to depend on someone in The Cloud where they can install who knows what on your computer.


Prior to this,I had used Norton/Symatec antivirus, etc. protection on my computers and loved it! However, the 2012 version consisted of THREE CD-ROM disks & the last only partially installed. Too complicated and just plain confusing...

So when I got my nice new laptop, I decided to try what the salesperson said was a GREAT,HIGHLY RECOMMENDED GERMAN ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAM---AVIRA ANTIVIRUS PREMIUM 2012! I read, write & speak German in case there was any problem with the English and the price was right --$35 for 2 years of protection. Germany has a reputation from some of the best computer skills in the world, surpassed only by Israel,India/Pakistan,Ukraine and the United States.

Best of all, THERE WAS ONLY ONE CD-ROM to install. So I bought it, took it home and popped it in the drive and it installed flawlessly. But I noticed that there was a pop-up distress message from Avira that said my Antivirus program had NOT been updated since JULY, 2011!This is a never before used laptop and a AVIRA PREMIUM ANTIVIRUS 2012 PROGRAM--- or so I thought.

I watched attempts to install the updates -- a third would install then  it would mysteriously stop like it was being blocked. THE ANTIVIRUS PROGRAM WILL NOT INSTALL. Period.

What to do? I shut down the firewall that came with my OS and tried clicking on "update" but that didn't work! So I turned it back on.THERE ARE NO OTHER ANTIVIRUS PROGRAMS RUNNING HERE!

By now, I am getting worried because the Avira pop up telling me that my anti-virus has NOT updated is becoming more and more frequent--and annoying.When I click on the update it says :"this job does not exist."

I never had a problem contacting my Norton Symatec SUPPORT TEAM and Avira promised FREE TECHNICAL SUPPORT as well.So I go to the site: http://www.avira.com/en/support And I click on the "Support for the PAID Products" for HOME
"Support for Avira Paid ProductsExclusive telephone and email support is included with your Avira Antivirus Premium or Avira Internet Security product license" http://www.avira.com/en/support-phonesupport-for-consumer
YOU HAVE THE OPTIONS OF "E-MAIL SUPPORT" WHICH NOBODY APPARENTLY ANSWERS ( I HAVE SENT THEM SEVERAL SOS MESSAGES SO FAR IN ENGLISH,GERMAN AND SPANISH!)  AND YOU HAVE THE OPTION OF "PHONE SUPPORT."

Since the e-mails are apparently going unanswered, let us click on the "Phone support."

"Hallo. Achtung. Koennen Sie mir helfen? Jemand hier spricht oder versteht Englisch?"
Hilfe mich,bitte!!!!!"

After a nearly 3-hour wait for the so-called "Phone Support" after I clicked on the red "Phone Support" button for the Paying customers that apparently goes nowhere, I decided to try again. It kicks it out telling me that my e-mail address which I have used for over 20 years is NO GOOD.

"Please feel free to contact us at anytime you like:
Phone: +49 (0) 7542-5000
Email : [email protected]
Contact: http://www.avira.com/en/contact

It also says emphatically  that the [email protected] is NOT the same as the technical support....

The tech support phone number is in Germany and costs about 2 Euros per minute! And you will b e billed for being in the customer queue no doubt! I don't know what the rate of exchange for dollars against Euros is but I can see a HUGE BILL and I 'd have to use a pre-paid cell phone which is iffy on domestic calls...

THERE IS ALSO THE POSSIBILITY I WAS SOLD A COUNTERFEIT PROGRAM THAT CAME FROM SOME GARAGE WORKSHOP ON THE TEXAS-MEXICAN BORDER, or CHINA or UKRAINE just full of Spyware, Malware and who knows what...

In the meantime, I was ripped off $35 for this GARBAGE ANTIVIRUS PROGRAM and I hope you won't be ripped off by this like I was.