Complaint Review: BitDefender - Internet

I paid for virus protection from McAfee and later, through RipOff Report, I discovered they WERE a virus source and I tried to delete their software. I failed, so I told them I wanted to remove their program.  They said they would and when they did, they corrupted my Recycle Bin and Disk Defragmentor.  Then I down-loaded Microsoft Security Essentials for free.

I had Security Essentials for about five months when viruses started attacking occasionally, but when I ran the scanner, they were at first, removed and then I was hammered with an alarm and a window saying, 'Your security has been breached and your defenses are down.'  I was told that I had contracted 30 viruses and if I didn't buy security, I'd lose everything.  Security Essentials scanner stopped working and everything froze.  I had to buy protection from the company putting up the warning window for $60.00, on line.  I went to my Control Panel and removed Microsoft and the icons for the new company appeared on the Desk Top and I went to bed.

The next morning, I booted up and the icon for the company I paid, disappeared from the screen, so I went to the Control Panel and thier named was erased, so I was again, without protection.  Now, in a panic I scanned for a replacement and found an ad for a system that received a first place award by PC Magazine!  It's name was BitDefender and I thought it was nice to see a third party endorsement for a company for once, and bought it.

I experienced no problems, but my curiosity got the best of me, because I needed to know what Ripoff Report had to say if I wanted any real peace of mind.  My eyes popped when I saw all of the complaints against these guys and I went back to my C drive and tried to remove the program.  My efforts were met with the screen freezing and all my connection to the Web being blocked!!!  I looked at the CD driver box and found that the company was based in ROMANIA!!!

I contacted Microsoft and their techs said they'd try to remove BitDefender and all their malware, but that I'd need to give them my card information in case they had to perform more sophisticated work than just the usual effort.  I asked if they were going to debit my account and the agent told me, no, so I gave him the information and their technicians started to work.  Three technicians and four hours of work later I found that they couldn't remove the malware, but they did get my Intenet connection back, though some of my files had been damaged.

I was told that I will need another episode of tech. help, and that I will have to copy my files and pictures and the operating system, Windows XP, will be removed and replaced.  The techician recommended that I purchase a flash-drive and copy everything before they perform the replacement, so I was reviewing what I had to do to get this done.  When I opened my e-mail later, I found a notice that Microsoft, the guys that started all this with Security Essentials, had tried to debit my account, without notifying me, and they were not successful, so in retaliation, I could expect no further assistance until I had paid them.  There was no mention of the price they had attempted to remove.

My response to them was:  "Your agent, who requested my card information, was emphatic in his response of NO, to my question of, "Will I be charged for your remedial services?" and a second agent agreed with him.  When I asked why he needed my number, he replied that it was only  policy in case the service became dynamically more complicated, in which case I would be notified of a $79.00 charge before it was debited. I informed him that my budget couldn't support such a debit from this account at the present time and he said there would be no charge for the service.
 
Now I received a notice that you have attempted a debit of my account without any notification and you are refusing any further assistance until I pay an undisclosed fee for repairing the damage your Microsoft Security Essentials software created.  There was no warning that it really couldn't protect my system from viruses before I loaded it and there were no warnings subsequently that it was inadequate, inappropriate, insufficient or impertinent to the task of virus protection. 
 
The first virus charged my account $60.00 and vanished.  Then the second virus, BIT DEFENDER, began, without warning, to trash my computer and then your company offered virus protection without warning me of your program's viral vulnerability and your agents convinced me I would incur no charge for the type of services you offered which, by the way, were inadequate and failed.  I should have been more wary when the first agent requested my card information.
 
How about telling me the amount you attempted to take and the actual service the charge will pay for, then we can start over?"

I failed to ask what my inconvenience, the four hours of my time on the computer and the problem of copying all my stuff are worth, or whether they'll consider such issues when their fee is determined.  I hope there'll be a reply in my e-mail tomarrow.

By the way, during each of the four times I had to call Microsoft technical support, the computer offered those who had a virus issue from using Microsift Security Essentials a short-cut and they could just dial the number, 9 for quicker service, because they were experiencing AN UNUSUALLY HIGH CALL VOLUME AT THIS TIME.  I wonder how many people are going through the same thing I have to deal with, and how much money Microsoft is charging them to fix the damage caused by  using their software, Microsoft Security Essentials?

It looks like a good game: Offer inferior software to cause problems, then solve them for a fee.  Then the source of the solution IS the problem, because it is CREATING clients by CREATING the problems.