- Report: #533544
Complaint Review: Microsoft Corporation - Internet
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Microsoft Corporation
Internet, United States of America
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www.microsoft.com
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Microsoft Corporation Office student and home, MS Office BAIT and SWITCH practices of Microsoft in Selling Office Home and Student 2007 Internet
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Microsoft is resorting to Bait and Switch tactics in marketing its Home and Student version of Office 2007
I enrolled for a 90 free trial of this product which came pre installed on an HP computer I purchased this year. The trial was to expire on November 30th, 2009
Starting a few weeks prior to the expiry Microsoft started sending me emails urging me to buy a licence. On the 27th of November they sent me an email with an urgent offer...If I bought it bevore November 30th, I could buy it for $79.95 instead of $149.95!
When I followed the link in the email and tried to purchase the licence, I could not enter my mailing address because the form had the USA as the only country option, but there was a link below to click if I wanted to change the country.
When I clicked that link, the screen changed and the price went up to a value which was about $143.00.
Since I needed to continue using the program, I proceeded with the purchase, but later advised Microsoft that I had been over charged.
They claimed that the offer was only for people in the USA, but I do not see how that justifies them retracting the offer. They received the same amount of money via my credit card, and my product was already pre installed so I was not receiving any different product from the one which they emailed me to licence.
The only difference is that their website sent my order to be processed at a different location which was at their choice not mine. Unless Microsoft is subject to some law that forces them to charge a higher price to people who purchase their products from outside the US, this practice is nothing more than pure Bait and Switch.
I enrolled for a 90 free trial of this product which came pre installed on an HP computer I purchased this year. The trial was to expire on November 30th, 2009
Starting a few weeks prior to the expiry Microsoft started sending me emails urging me to buy a licence. On the 27th of November they sent me an email with an urgent offer...If I bought it bevore November 30th, I could buy it for $79.95 instead of $149.95!
When I followed the link in the email and tried to purchase the licence, I could not enter my mailing address because the form had the USA as the only country option, but there was a link below to click if I wanted to change the country.
When I clicked that link, the screen changed and the price went up to a value which was about $143.00.
Since I needed to continue using the program, I proceeded with the purchase, but later advised Microsoft that I had been over charged.
They claimed that the offer was only for people in the USA, but I do not see how that justifies them retracting the offer. They received the same amount of money via my credit card, and my product was already pre installed so I was not receiving any different product from the one which they emailed me to licence.
The only difference is that their website sent my order to be processed at a different location which was at their choice not mine. Unless Microsoft is subject to some law that forces them to charge a higher price to people who purchase their products from outside the US, this practice is nothing more than pure Bait and Switch.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Jack
Villarrica, Chile,South America,
Chile
Refund Issued
#2Author of original report
Thu, December 17, 2009
Microsoft has issued a refund for aproximately the difference which I was charged when I attempted to accept their offer of a special price for their Office 2007.
Still, it seems to me that they were dragging their heels on doing this, I had to write them several emails and did not really get a reply from anyone which even seemed to be aware that I wanted them to refund the difference until I had published a complaint here in Ripoff Report and told them about it.
After that, I received a reply saying I'd hear from them in a few days, then another one saying that it had been passed on to someone else who would be responding withing 72 hours. After 6 days had passed, I wrote them again, and received a reply saying that a refund was being processed which could take 4 or 5 days. Today, I confirmed that a refund had been applied to my credit card.
Through the entire process I never had an exchange with the same support person, and each of the support replies was signed with only the first name and initial of the writer. Seems like Microsoft policy to hide behind anonymity rather than have real people step up and be responsible for their actions.
