Hi guys,
    [/tab]This is a rant - meant to take off steam about the horribly bad customer support offered by some of the best software houses.

Background
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I usually refer to the following two review sites for my AntiVirus and Anti-spyware software. These compare all such software on a monthly basis and maintains a ranking based on their features+price+all else.
1. http://www.anti-virus-software-review.com
2. http://anti-spyware-review.toptenreviews.com
3. http://www.adwarereport.com/mt/archives/000008.html

[tab]Now AntiVirus and AntiSpyware are two breeds of software that I don't compromise on anyhow - I always go for the fully featured paid versions (the best ones on these lists are actually quite cheap, ranging within $30). So currently my AV is Softwin BitDefender Pro 8.0 and AntiSpyware software is Aluria Spyware Eliminator. I'm extremely happy with the performance of both - and I should mention that BitDefender customer service is excellent. Whenever I've had ANY queries it never took them more than 24 hours to mail me back in details.

    [/tab]Aluria, however, is a different story altogether. They delivered my license key as soon as they received payment along with a download link for the full working version. But this had to be activated using their license key - or else, it's spyware removal mode is never activated. Now my system is behind my office proxy - and even though their software has the option of making outbound connections through a proxy, till date I haven't managed to get it to connect and verify my license key. I purchased this product at 3 months back. Since then, I've been mailing them at an average rate of 2-3 times a week, till I gave up recently. I haven't received a SINGLE Response from them. I've worded my problem at first in Simple Descriptive Terms, which later on started migrating more towards usage of Threatenting and Offensive words. But none seems to ever strike through their thick skull.

[tab]I don't understand what their problem is or why they won't reply to my mails. It's such a simple problem to fix - at their end. I tried it out on all the systems on my LAN. None would register through the proxy, but works fine with a direct connection. If this feature wasn't meant to work, then why did they provide us with a spurious Proxy Setup Screen for Updates Download & Registration ?? I think they are one of the prime examples of Bad Business Practises. Pheww.. what more to say - I'm still sitting back with my PURCHASED SOFTWARE IN THE DEMO SCAN-ONLY MODE.

Urggggggh !!!
To hell with them & their whole company

 

 

 

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I pity you... Internet companies should know the the golden rule to doing business on the Internet and succeeding is excellent customer service. Even if these companies do not interact with us face-to-face, they should know that, still, we're doing business with them and buying stuff from them. The least we as customers expect is decent customer service.

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microscopic^earthling,

I would like to set the record straight regarding Aluria support. Aluria is a growing company that does care about their customers. To this end we even offer to help remove any spyware you have on your system which our definitions do not detect. We have a department devoted to helping customers in this way.

Aluria is a growing company and I was recently hired by them to structure their customer support department. This is a work in progress currently and I would like to apologize for the experience you feel you have had.

Thank you for listening...

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microscopic^earthling, I'm a security analyst in a few big forums and Aluria Spyware Eliminator is on my list of programs NOT to install. This darn company teamed up with a big advertising company called WhenU and it can't be trusted anymore.

I know you said you prefer the paid programs, but the free ones do just a good a job if you ask me. Each program has it's own weaknesses. I doubt there is a single program out there that will catch all kinds of spyware. I usually ask users to get a few of the free spyware removal programs and some other real-time antispyware protection programs also. I have a Anti-Spyware Tutorial setup if you want to take a look at it.

I'm not saying that all paid programs are not good. I heard good reviews on some before. Spysweeper has been getting some raves from a lot of users. It still doesn't catch the more complicated spyware infections though. We usually use a tool called HijackThis (you might have heard of this before ) to help us determine what the problem is.

You might want to avoid Aluria from now on and also some of these other programs listed here. I'm not 100% sure on the status of Aluria since I see that AOL's antispyware program and a few others are listed there as being legitimate. I guess it's just Aluria's own Antispyware Eliminator that's the problem then.

Not sure about the last comment there...

 

 

 

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AluriaDavid,

This sentence could only have been written by the employee of a company which treats its customers with contempt. You were incapable of admitting that your company did something wrong, and that microscopic^earthling had a bad experience as the result of your behavior. You had to add the word "feel", suggesting that he only feels that he was mistreated, but that really, you were just fine, and that he is the problem. Since you cannot admit that you did something wrong, you obvious can't fix it, since a problem which doesn't exist can't be fixed.

AluriaDavid, microscopic^earthling's post would probably have convinced me, and dozens of others who have seen it, never to do business with Aluria, but it was your post which finally convinced me that Aluria is hopeless.

For years I did business with a company providing investment information. When they started providing Net services, I signed up for one of their free offers. They didn't provide the product they had promised. In one of their emails, among the contradictory lies about the source of the problem in which various departments blamed each other, they pulled this "experience you feel you have had" business. They eventually did provide the product, but their free offer lost them a paying customer whom they had had for years.

microscopic^earthling, Aluria's product is not working as claimed. In many states and countries, the law requires them to return your money, whether they admit to having a guarantee or not. In the meantime, to help protect others, I would complain to

The Federal Trade Commission,
The Better Business Bureau,
the numerous consumer complaint sites such as Complaints.com,
and the numerous product review and software review sites all over the Net.

Aluria makes it pretty clear that they don't care about their customers, and don't intend solving your problem, but if your complaints and those of others drive them out of business, at least it will help improve customer service by the remaining companies.

Thanks.
Cassy.

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