I could really, really....use some help here....your input is needed...

[92Roadster]

Please read below chat with support, does it make sense to you....?????.....image of product is below...!!!!!!

Roy: why does it show that it expires in 365 days....????
Operating System: Windows 7
License Key: (removed by me)(for posting purpose)


You are now speaking with Edward of Customer Service.

Edward: Welcome to BitDefender LiveAssistance!, Roy! Thank you for your interest in our security solution BitDefender.

Edward: Hello Roy!
Edward: How are you today?
Roy: fine, my question is posted above

Edward: Just a few moments to check the account.
Edward: If you open the software how many days of validity is it saying at the bottom Roy?
Roy: 365 days left

Edward: Those are the validity days for your license key Roy.
Roy: what are you saying, I paid $60.00 for one years useage..???????????????????

Edward: This is the price for Total Security for 3 computers Roy.
Roy: wait, wait, wait......your telling me my software package "I purchased" will

Roy: stop running in 1 year

Roy: or is this about updating

Edward: Yes Roy.
Roy: okay, you scared me there for a moment...LOL

Roy: I was thinking the software key license would expire in 1 year

Edward: Your license key will expire in one year Roy, it is valid for 365 days.
Roy: wait, I need a clarification here

Edward: Your license key will stop running in one year Roy.
Roy: are you saying the software will stop working at the end of 1 year

Edward: Yes.
Roy: how can that be...??????....are you sure it is not just the updating will expire or both....???

Edward: Roy, you have purchased 1 year license key for Bitdefender, that will expire at the end of the year.
Roy: that does not make any sense at all....???????.....when you purchase any product it never expires when you buy the license...if what you are saying is true then I need to speak or chat with a higher level person, this is not correct, should I contact the main office by telephone....????

Edward: The license key has days of validity Roy, it expires when those days of validity have passed.
Roy: I can understand if it is for just updating the virus definitions but to tell me the software will stop working after 1 year makes no sense at all......????

Edward: When you have purchased the software Roy, it was saying there for how many years to purchase it.The license key that you have purchased is valid for one year.
Roy: I understand what you are saying, but does not make any sense, I am going to

Roy: copy this and send it to Coporate and get some for feedback

Edward: Roy, please look on the website you should see that Bitdefender can be purchased yearly.
Roy: if you have a few moments let me jump to another screen and look to see.....

Edward: Of course, take your time.
Roy: what I see on the screen (https://my.bitdefender.com/en_us/my/#page=main.index) is Active "subscription" - expires in 365 day(s), that tells me then the updating of definitions will stop but not the software....

Edward: Yes Roy it updates the virus Definitions.
Roy: okay, now were getting some where, during or chat I kept getting this feeling that your telling me the software will stop working PERIOD after 1 year

Edward: But it will stop working after one year, both the updates and the virus protection.
Roy: are you absolutely, positive about this.???????????

Edward: Yes.
Edward: Please check the Bitdefender website to see the prices and for how long you can purchase the software.
Roy: thats all I needed to know, I will have to contact your main office, thanks for you help

Edward: Would there be anything else that I may be able to assist you with?

Roy: no thats fine

[raidmagic]

What can I help you with? You bought it for a year so in 365 days it will explode and your computer will die...should have waited for a leap year, you'd have gotten another day

[Cal92Coupe]

If the software does work like Edward says it is a first for me.

[Fluffy]

It's called rental. You purchase the right to use the software for a year.

Haven't checked your specific software, but it's quite common, more and more so.

[92Roadster]

Originally Posted by Fluffy

It's called rental. You purchase the right to use the software for a year.

Haven't checked your specific software, but it's quite common, more and more so.

.....rental...wtf....rental software...well there ad is misleading as
hell because I was understanding it as there defentition "subscription" only stop in 1 year....I'm going to try and get my
money back....I DON'T RENT SOFTWARE.....

[car_dude427]

Most Anti-virus software companies are like this now its total b.s. Norton, Kapersky probably all of the big companies the only one that remains free is the windows defender thing. Its not like its cheaper to renew either, same damn price as to buy a disc... actually cheaper to buy a new one from the store sometimes. The worst part is after the year is up the antivirus harrasses you to renew. You are not alone in thinking its b.s

[Fluffy]

Originally Posted by 92Roadster

.....rental...wtf....rental software...well there ad is misleading as
hell because I was understanding it as there defentition "subscription" only stop in 1 year....I'm going to try and get my
money back....I DON'T RENT SOFTWARE.....

Rental software is a business plan like any other, always make an informed decision before purchasing.

The end user license agreement for your software stipulates - thank you google search: "The Bitdefender Product may automatically be deactivated at the end of the License Period"

Further on it states:

"Upon any termination or expiration of this Agreement, you must cease use of Bitdefender Product and destroy all copies of Bitdefender and the Documentation"

Basically, you have a rental agreement. By installing the software, you agreed to this EULA (you had to explicitly check the box during the installation procedure)

Do like me, find alternatives or do safe surfing

As a general rule of thumb, when you see a duration, you know it's rental.

Otherwise you have:

- software purchase: xx $
- 1 year maintenance plan: yy $

If you don't have that, it's rental.



ps: I have no relation with this company, I work in the IT department of a bank.

[92Roadster]

.....your right on all counts, I chatted with a different support
person I got the same dam response, except:

Alden: I understand. In this case, I will escalate the request to
the sales department, and they will contact you back, via e-mail,
in the shortest time possible, with all the information regarding
the refund. Is that okay?

[92Roadster]

Originally Posted by raidmagic

What can I help you with? You bought it for a year so in 365 days it will explode and your computer will die...should have waited for a leap year, you'd have gotten another day

..least it won't have a virus....

[Junkman2008]

Originally Posted by car_dude427

Most Anti-virus software companies are like this now its total b.s. Norton, Kapersky probably all of the big companies the only one that remains free is the windows defender thing. Its not like its cheaper to renew either, same damn price as to buy a disc... actually cheaper to buy a new one from the store sometimes. The worst part is after the year is up the antivirus harrasses you to renew. You are not alone in thinking its b.s

There are good alternatives to the subscription based antivirus programs out there. They are not the BEST alternative but depending on how you surf, they can suffice. For all of my customers, I recommend the FREE version of Avast antivirus if I feel that they are not the porn surfing types. If they are porn hogs, I only recommend one antivirus protection, Kaspersky Antivirus.

Now here's the deal. Kaspersky makes 50 different versions of antivirus protection. The ONLY one that I ever recommend is their basic protection, NOTHING more. Everything else is nothing more than a resource hog and their basic protection is good enough to catch anything the Internet can throw at you. The problem is, some people INVITE viruses into their computers by the stupid stuff they do, no matter how much protection they have. If you circumvent your protection by surfing like an idiot and downloading everything you see, a virus infection is in your future.

Now Roadster, the way every pay virus program that I have ever seen is purchased on a yearly or subscription basis. After the year is up, you have to pay a fee in order to continue to download the program's virus definitions. The virus definitions are the secret to your computer being protected. If you don't renew your subscription, you may still have the program and it will still work to a degree but you will no longer be protected from the latest threats. You can equate it to having an AAA card. If you allow the yearly fee to lapse, you will still have the card but the only thing it will be good for is chopping up cocaine. Not that I would know how to do that ...

You should have talked to me before you bought anything. I would have sent you in a different direction than that crap you bought. At least you didn't buy Norton's. That and McAfee are the two worst pieces of crap on the market.

[djsroknrol]

Originally Posted by car_dude427

Most Anti-virus software companies are like this now its total b.s. Norton, Kapersky probably all of the big companies the only one that remains free is the windows defender thing. Its not like its cheaper to renew either, same damn price as to buy a disc... actually cheaper to buy a new one from the store sometimes. The worst part is after the year is up the antivirus harrasses you to renew. You are not alone in thinking its b.s

Not entirely true...AVG Free is still free for a year and is upgradable every year for free

[Junkman2008]

Originally Posted by djsroknrol

Not entirely true...AVG Free is still free for a year and is upgradable every year for free

As well is Avast, a much better program.

[92Roadster]

Originally Posted by Junkman2008

you may still have the program and it will still work to a degree but you will no longer be protected from the latest threats. You should have talked to me before you bought anything. I would have sent you in a different direction than that crap you bought. At least you didn't buy Norton's. That and McAfee are the two worst pieces of crap on the market.

.....not Bitdefender, they keep telling me it will be deactived
and will cease to work period (which I thought was dumb), like
buying a computer game and after 365 days, it stops if you
don't send them more money...??????

.....but I'm trying to understand was in showing below:

[Junkman2008]

I still don't see where it will stop working after a year. I was told that a software title that I purchased was only good for 32 recoveries of data. I questioned tech support about this because I had used it way more than 32 times. They told me that I was supposed to stop using it after 32 times and buy another $600 license. I said, "Oh really?"

It is still working to this day.

[ArKay99]

So, you want free healthcare for your computer too? How do you think companies are going to pay for ObamaCare? Answer: They are going to charge their customers more for te end product. Like I said, if you think healthcare is free now, wait until it's free.

I've been using Microsoft Security Essentials on a few of my puters. It's free, pretty comprehensive and actually caught and fixed an internet virus on one of machines that Kaspersky Anti-Virus, which I had a 2 year subscription for 3 puters for $79, missed and couldn't find.

As said above, Avast is free and good too. Look around. MalwareBytes is good at keeping malware in check and it's free too.

Then there is Apple, Macintosh, and OSX