Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: nt1000 on March 09, 2012, 06:06:49 AM
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I called in to AVAST Support (outsourced to iYogi) to resolve a problem. I have Avast 7 Internet Security Suite. Everything works except my firewall. When I click on 'Fix Now' or 'Start"(firewall), i get "Firewall could not be started" error window.
The support guy refused to even attempt troubleshooting without granting him remote access to my PC. Finally, I allowed him remote access.
After looking at my AVast firewall settings, he quickly proceeded to access other areas of my PC such as Registry, Event Viewer, TEMP folders, etc.. using the excuse of "your problem root cause may be in one of these areas". He then tried to scare me into thinking my PC had all kinds of issues and may not be optimized. He then claimed that because my PC was not optimized, thus is the case of my firewall problem.
Finally, the truth came out: HE WAS TRYING TO SELL ME ON PURCHASING THE IYOGI PC OPTIMIZATION AND SUPPORT SERVICES FOR EXTRA $$$!! ALL THIS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH MY ORIGINAL PROBLEM. HE WASTED 30 MINUTES OF MY TIME WITH THIS BULL $. I stopped him right away and told him to get back to the original problem. He immediately transferred me via CHAT ONLY (NO VOICE) to some other guy who also remotely accessed my PC. I waited there and he did noting so I disconnected the session. SORRY IM NOT GOING TO LEAVE OPEN ACCESS TO MY PC TO SOME GUY IN ANOTHER COUNTRY.
They should stick with troubleshooting avast problems and NOT try to sell us on their own services. I feel cheated.
I went ahead and installed ZoneAlarm Firewall for the firewall portion and everything works fine.
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Sadly, this is not a scam.
Scams are fake fronts for a straight rip-off....iYogi just hard-sells a ridiculously overpriced service. A service that probably delivers what it says, and had better, for the price they ask.
Search the forums for iyogi, and you will see this is not the first complaint...wont be the last either. I'm sure they have plenty of good people working for them, but they suffer either from a flawed business model (incentive for getting people signed up, this is always always always FAIL) or they need to seriously check out their employees pre-hire better, or they need much better supervision.
If you care enough to, contact riley@avast.com for complaints with the 3rd party service. He is pretty good at getting everything straightened out.
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Sadly, this is not a scam.
Scams are fake fronts for a straight rip-off....iYogi just hard-sells a ridiculously overpriced service. A service that probably delivers what it says, and had better, for the price they ask.
Search the forums for iyogi, and you will see this is not the first complaint...wont be the last either. I'm sure they have plenty of good people working for them, but they suffer either from a flawed business model (incentive for getting people signed up, this is always always always FAIL) or they need to seriously check out their employees pre-hire better, or they need much better supervision.
If you care enough to, contact riley@avast.com for complaints with the 3rd party service. He is pretty good at getting everything straightened out.
I don't understand why such a great company like Avast is even using them. There are many complaints about them. Has anyone had a positive experience with them? What specifics are they doing wrong? What do they need to do to improve? To the OP, is your computer OK now? Or worse since you asked for their help? Or the same as before you called?
Jack
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It has been explained before, but it amounts to Avast! seeing the good as outweighing the bad....they apparently handle a good amount of customers for them, like into 4 digit numbers per day. But the large volume of the good they do comes from simple requests from computer illiterates who have trouble even installing a program. It is when they get to rummaging in the Event Viewer that things seem to go south fast. That, and as I said, I'd almost put money on them having some incentive for selling the premium service, that will always lead to trouble just like with car salesmen who operate under the same model (incentive for sales).
OPs OK for now though, albeit without Avast! FW anymore
I went ahead and installed ZoneAlarm Firewall for the firewall portion and everything works fine.
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Sadly, this is not a scam.
When someone's trying to sell you something you neither want or need, and are doing so by being misleading, or giving misinformation, and using scare tactics that is a scam.
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Sadly, this is not a scam.
When someone's trying to sell you something you neither want or need, and are doing so by being misleading, or giving misinformation, and using scare tactics that is a scam.
Do you feel like I'm defending iYogi? Trust me, I want nothing of them either. To rephrase for the definition-sensitive....They are not just trying to take your money and run, you would get what they promised with their service. But it is overpriced (imo) and some of their operators sell it too hard.
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We've warned avast! team about it several times but they still insist on iYogi as first line of support since it's free. Which i find unfortunate as they only make avast! look bad with their (iYogi's) nonsense proceedure, which is exactly the same for everyone from what i can see from the posts of angry users.
They always make remote access, then they supposedly find bunch of other problems and then they try to sell their service.
That's just stupid policy. Fix the original problem and user might really consider into buying their service since they'd see they actually know how to fix problems. But if they just try to sell something to you, it's like coming to a clinic with a gunshot wound and doctor tries to sell you some very expensive vitamins as the first option. Just ridiculous.
NOW BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL PROBLEM:
If you don't mind handing me over the Remote Assistance access through avast! 7.0 (i have time today) i can check it out quickly what it might be the problem or if you don't feel like it after iYogi experience, could you please look into the Event Viewer for starters if there are any errors or warnings mentioned around the time you started seeing the issues with the avast! Firewall.
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Well, we don't see the happy people (an exhausted fact but still true)...the happy people are the ones glad they did not have to use a forum....I know it might be hard for forum lovers to grasp, but some people hate forums, mostly from prior bad experience (with intellectual snobbery), some just because it is too foreign, some really need to hear a voice. And Avast! has to cater to all its customers.
While this is a good argument for phone service in general, I still can't find enough positive from iYogi, mainly because, sure it keeps your PEBKAC customers happy....but it offends the type of user that recommends the product and installs it for people, possibly doing more harm than good.
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We've warned avast! team about it several times but they still insist on iYogi as first line of support since it's free. Which i find unfortunate as they only make avast! look bad with their (iYogi's) nonsense procedure, which is exactly the same for everyone from what i can see from the posts of angry users.
They always make remote access, then they supposedly find bunch of other problems and then they try to sell their service.
That's just stupid policy. Fix the original problem and user might really consider into buying their service since they'd see they actually know how to fix problems. But if they just try to sell something to you, it's like coming to a clinic with a gunshot wound and doctor tries to sell you some very expensive vitamins as the first option. Just ridiculous.
I have to agree. And it just makes Avast look bad when people have awful experiences with iYogi. It's hard to believe that Avast could not find a better company with a stronger reputation as a third party assistant. Isn't it true that iYogi also is affiliated with other companies besides Avast? It sounds like the bad outweigh the good. Maybe Avast thinks iYogi is better than nothing? I think this forum is better than anything iYogi could do, and the forum really is free!
Jack
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Maybe Avast thinks iYogi is better than nothing? I think this forum is better than anything iYogi could do, and the forum really is free!
Thats pretty much it, better than nothing, which is what they had before.
As far as the forum....As I said, not everyone wants to, or should have to, use a forum, good or not.
Especially paying customers, I don't know if its the same abroad, but over here in the states, consumers are pretty demanding, for every dime spent they want a $.20 worth of service....they never get it, but that doesn't change the want.
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I'd like to know how many users actually got what they asked at iYogi? I'm sure avast! guys make some kind of satisfactory survey among users who were seeking help with iYogi right? If not, it would be a good idea to start doing that. Because if their procedure to fix problems is like this (and it appears to be like this) i don't think anyone ever gets any proper support and they just can't be bothered to post about it here on forums. And the others who do seems that they all had the exactly same experience. There might also be a 3rd option which are computer illiterate users who pay iYogi and think they got a good deal. But i wonder if they actually fixed the issue then?
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;) At first I thought it a good idea because Avast sent me to them when I called Avast support. That was 1 week ago! My PC was a mess after the most recent update to Avast Internet Security V7, so here it was 3:00 am and I reluctantly allowed them remote access to my PC to fix the issue. Well, to make a very long story short...today was my 7th time contacting Avast (by the way they no longer have phone support, even for us paying customers) through IYogi which I in ignorance purchased. I have watched as they remotely do everything I could have done myself! But the one the technicians told me, "Not to worry, we will fix the problem and having your computer at 100 %". Now that is too funny :P. I truly like Avast to protect my system, but this is getting a tad ridiculous. Have not had one complaint since I decided to upgrade from free version in Dec. 2010 until now.
Just wanted to add my 2 cents (more like $169.00 for a year of yogi :-\.
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Streim welcome to Avast! forum.
;) At first I thought it a good idea because Avast sent me to them when I called Avast support. That was 1 week ago! My PC was a mess after the most recent update to Avast Internet Security V7, so here it was 3:00 am and I reluctantly allowed them remote access to my PC to fix the issue. Well, to make a very long story short...today was my 7th time contacting Avast (by the way they no longer have phone support, even for us paying customers) through IYogi which I in ignorance purchased. I have watched as they remotely do everything I could have done myself! But the one the technicians told me, "Not to worry, we will fix the problem and having your computer at 100 %". Now that is too funny :P. I truly like Avast to protect my system, but this is getting a tad ridiculous. Have not had one complaint since I decided to upgrade from free version in Dec. 2010 until now.
Just wanted to add my 2 cents (more like $169.00 for a year of yogi :-\.
You might want to read this:
http://news.techworld.com/security/3345063/avast-antivirus-support-firm-apologises-for-mis-selling/
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...today was my 7th time contacting Avast (by the way they no longer have phone support, even for us paying customers) through IYogi which I in ignorance purchased. I have watched as they remotely do everything I could have done myself! But the one the technicians told me, "Not to worry, we will fix the problem and having your computer at 100 %". Now that is too funny :P.
Read here: https://blog.avast.com/2012/03/15/iyogi-support-service-removed/
We will also work to ensure that any users that feel they have been misled into purchasing a premium support receive a full refund. We ask that users send any complaints or concerns to support@avast.com or even to myself, the CEO, if desired, vince.steckler@avast.com.
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My WOT (a.k.a My Web of Trust) has a story and more detail about the problems with i-Yogi in their forums. Let's hope Avast NEVER, EVER does business with them again! Avast sadly, may have lost customers with their bad i-Yogi experiences that they can't get back.
http://www.mywot.com/en/forum/21318-avast-ends-it-s-relationship-with-controversial-3rd-party-support-company-iyogi
Jack
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It's good to see Avast looking into this.
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:) :) :) :) THANK YOU so much iroc9555, Asyn, and Jack100 for giving me some actual "brain rest" from all this crazy iYogi business. I have sent an e-mail to avast support staff. I knew I probably wasn't the only one who got "scared" into buying something they didn't need or want---not to mention allowing someone halfway around the world to remotely access my computer. :o >:(
Again thank you for the "honest" support I needed. Should I ever have an unresolved issue, this is where I am coming first. ;)
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THANK YOU so much iroc9555, Asyn, and Jack100 for giving me some actual "brain rest" from all this crazy iYogi business. I have sent an e-mail to avast support staff.
You're welcome.
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:) :) :) :) THANK YOU so much iroc9555, Asyn, and Jack100 for giving me some actual "brain rest" from all this crazy iYogi business. I have sent an e-mail to avast support staff. I knew I probably wasn't the only one who got "scared" into buying something they didn't need or want---not to mention allowing someone halfway around the world to remotely access my computer. :o >:(
Again thank you for the "honest" support I needed. Should I ever have an unresolved issue, this is where I am coming first. ;)
Your welcome! Glad to help!
The only Yogi I want to see is the cute little cartoon bear! ;D
Jack
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Again thank you for the "honest" support I needed. Should I ever have an unresolved issue, this is where I am coming first. ;)
You are most welcome, and sure enough you can come back with any question you might have about Avast!.
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Avast sadly, may have lost customers with their bad i-Yogi experiences that they can't get back.
Without question...avast made a series of missteps with V7 release, and with the turmoil surrounding it with the myriad of issues many users/subscribers faced the last thing avast needed is to have the very people they intended to render support exacerbate the problem further in such a deplorable manner.
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+1
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More disgusting evidence... A client of mine recently renewed his Avast Internet Security for 2 years, but (due to an Avast bug) was unable to properly insert the license file. He then phoned for support, thinking he was contacting Avast. The tech remotely accessed his computer and claimed it was infected with password stealing malwares. Of course, this was a lie! The tech wanted him to pay over four hundred dollars to clean and protect his computer. A TOTAL SCAM! Furthermore, I worry the tech may have himself installed some spywares, afterall we know already he's a crook!
Although I understand this is not Avast doing the scamming directly, at some point Avast must take responsibility and terminate their relationship with these evil scammers!
By the way, the tech never even addressed the original problem.
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Avast has removed iyogi support awhile ago. https://blog.avast.com/2012/03/15/iyogi-support-service-removed/
all phone support claiming to be iyogi support is scam currently until further notice.
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Thank you. I am happy to learn that steps in the right direction have begun.
However, the incident I described happened only 2 days ago, so clearly a serious problem still exists.
Also, what (if any) relationship exists between iYogi, Avast, and PCCare247? PCCare247 seems to be the iYogi replacement - and I am wondering if they are not one in the same.
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Thank you. I am happy to learn that steps in the right direction have begun.
However, the incident I described happened only 2 days ago, so clearly a serious problem still exists.
Also, what (if any) relationship exists between iYogi, Avast, and PCCare247? PCCare247 seems to be the iYogi replacement - and I am wondering if they are not one in the same.
Avast support is via email/ticket or forum, there is no phone support listed right now. PCCare247 are a Gold Reseller but I have seen nothing anywhere to suggest that they are being used to replace iYogi.
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More disgusting evidence... A client of mine recently renewed his Avast Internet Security for 2 years, but (due to an Avast bug) was unable to properly insert the license file. He then phoned for support, thinking he was contacting Avast. The tech remotely accessed his computer and claimed it was infected with password stealing malwares. Of course, this was a lie! The tech wanted him to pay over four hundred dollars to clean and protect his computer. A TOTAL SCAM! Furthermore, I worry the tech may have himself installed some spywares, afterall we know already he's a crook!
Although I understand this is not Avast doing the scamming directly, at some point Avast must take responsibility and terminate their relationship with these evil scammers!
By the way, the tech never even addressed the original problem.
:o Well I was one of those ppl that got scammed out of $169 for a full year of iYogi protection. The person I spoke with said "you have 3 problems with your computer that only a technician can fix and I can offer you that" Well, yup, I did it. And guess what, I had to call 7 times in 7 days because they messed it up worse each time. After convincing me each time my computer was "100%--they would offer a discount of $40 to add another year. I was furious, that is when I came here to the forums and found out about the scam. Do I think they installed spyware, etc. I don't know, however I DO know that they messed up something each time... and as I watched them remotely, I kept telling them, I can do that (many times).
Have your friend write a letter to support@avast.com and give them the information and request a refund! Avast will then contact iYogi and your friend may have to deal with several e-mails and phone calls from iYogi, but insist on the refund. I did, and finally my money was refunded. And never, as I did, let anyone remotely access your PC. Come to these forums, the ppl here are more than willing to help---they did me! :) As a post script, the Avast forum folks helped me resolve the issues and now if something weird happens, I come here. Avast is very good :D
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Fortunately, my client did not give the scammers any money. I agree that Avast is very good - I recommend it to many of my clients. I hope Avast can find a way to avoid this kind of problem going forward, otherwise their reputation may be damaged. Fair or not, most people who experience this scam will blame Avast.
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Just weighing in for a minute:
I'm a freelance tech. I've done some jobs for iYogi, and they are a disaster. The people I have dealt with at their dispatch can barely speak English. They have told customers they need things like motherboards when that is not the case. Now, these customers are under warranty, so it's not making iYogi any money.
I stopped accepting any work from them after the third job, because their level of expertise is embarrassing. I'm surprised Avast would even bother with this company, and I'm glad they've cut them off!
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+1
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They just ripped me off also.
I need a lic replaced, they said they would bl the old one, and they did, but sent no new one.
Dear *****
Thank you for getting back to me.
You will not have to pay any extra fare. We will create a new license file to be valid the same as your original license for free.
I look forward to your reply.
Regards,
Sayaka Yokoki
AVAST Software a.s.
Online Sales Support specialist
Ticket Details
===================
Ticket ID: CSO-86****
Department: [ENG] Sales
Priority: High
The lic got listed, and now Im stuck with a useless program.
Time to DOS these punks
My bank is treating this as fraud bt Avast and NOT a 3rd party.
Punks
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1. Might have been a mistake on the responder's part (having forgotten to include the license), or you may have simply not received the subsequent e-mail e.g. because of a spam filter. Is it so hard to reply and ask for clarification?
2. You can use the following link to resend the valid license (if there is any) to your e-mail address: http://www.avast.com/resend-license-paid.php
3. Why are you stripping the ticket ID? That way you only prevent me from checking the status and letting you know.
4. This is a public forum - please watch your language, this won't be tolerated here.
Thanks.
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IYogi is a scam has anyone actually read their terms and conditions?
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IYogi is a scam has anyone actually read their terms and conditions?
Iyogi were dropped by avast! in April .............. no need to bring up old threads on this.
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Even though the relationship was dropped some time ago, the web pages with iYogi's phone number are still out there and turn up quickly in a Google search. The phone gets answered as if it's Avast!. I got sucked into that last week. The tech took control. He never headed for anything to do with Avast!, but looked until he found a now-empty directory for "conduit." That's just annoyware, and had already been cleaned off. Refused to go any further unless I paid $169 for some service. I taught him a few new words in English and ended the call. Found Avast!'s real support page and downloaded a tool that fixed the problem.
So for the handful saying "not scam"... iYogi is still out there pretending to be Avast! tech support. The felon wannabe I talked to claimed that something that could not possibly have been the problem and said it was a major issue. Tried to con me out of more than $100, which AFAIK is still the threshold for felony in most of the US.
I did let Avast! tech support know about the incident.
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Even though the relationship was dropped some time ago, the web pages with iYogi's phone number are still out there and turn up quickly in a Google search. The phone gets answered as if it's Avast!. I got sucked into that last week. The tech took control. He never headed for anything to do with Avast!, but looked until he found a now-empty directory for "conduit." That's just annoyware, and had already been cleaned off. Refused to go any further unless I paid $169 for some service. I taught him a few new words in English and ended the call. Found Avast!'s real support page and downloaded a tool that fixed the problem.
So for the handful saying "not scam"... iYogi is still out there pretending to be Avast! tech support. The felon wannabe I talked to claimed that something that could not possibly have been the problem and said it was a major issue. Tried to con me out of more than $100, which AFAIK is still the threshold for felony in most of the US.
I did let Avast! tech support know about the incident.
Contrary to your beliefs the phone number is to the current third party support providers.
Currently it is "not" iYogi.
You should tone it down a lot and contact either nekvapil(at)avast(dot)com or riley(at)avast(dot)com
By the way ranting never accomplishes anything.