Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Cleanup => Topic started by: REDACTED on October 27, 2014, 12:04:18 PM
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I have tried to send support tickets to support and I've gotten one email back many days later. This is what I got! Telling me I havn't paid at all and I should await a second email that still hasn't come and it's now been another 48 hours. I attempted to contact them as soon (less than 24 hours after I bought it) as I could to get my money back but I'm not getting much of a response.
(http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/300/3/d/email_by_justfiyen-d84blrx.png)
Here's paypals:
(http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/300/3/1/paypal_by_justfiyen-d84bm3m.png)
Bank:
(http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/300/3/3/bank_by_justfiyen-d84bm9c.png)
Is there anyway I can get a refund? Do I have to go to paypals support to get it back?
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tickets
That is your problem.
Submitting multiple tickets/changing a ticket will put you back to the bottom of the stack.
Not only that is slowing down the process,
but it also means avast has to check more things which will slow the process even more down.
Also it can take 10 business days (2 weeks) before a refund is given.
Just have patience.
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10 days to issue a refund? avast is much faster about collecting the money when getting paid for the product than giving it back when the product doesn't work.
i have a similar situation. whoever wants to read can make up his/her own mind whether this is a product they want to purchase.
1. grimefighter purchased and installed. with software enabled the machine could not boot past the grimefighter sedation screen which would just hang for hours. on hard reboot it detected the same 26 items to speed up the system. if selected to remove, machine would not boot. so this loop continued indefinitely. internet search revealed this is a common complaint. apparently this software is not ready for primetime.
2. i had no idea the software would possess my machine during the boot sequence. no hint that this is how the software works before purchase. had i known that i would not have purchased it. risky stuff like that can render the machine unbootable (which has also been reported about this product). who wants to take the risk?
3. the software would not display which particular items it disabled. highly disappointing that the user has zero control to (de)select, or even at the very least be informed what is being disabled. had i known that i would not have purchased it to begin with. seriously, how many will want a black box software making unknown changes to my system if they know this is how the software works before purchasing it? plus this is deceptive because the avast free antivirus (which generated the grimefighter ad popup that lead me to purchase the grimefighter upgrade) does not function this way but gives you full control over what malware it has found and what to do with it, so one reasonably expect the upgrade to function the same way. guess not...
4. paid by paypal. the customer service number in the paypal payment was for "digitalrever US inc". they only cancelled the recurring subscription but would not refund my money. told me to deal with avast. why they can cancel subscription but can't refund my money? whatever...
5. called avast customer support. live entity on the phone said they don't issue refunds on the phone. i have to submit trouble ticket. more inconvenience. why not just give customers a refund on the phone? she told me submitting trouble ticket is the best and fastest way to address my problem. huh?? 'scuse me, but it is actually the *only* way to address my problem bc avast refuses to do it any other way. had i known this is the level of customer support i would get, i would not have purchased the product.
6. i submitted trouble ticket. not very optimistic about getting my money back in a timely manner given the feedback i am seeing on the internet. never had to jump through hoops like this to get a refund for a software product before, ever.
7. then i get this same email with the "We regret to inform you, that we have not received your payment during the past 3 days, so that we have now cancelled this order." that's not only confusing but just plain false, it's not what happened. i paid by paypal and money was immediately debited from my paypal balance. can't these people get their system straight?
8. funny thing is, after i uninstalled the so-called grimefighter, i also uninstalled the avast free antivirus. and behold -- the system went back to lightning speed. so it was avast antivirus that was slowing the system down to a crawl, not the alleged 26 mystery items that grimefighter supposedly claimed are responsible for slowing down my system. this is the only positive thing i can report about this software, it actually inadvertently led me to uninstall avast antivirus which was slowing down my machine. so thanks for that.
i'll wait for a refund through this support ticket since that is the only venue avast has given me. if i don't get it in a timely manner this feedback will proliferate.
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avast is much faster about collecting the money when getting paid for the product than giving it back when the product doesn't work.
It is not avast that collects the money.
1]
I agree. There are still way too much problems with it.
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You could have done a little research. It is mentioned in many places.
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It tells you after it is finished and you can undo things.
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That is how the business model works.
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That is not avast, it is a third party.
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If you submitted the ticket with the 30 days, you will get a refund.
Just have patience and do not create another ticket or change the current one or you would get back at the bottom of the stack.
7]
If money is out of your account, it doesn't mean avast/digital river has received it.
It has to go between banks and there can be a delay.
8]
It doesn't have to be avast that slowed down things.
Could also be leftovers from a previous av or other security software.
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It is not avast that collects the money.
whether avast collects directly or through another party whom they choose to use is obviously irrelevant to my point. the point, since it seems to have escaped you, is that refunds should be processed in a fast and convenient for the customer manner. what i have experienced is neither.
a general criterion is that refund process should be about as quick and simple for the customer as the payment. and a practical measure of how fast and how convenient it should be vs. how it actually is, is reflected by multiple complaints that are posted by customers on this subject. the fact that a different entity processes the payment and the refund is not a good thing in this regard.
1]
I agree. There are still way too much problems with it.
then they should not be offering it for sale to the public. have you been advising potential customers not to purchase it or existing customers to uninstall it and get a refund?
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You could have done a little research. It is mentioned in many places.
what places? shouldn't have to. products of this type generally do not possess your machine at boot time by default (e.g., avast AV boot scan will not happen w/o user intervention, etc). important info like that should be communicated prominently to the customer when he gets the popup ad that this is how the grimefighter software functions. given that most customers are surprised by this it is the vendor's fault for not revealing enough about the software to the (potential) customer.
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It tells you after it is finished and you can undo things.
well, it just locked up my machine and never finished so i don't know what it does after it's finished. anyway, that's backwards. the items should be listed once identified so i can make decision BEFORE the software disables them.
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That is how the business model works.
thanks for this tautological comment.
that's how *this* business model works. it doesn't have to be this way. i was posting my feedback to explain why this business model is not a good one for the customer and therefore for the vendor because the complaints will tarnish their reputation.
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That is not avast, it is a third party.
no. it was avast. as i said, i contacted avast after i was directed to do so by digitalriver. please pay attention.
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If you submitted the ticket with the 30 days, you will get a refund.
Just have patience and do not create another ticket or change the current one or you would get back at the bottom of the stack.
10 days -- or in other posts you indicate up to 2 weeks, so i don't know which one -- is excessive wait to get a refund.
7]
If money is out of your account, it doesn't mean avast/digital river has received it.
It has to go between banks and there can be a delay.
that is highly unlikely on general considerations -- since it was funded by paypal cash balance in my paypal account the money is transferred to the destination paypal account instantly. 2nd, in this particular case digital river confirmed on the phone that the payment had in fact been received, they just refused to refund it. the subsequent email i received after submitting the ticket was contradictory to the fact that the payment was in fact received.
in case it is not obvious why such an email makes a customer nervous: an email that erroneously says the payment has not been received implies that it cannot be refunded. so the customer is confused whether to just wait and hope that a refund is still coming despite the contradictory email, or to delay the refund by replying and thereby pushing back the response to the refund request ticket. this is poor, disorganized customer service.
8]
It doesn't have to be avast that slowed down things.
Could also be leftovers from a previous av or other security software.
it can't because no other AV was ever installed on this OS. btw, avast AV would not uninstall properly either and froze at the end, i had to download and use the avast uninstaller tool in safe mode.
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1]
Yes I have, but is still the persons own decision to buy it or not.
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called avast customer support.
avast doesn't have a phone number for customer support. It is a third party.
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10 business days = 2 weeks
8]
btw, avast AV would not uninstall properly either and froze at the end
A very strong indication that your system is/was not healthy. Either software, hardware or a combination of it. This can also have caused GrimeFighter not to work properly.
If you installed windows 8 or 8.1 there sure is a av on the system.
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called avast customer support.
avast doesn't have a phone number for customer support.
yes it does. http://www.avast.com/en-us/support clearly says "avast customer and technical support" and the # is 866-951-7679. i called that number. therefore i called avast customer and technical support. therefore i called avast customer support. which is what i said.
A very strong indication that your system is/was not healthy. Either software, hardware or a combination of it. This can also have caused GrimeFighter not to work properly.
implausible explanation. i see common reports of the GF boot problems. i see support posts acknowledging it as known unresolved problem with GF, caused not by unhealthy systems but normal system config specs, like unsupported video cards. plus system got slow only some time after avast AV installed. avast AV uninstalled, now system fast again. entirely sufficient explanation with least number of assumptions is that avast was the problem.
If you installed windows 8 or 8.1 there sure is a av on the system.
i already said there was never another AV on the system. so it can't be 8+. it's windows 7.
bottom line, GF is a disappointment and so is customer support. i'll post update so readers can see how long it took and what i had to do to get it.
EDIT: after reading about all the awful problems my advice to avast support personnel reading this is to discontinue this product altogether until it's stable before it ruins avast's reputation or gets avast sued. your product is screwing up people's machines and rendering them unbootable. at least i was lucky enough to get my machine to boot. some people were not as lucky. personally i'm not using avast products after this, just not worth the risk.
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Fair enough!
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From this
https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=153058.45 (https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=153058.45) Post #59
There is An Avast Phone Support number.
Snip> "So jonnywill1661 and cridgejm, if you contacted Avast Total Support to the numbers indicated on the webpage (http://www.avast.com/en-us/total-support (http://www.avast.com/en-us/total-support) or http://www.avast.com/en-gb/total-support (http://www.avast.com/en-gb/total-support)or for another country), you have indeed contacted the only Avast official phone support, and they are contracted by us to present themselves that way and to provide that service. For any issues with the call center please attempt first to contact them by phone directly or submit a ticket to us https://support.avast.com/Tickets/Submit"
Edit: additional
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Hi vectorbundle,
Can you please post your support ticket number here? I will expedite it on my side.
I also want to apologize for the negative impression the product and our support response has given.
Regarding the product itself, we are constantly trying to improve the user experience. Specifically, we will be very soon adding a button to the product screen that allows users to see details of the grime/issues we have found. At the end of the cleaning itself, the user does have control over what can be changed or not.
There is also now a scheduling function that allows users to set specific days/times for the product to run.
Again, very sorry for this experience and please do post your support ticket here so I can follow up on it for you.
Regards,
davidek
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I still have not gotten a refund incase anyone is wondering. I feel like I'm being walked around in circles and they're trying to do everything but just give me back my money!!!
This is horrible costumer service, there's some kind of communication problem somewhere and it's only hurting the costumers!!
If you can help the ticket is: #FMU-533-99700
vectorbundle's issue is exactly the issue I'm having.
I had an email sent to me what MIGHT fix it in return for asking for a refund. But at this point I just want a refund!
Avast slowed down my system so much I couldn't even game online properly so that's just another issue.
Please someone, help?
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David posts all the time about helping to improve the experience, but I've seen posts going back to February and the same problems are still happening. This product is a complete SCAM. Class action lawsuit material.
I think I've read more unhappy, unsatisfied cusfomer topics and posts than positive. Does this program even work??
The shills on the forum aren't going to be much help, might as well keep calling them and demand a refund!!
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Hi Jariellea,
I escalated your refund request in our support group today so I expect it will be handled asap. It might take the bank another couple days to process the request but be sure it is being handled on our end asap.
I do sincerely apologize for the frustration this has caused.
I would also like to respond to tbkitzan. You are right that there are many negative posts on the forum and we are not trying to hide from that but the very nature of forums is to support users who are having issues, rarely are users just posting that they love the product. However, as I said it's a valid criticism from you and not taken lightly by us.
There have been several improvements in compatibility of the app over the last couple of months including significantly better support of graphics cards and also support of Win8 systems not running UEFI. We still are facing issues with network adapters and this has definitely caused some unhappy customers. We have a release coming in Jan/Feb next year which should also help us identify user systems that may not be compatible with GrimeFighter and in those cases we won't even offer the product to avoid giving users a unhappy experience.
We are also working on some other changes to the product for Q2 next year that will make the product even better. I can't go into detail quite yet.
The other thing to mention is that we have a couple hundred thousand customers and many are satisfied with the product, but we still hear and care very much about those users who are not happy and trying very hard to improve.
Thanks for reading this somewhat long post,
Davidek
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Hi Jariellea,
The refund was issued on Nov 18 so should be back to your bank account (if not already) any day now.
Regards,
davidek
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I haven't seen it yet in my bank, but I'll keep my eye out for it.
Thank you.
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I ordered, paid for and followed instructions for downloading GrimeFighter on Nov. 5. When it didn't install, I called Tech Support on Nov. 6 and was told the product was incompatible with my computer. I filled out a ticket requesting a refund that day. It is now Nov. 29 and not only have I not received the refund, but Avast has never even given me the courtesy of a reply. They owe me $19.99 and I'd certainly appreciate hearing from a human being about when I might get it. Thanks.
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budruk, mention your ticket number here.
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me too, and i wont be paying for avast trial im on for 190 days or whatever, damage done to my system through your errors is gonna cost me more to repair
the most annoying thing is telling me i have no license!!
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Have been an Avast Pro Antivirus user for several years. Persuaded by Avast advertising to trial Grimefighter which I purchased and installed and first ran 4 November. No noticeable performance change, ran again with same result over next two days.
Logged in to my Avast account 6 November and lodged a refund claim with complete details of the purchase record including the official purchase order and payment details.
Received on same date an emailed acknowledgement from Avast quoting Ticket Id VXC-695-59366.
Nothing further heard from Avast so have decided to register my complaint on this forum and sent a reminder to Avast that the ticket has not been actioned upon after almost a month despite claims that refunds will be promptly attended to.
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The Refund process is less then prompt, however there is definitely an issue here. Let's see if you get any better assurance here in this topic as you have provided your Ticket # and this topic has been monitored by Avast Team member Davidek.
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Hi STEWIE,
I sent a mail to our refund team asking them to check the status on this asap. Will let you know as soon as I hear more. Should get some additional info today or tomorrow latest.
Sorry for the frustration this has undoubtedly caused.
Davidek
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Hi STEWIE,
Your refund was issued yesterday by us, might take a few days for your bank to process but it has been handled on our side.
Once again apologies for this situation.
-Davidek
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I too want a refund from buying grimefighter. I have been a loyal avast customer for over five years and never really had any problems until I downloaded the full version and grimefighter now it is gonna cost me at least a hundred dollars to fix all the errors and problems avast has caused to my system. I have made out a ticket requesting a refund on Nov. 29 ( #PWT-959-65518) and I still have not heard anything. When I contacted customer service they wanted to do a scan on my computer to see what they could do to fix my issue and created more errors and problems by doing this. Their staff is a bunch of pompous idiots that say they have the best and only viable product out there. Then why are there so many unhappy customers requesting a refund?
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When I contacted customer service they wanted to do a scan on my computer to see what they could do to fix my issue and created more errors and problems by doing this. Their staff is a bunch of pompous idiots that say they have the best and only viable product out there.
Those are not people from avast but a third company as has been explained many times already. Please use the search option before posting and read. avast has never said they have the only viable product in this category.
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"Those are not people from avast but a third company as has been explained many times already. Please use the search option before posting and read. avast has never said they have the only viable product in this category. "
The phone number is posted on Avast's support page and use the name Avast therefore they are Avast. There is a very simple solution to this problem. If Avast as a company doesn't want to get a bad rap from this so called 'third party' company then they need to tell those ppl to stop saying they are with Avast and stop advertising that phone number as Avast's customer support. As for your condisending attitude I don't appreciate it and it gives me even more reason to not want to use Avast anymore. I am a paying customer, and as stated before loyal for over five years and I expect a bit more from a company that claims to want good customer relationships. Avast is really losing any loyalty that I still have and is leaving a very bitter taste in my mouth.
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The phone number is posted on Avast's support page and use the name Avast therefore they are Avast.
No, that is not how it works. avast is responsible for hiring them and for the taking care that they do a good job, but they aren't part of avast. It is still a separate company.
avast is working on improving things, but that can't be done overnight.
Amongst other things, there are the agreements in contracts that they have to follow.
If it was as simple as just removing the phone number from the website and say to them "screw it", avast would have done so.
As for your condisending attitude I don't appreciate it and it gives me even more reason to not want to use Avast anymore
I'm not working for avast. I was a paid customer and now are only using the free version. With all the current problems I don't feel it is worth spending my money on.
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Hi djsilvertail,
I contacted our refund team just now and asked them to expedite your ticket. I am curious to know what issues you ran into with the product that have caused you to seek out a refund. We value your feedback, even when it isn't positive, because it helps us to improve it.
Thanks and regards,
Davidek
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Ticket ID# PXZ-363-92531
Hi Davidek, i to am a long time lover of Avast - I too rcvd an email - Saying Upgrade (Pay) Now - I did - by doing so i LOST 69 Days of my Year(s) long acct.
i was told 11/25/2014 that it would be taken care of Right Away! - Now 14 day's later! - I'm Told it will Take 45 to 50 day's More (Or NO Refund!) - What's Going On with the Number #1 (In My & My Family's Book ) Security Co. ? - I just want to use my bucks until it's time to Re-UP again, Please!
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Thanks Davidek, the main problems I was running into with Avast products was as soon as I updated to the paid version my computer slowed down, and I was getting weird windows errors that I wasn't before. This caused me to purchase grimefighter thinking maybe it was all the grime that Avast kept saying I had. I ran grimefighter and it got even worse. My computer would get a black screen everytime I would turn on my computer, and it took a good ten minutes to boot up when it actually would go thru. Once I was on my computer and playing my games or browsing the net my computer would freeze or kick me off my wifi. Not to mention Avast not allowing programs thru the firewall when everything had been allowed. I then disabled Avast and installed another program which found a bunch of viruses, pups and crap that avast never even noticed. I cleaned up my computer with this new program and contacted the customer support team on the phone and that's when they told me Avast wasn't working because I had other programs on my computer and they were conflicting. I tried to explain that this is not true as I didn't have the new program until I had disabled Avast but they wouldn't listen and told me that I had windows errors going back to January (which is not true as I had my computer professionally redone in October.) I tried to explain this to the tech on the phone and that is when he went on his 'avast is the best and only choice and we are the only ones trained to fix your computer properly because we are microsoft trained' bull. He then tried to sell me there year of 'professional help' and I told him I was not interested. A few hours later my computer started crashing and I was getting windows errors up the wazoo. I contacted my local tech support that wiped my computer and had them take a look. They found viruses and crap embedded in my computer that should not be there. This whole process has already cost me over fifty bucks (not including the price of grimefighter) and lets not forget all the fustration and headaches of the past few weeks. Anyways like I have said before I was a loyal customer and therefore maybe I expect more out of Avast but they way things are going right now I have lost my trust and I'm rapidly losing my faith in the process. I just want my money back plz and would like t call this disagreement closed.
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and installed another program which found a bunch of viruses, pups and crap that avast never even noticed.
What exactly did you install? Keep in mind that there is no application that can detect/fix everything.
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Hello guys. Please give instruction how to get refund for Grimefighter.
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Hi djsilvertail and cd5762,
I've expedited your refund requests so I expect those will be issue today or tomorrow latest and might take a couple days for your bank to process. Please be sure that it will be handled asap on our side though.
Once again, apologies for the frustration this has caused.
Davidek
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vladimire,
as has been explained over and over again....
Submit a ticket.
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Hello,
I too have sent a refund request already on 15th November (ticket #LAU-339-87622) for my grimefighter purchase due to it not working on my computer (it freezes during the sedation process or shows the "INIT: no more processes left in the runlevel" error) but haven't received any reply from Avast other than the acknowledgment that the ticket was received. I haven't created any new tickets or edited the one I sent ever since. I understand the refund process should take about 2 weeks but it's been almost a month.