Thanks for the quick response - I'm impressed. :-)
I purchased another Avast license the other day (for a new laptop), but I didn't receive the license file to activate it. I managed to find the order online and found the license key, but then I couldn't work out how to apply it. I rang their support line, and to cut a long story short, he told me that my laptop was running very slow (it wasn't), and that it had logged some "serious errors" in just the few weeks since I purchased it (the laptop). And yes, as you said, they then wanted me to purchase a 12 month support package ($200), or for a one off $140) they could 'fix' the problem. If it wasn't me calling them, I would have thought that I was talking to a scammer!!!! The 'expert' was extremely persistent despite what I was saying. I finally lost my cool, told him what I thought, and hung up. He called back straight away, and kept going on at me. In the end, he said 'good luck, you'll need it". He said that Avast was conflicting with Windows Defender and leaving my laptop susceptible to hackers, and that if I didn't do something immediately, well, he couldn't guarantee anything.
In the end, I uninstalled the existing Avast, reinstalled, and was able to put the license key in. It's all working fine now. I wanted to email them to complain about the treatment I received from their 'technical expert'. More to vent my frustration than anything else. I never had any problems with the software and am happy with it - just not their technical 'support'.
Thanks for allowing me to let it all out on here. :-)
Rod