Dear Avast,
I have been using your superior Internet Security product for many years. I have been in IT as a level III tech for many more years! I recently received the usual yearly email from you to renew my license. So, I clicked on the link to take me to the Digital River payment system to renew for another year. When I got to their web site, I found a very confusing array of jumbled up text on the page. I filled in my contact information and proceeded to the order part. There, to my surprise was only one button to press to finish the transaction, and it said I must accept "Automatic Renewal" in order to complete the sale. I was a little upset at that, but it said I could opt out after I ordered. There was some text that looked like there were other choices above that area, but it was not selectable. So, I just figured the web site developer messed up a little, and it would be OK. I clicked that button. By the way, I was paying by PayPal. I went through the PayPal process.
Here is the problem: The license I received in my email was for 1 year STARTING FROM THAT DAY instead of extending my subscription from October 7, 2015 to October 7, 2016. So, to be clear, all of the proceeding processing, including clicking on the link in that email, was leading me to believe that I was RENEWING my license. So, I thought when I put it in Avast, it would recognize that my license was still current, and extend it. It did not. My license was now good only until September 8, 2016. I was already upset that I had to select automatic renewal, now this! So, I called the Digital River / Avast help line to straighten it out. I was met with the usual heavy foreign accent person who was nice, and trying to understand, but couldn't. I asked to speak to her supervisor, knowing full well part of their job is to try to deflect such requests. I then firmly requested to speak to her manager, not just another sales person, as is often the case. After a couple of minutes, a manager came on the line and asked me to repeat the problem to him since he could not understand what she was trying to tell him. I repeated the whole scenario. He spoke perfect English. He kept saying that my expiration date was September 8, 2016, and would not understand that I was RENEWING, not ordering a new subscription. He was extremely aggravating, and not listening to me. He was not even trying to understand the problem until I said I was using the Google Chrome browser. He then said Digital River was compatible with Internet Explorer browser and FireFox, but not Chrome, but still did not offer any resolution to the problem! I find it very wrong that you promote the Google Chrome browser in your product (safe zone), but the payment processor you chose is not compatible with it and does not handle complaints very well!
So, now I was totally upset with this whole process, having spent nearly 3 hours at it, so I requested that he cancel the transaction, thinking I would wait for the refund and then order again before my license was up (October 7th). He read me the required statement about violating the millennium copyright act if I continued to use the software, and I said I wouldn't (AND I WOULDN'T!!). That being done, I thanked him and hung up.
The next day, September 10, 2015, when I got home from work, I turned on my computer, and Avast came up with a warning that it had been cancelled, and I had NO PROTECTION! WHAT !?!?!?!?!?
THIS WAS THE LAST STRAW!! I immediately uninstalled Avast Internet Security, ran Avast clear, and ordered BitDefender, which I don't like as much.
Over the years in IT I have recommended Avast Internet Security to all of my customers, maybe over 50 customers total. I think you have a great product. DUMP DIGITAL RIVER and you will sell much more! I still want your product, but I will not order from Digital River ever again. Any product they sell, and I know there are many hundreds, I will not buy through them again!
If you can find a way to sell me your product directly, I will purchase again.
If you have read all of this, you're very persistent. I hope you get my message.
