I have possibly been using Avast for nearly as long as you have David. It has not yet reached the level of intolerable and it would have to be at that state of (dis)grace for me to forsake it. Avast is without peer for its efectiveness. I assume (hope?) that the practical joke software will not eventually degrade the serious security and protection stuff that is the basis of Avast's effectiveness and reputation.
I do hope that the processes in which the practical jokes operate are well isolated from those used by the serious side of the Avast operation.
Nope. Avast is so good that I have nowhere else to go which will provide me with the peace of mind that Avast security does. I find it hard to believe that the high-ups in Avast are able to approve of the reputation tarnishing side of its operations. Maybe things will eventually improve. I would certainly demur at becoming a premium product paying customer while this cloud persists.
My chief worry is that my friends and relatives who use Avast Free are not duped into installing software which they do not need or want. When this happens, I get round to uninstalling that software along with a brief lecture on what to look out for in order to avoid unwanted installations.
It's the sheer crassness of the juxtaposition of the gleaming excellence of the Avast security product against its clumsy attempts to promote sales that gets me. BTW, I am going to evaluate the cost of licences for the premium product for all my systems and those of friends and relatives. That should comprise 12 installations. It's just an academic exercise at this time.
If payments for premium Avast lapse, does the product become the free edition minus paid-for features?