c'mon NEW AD IN PAID VERSIONS????? what the heck??

[PapaSmurf]

@igor

I respect your opinion, and you do bring up
valid points.
Personally, I do not want THIRD PARTY support.
The objection of the ad is just the tip of the complaint.
If I call for support, I DO NOT WANT a sales person trying to sell
services to me..that is NOT why I called. If I call, it is to get support
for a program that is not behaving correctly on my system, either my fault or not.
You are correct, had they asked the PAID customers if they minded a banner in the program,
the answer would have been a resounding NO.
To me, the action taken is underhanded, and something that is NOT expected from a security software company.
But like you, this is just my opinion.

[scythe944]

I guess I'm lucky that all of my customers have netclient versions of avast, and we're still STUCK on 4.8.  No ads for me!

*Edit*

I guess I should add that if you have the network version of avast, you wouldn't need to call someone for support anyway, since your IT admin (me) or your consultant (also me) would be the person fixing it.

[twl845]

Would implimenting ADBLOCK delete the AD on an individual basis?

Avast is not a browser, no extensions yet >>> you can either use the hosts file or block the connection with a firewall.

Arghh! Sorry not thinking, grasping at straws.

[sded]

Where is the ad?  I just forced an update and still can't find it.  I would expect to find it under the "help center" tab on the status page, where it is mostly invisible to experienced users, and would have no objection to it there, but no such luck.  Making it a "push" ad for paid users shouldn't be done, though.

[DavidR]

Well they are hardly likely to push this ad to avast free users as they haven't paid for the product and any that do use iYogi, would presumably be part of what Avast paid iYogi to support. So presumably would be based on the Pro/AIS users getting free support from iYogi.

I feel to have put it in the avastUI summary (as it is in the free version) this will always be perceived as an ad and many people who have paid for the product could have done so to avoid ads and nags, etc.

The difficult thing is how to notify the Pro/AIS user base that this support is available to them and for me that is where the old iNews notifications would have been better for this. A headline 'New Product Support service available for Pro/AIS users' or words to that effect and a link to an avast page with more detailed information.

[scythe944]

Well they are hardly likely to push this ad to avast free users as they haven't paid for the product and any that do use iYogi, would presumably be part of what Avast paid iYogi to support. So presumably would be based on the Pro/AIS users getting free support from iYogi.

I feel to have put it in the avastUI summary (as it is in the free version) this will always be perceived as an ad and many people who have paid for the product could have done so to avoid ads and nags, etc.

The difficult thing is how to notify the Pro/AIS user base that this support is available to them and for me that is where the old iNews notifications would have been better for this. A headline 'New Product Support service available for Pro/AIS users' or words to that effect and a link to an avast page with more detailed information.

Heh, wouldn't that be somethin'

"I had these ads in avast, so I figured that I would pay for the software to get rid of them, and they're still there! please HELP!!"

Can't wait to see that question.

[MAG]

Just to put in my twopennyworth of feedback:

I have the ad. I don't have any real problem with it - provided it doesn't impact negatively on this forum.

I have used other AV's support helplines in the past, and the support provided always seems to come down to "reinstall". Beyond that they seem useless.

The support this forum provides is far better informed. It is sometimes a bit haphazard in provision - but let's face it, nobody gets paid for helping here, and they are providing a service that avast technical doesn't seem adequately resourced to be able to provide in quantity (the quality of support from the avast team if they can get around to your problem appears excellent from my limited experience).

My guess is that if this Ad puts one avast evangelist off from providing further support via the forum the nett effect for users will be negative. I hope I'm wrong.

[Vlk]

Guys, I'm afraid there's a bit of understanding here.

A few things to explain:

- this is a test to find out the public opinion about the service. Most of the posts in this thread do serve this purpose (--> the opinion so far is mostly negative). But it looks to me that the opinions expressed in this thread are really related to the banner (I wouldn't really call it an "ad", but whatever) and not the actual service. Most people have just dismissed the service saying "it's useless" (or generally, "a 3rd party can't provide a quality service"), but have you actually tested it? So far, we have done a few calls to test it, and the results are not bad. And it would definitely improve over time, as the support engineers get more seasoned. We will continue testing it, and if you feel like it, please do so as well - again, this is just a [time-limited] test.

- outsourcing of support call centers is a reality, and whatever you may think of it, it does make sense. The thing is, very few companies' core business is running a call center, really. This is why most companies today use outsourcing (even though it's "hidden"). You may not realize it, but most of the traffic on support isn't really generated by people with tough problems (such as some of the ones discussed here on the forum). On the contrary, many people just call with relatively simple questions, and all they need is get a good and polite answer. And this is what it's about.

- that said, we're (of course) still running our own support staff. I admit that there are currently some issues that need to be addressed, but saying that our support sucks (in general) is very unfair. People who come here and complain about poor support only represent a tip of the iceberg -- you don't see the authors of the hundreds of tickets that get resolved every day here.

- I agree that the current design of the banner is very unfortunate. We will be changing it shortly. Here's the wireframe of the new box that will be displayed instead. I don't think anyone will have an issue with it (well I hope) - but of course, feel free to comment.

[zfactor]

as i have said whatever banner they use is fine but i dont even want the new one you posted since i would never use it. i also had a freind call and they were very pushy to him and he said she almost was getting rude with him when he didnt want to BUY YES BUY the extended plan or other...i am also going to have my mom and wife call also later today to see how they fare with this company. but so far myself and him have both had VERY pushy sales tactics and i dont need that...

if you can simply provide a check box under main settings to turn this off personally i think that would fix the issue for most if not all users i would be okay with that. i dont see how hard that would be to do and think it would allow you to do what you want for the basic user base and then people like myself who do not want this at all can simply turn it off. otherwise ill leave the entry in my host file which i should not have to do.

re-read the new box... it clearly states they WILL OFFER YOU a chance to BUY a package for support. and trust me they do.

another thing maybe that could work is having it countdown like a trial so after 30 days of the banner make it go away since they are only offering 30 days of use anyway...

[Vlk]

Having a check box in the program settings is something we could definitely do (and most likely will do), but it will require a program update. So please wait till the next program update.

And hey, zfactor, I forgot to say sorry, this really wasn't meant bad...


BTW

another thing maybe that could work is having it countdown like a trial so after 30 days of the banner make it go away since they are only offering 30 days of use anyway...

This is exactly how it works. This is also why the new banner doesn't say anything about the 30 days - it will just disappear.

[Gargamel360]

I bought AIS knowing that its not made by Symantec, the company that seems to have so much money they use it for spare toilet paper.  Avast!'s primary product being free, you guys can't just throw $$$ at a problem till it goes away (problem in this case being solid 24 hour toll-free support).

Whats lacking with this, for me, is choice.  A simple yes/no.  Especially since its 3rd party.

A better option for me would have been either an additional $5 or $10 for my license in return for this. Or, ideally, a paid support option, as this would let free users sign up, if they so desire. 

[zfactor]

that sounds better imo. as long as you give users a way to make their own decision i think most will find that acceptable. i also didnt mean anything bad by this thread i was just a bit shocked and upset to have ads now and i was wondering what ad would come next

[Asyn]

+ see what's advertised, see how the girl is supposed to look like in AvastUI, and how she really is on iYogi's site, I'm really disappointed

lol...!!
asyn

[sded]

Vlk,
I still think you should move all that under the Help Center tab where it won't bother the users who don't think they need help and don't want to keep looking at the announcement.  And still should be readily accessible to those who do need help, since that is who the tab is for.

[Asyn]

This is exactly how it works. This is also why the new banner doesn't say anything about the 30 days - it will just disappear.

That's much better now, in my opinion.
First the look is not that ad-like anymore and you also get other options for support.
Second I can easier explain things to users if this should pop up in the german versions...
asyn