Ok guys, I think I've made my decision. I'll be switching over to AVG if Avast doesn't succeed in either effectively responding to the several complaints posted here and possibly in other threads within the next 24 hours (to be fair to them since this is the first time I've had a problem w/ the free version). Just read a really useful article on AV software in Web User magazine and Avast didn't even feature in their top-ten list of both paid and free AV software. AVG, the FREE version mind you, was on TOP of the list!
Edit: It's actually a top 14 list, not top 10.