"Upgrade to paid version" nag screens

[Jack 1000]

The following is the message I wrote in the avast! Uninstall Survey:

Hello,

Usually when I am called to fix a client's computer, the first thing I do is install avast! for them. However, the program's popup ads over the past few months, particularly the recent ones that are included with definition updates, are intrusive. Providing no option to disable them is grating. For now, I will be switching to MSE.

Apart from this critical issue, I enjoy avast!, and if it is remedied in future I will return. Thank you for the years of annoyance-free virus protection; no hard feelings and I hope to use your product again some day again.

Best regards,
Mike

I am providing this feedback in the survey and forum in the hopes that avast! can find a way to take it on board (along with some of the other polite and considered responses I have read in this thread,) and provide an alternative to popup advertising for those that find it necessary.

That's a very kind and good letter, Mike!  Hope that Avast looks into this issue so that you can return to it as a happy Avast user once again!

Jack

[Asyn]

George: Just saw your post, exactly what I was saying....I just modified the popup to what I think we are both thinking about....what does everyone think about this attached screenshot, imagine the button just saying "Want more protection?"

Looks much better, imo. Also it would be less intrusive.

[true indian]

Well,if this little ad turns out for avast to loss users...the avast team should take that ad out..and as far as people who are switching to othe AV's just because of this Ad [Avira has more Ads than avast!]...i would say thats a absolute foolishness....as what does it take to move your eyes over it and click the X button...we dont loss our money doing that 

[bob3160]

I choose my AV (avast!) for it's ability to detect my computer.
As long as that ability continues, I'll continue to use avast!

[Hellion]

Hi Hellion,

We have made a decision to augment the virus update green "toaster" pop-ups with a button - a link to a page that compares the free and paid products, and allows the user to upgrade to avast Internet Security.

We thought that this was a relatively unobtrusive way to message the benefits of the premium product. If you feel otherwise - or actually feel offended by the new message, we apologize. But we need to run it for a while to assess what effects it will have.

Thanks for your understanding,
Vlk

Hi VLK,

Those extended update toaster pop-ups are actually not that bad... (a little too large though)

I guess I'm still annoyed with that advertising campaign Avast ran...

Here's a link to what I made me hate popup ads - http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=99123.0 (see the picture that Trueindian posted)

Those made me angry and I thought that was over the top.

If those pop-ups have stopped, I withdraw my argument...  And apologise to the forum helpers I argued with.

(Those that feel that the extended update screen is unacceptable, please change the duration of the pop-up - Lowest is 1 or you can disable it under "settings" -> "updates" -> "details")

If this is going to be permanent, I think the suggestions made to modify it's size and wording should be taken into consideration.

Regards,
Hellion

[hedlundp]

Hi Hellion,

We have made a decision to augment the virus update green "toaster" pop-ups with a button - a link to a page that compares the free and paid products, and allows the user to upgrade to avast Internet Security.

We thought that this was a relatively unobtrusive way to message the benefits of the premium product. If you feel otherwise - or actually feel offended by the new message, we apologize. But we need to run it for a while to assess what effects it will have.

Thanks for your understanding,
Vlk

Dear Vlk,

Thanks for explaining your reasoning. I found this forum and registered on it solely for the purpose of complaining about that ad. I agree wholeheartedly with the first post in this thread. Nagware is an appropriate term for it and it is enough to cause me to seriously consider looking elsewhere for virus protection (and I certainly won't recommend avast to anyone else as long as it continues). So here is another user saying that it is in fact, not unobtrusive.

Here's the thing: I'm not stupid. Every year for several years I've registered for the free version and looked at the comparison chart of the free to paid versions and decided the free version is enough for me. I know what I'm missing out on by not subscribing. A popup add practically EVERY DAY suggesting that I consider buying something is insulting my intelligence.

If "a while" is a couple weeks than I'll probably stay on board with avast, if it's any longer than that you risk losing me in addition to all the others who are bothered but haven't taken the trouble to post here.

Thanks

[makcunknown]

Advertising is bad, by chance, some of my friends went to the 30-day trial version of Avast IS, with no ability to make some later worked avast on going back to the free version.

[Andrey,pro]

I think that advertisement is not so bad, but it looks  so "ugly" in avast  as said George Yves. I just modified his screenshot. Do you like it or not?

[Lisandro]

with no ability to make some later worked avast on going back to the free version.

Hmmm... Just register it for a free version won't do it?

[crofty59]

I choose my AV (avast!) for it's ability to detect my computer.
As long as that ability continues, I'll continue to use avast!

That is why i also use avast.
One second pressing the x and pop up gone.

cheers

[polonus]

But we see a general slide towards acceptance. Marketeers think that users that object will come to be a minority soon and they hope that this group will be further marginalized in the foreseeable future. See this report: http://www.dma.org.uk/toolkit/data-privacy-what-consumer-really-thinks link DMA executive summary.
As we are part of the real world here, this is also true for users here. The younger digital generation has a far greater acceptance/tolerance or knows better to circumvent/blockthe nuisance than the elder generations born before the digital era started,

polonus

[YoKenny]

I choose my AV (avast!) for it's ability to detect my computer.
As long as that ability continues, I'll continue to use avast!

That is why i also use avast.
One second pressing the x and pop up gone.

cheers

+1

[makcunknown]

with no ability to make some later worked avast on going back to the free version.

Hmmm... Just register it for a free version won't do it?

The transition back to paid to free, there was a failure.

[George Yves]

polonus
Do you mean that majority of users have nothing against ads with big fonts, big buttons and big size?

I agree that ads are a necessary evil but I don't agree they must strike the eye. The bigger and brighter the ads are, the more users see Avast as a money-hungry corporation that wants to deprive them of their money throwing them scraps as bait. My point is that Avast should present themselves quite differently. Users should feel personally responsible for the security of their computers, and Avast should be their friend, guide and mentor in this business.

Advertising Avast should not be so large and intrusive. Hardly anyone would call his friend a man who continually slips you promotional brochures and switches your TV to watch commercials. Advertising Avast should look like your friend's question "Do you want my professional advice?" rather than as a billboard on the freeway.

[CharmCityCrab]

By the way, once I removed AVAST and installed MSE, my time to a useable desktop from log-in went from several minutes to only seconds.  AVAST must be getting bloated.  I thought it was an aging computer and Windows installation that was slowing me down.  Turned out to be my anti-virus.  I had no idea. 

In addition to getting rid of these advertisements, AVAST may want to consider trimming down their product so that it doesn't increase boot time so much.