Product is OK.... Panda Software Sucks
Written: May 23 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: nice software when you can get it
Cons: Horrid business practices
The Bottom Line: Unless you enjoy wasting your time, AVOID buying PandaSoftware products!
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| platypus55's Full Review: Panda AntiVirus Titanium 2004 for PC (BPAT4) |
I got PandaSoftware's protection for PC in 2003 on the recommendation of a friend. I found that the product worked as advertised and nailed a lot of potential nasties before they could do anything. So when it expired I decided I would upgrade it to 2004. Then is when my problems started.
I went to their site and tried to find my expired product to renew. Well of course they had changed the name and it was confusing which one I should be choosing. And you were supposed to pay a renewal fee, not buy it new all over again.
So this is the tactic then? I could renew X2003, only it doesn't exist any more so I just have to buy 2004? Well OK so maybe I did really want to upgrade. So I chose the product and fed them my credit card. Now I have to say, that part worked perfectly. Then I was supposed to go to a page where I could download it. Only it didn't work. Well, I had to spend about an hour just finding where I could go for technical support. So I got one of these guys who was obfuscating things, and kept apologising for his bad English. So on a hunch, I said, what is your mother tongue? He said Spanish. (Pandasoftware is a company originating in Spain) Well Good. I proceeded to ask him very pointed questions in Spanish and he STILL tried to wiggle out of them and change the subject and get me to buy more stuff. I chewed him out roundly and said "CON MUCHO GUSTO" I'll buy every damn thing in the catalog if you FIRST solve THIS problem. After all that he decided I should just redo the renewal because the technical problem had been fixed. I said yes but I already paid, are you saying pay again? He said he'd flag it and fix everything.
I seriously needed AV (don't we all?) so I did as instructed, and indeed and the second time it did indeed let me download the software. On a hunch I checked my credit card and I had TWO charges. How they had "fixed" things was giving me credit for two years instead of only one. I tried to get one of the charges removed and goe a huge run around. I kept getting cut off, referred to somebody in New York, but nobody seemed to have the authority to cancel one of the charges. Well, I hadn't actually intended to renew for 2 years, but oh well, the product was actually pretty good and I was tired of chasing slippery people. But they had just got double the money out of me that I intended to spend and it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Well, then the problems really started. I got hit by a virus that TARGETS pandasoftware products. It was making the panda thing flash up false and contradicting information. One moment it would flash up that everything was green; the next moment it would tell me I was way way behind and the database hadn't been updated for months. I trapped and filtered the packets moving on my network, and nothing was moving between me and pandasoftware. So I called them and told them their program had been hacked. I tried to deinstall and reinstall it myself, but was unable to do so.
I could not get an answer. I was told to email so & so, which I did, and NO ANSWER. Eventually I just bought another AV and let the useless panda thing just sit there until I finally got smart and installed Linux only on the PC.
The other thing about PandaSoftware is that they send you tons of email. Technically it's not SPAM, because they require a valid email to use their online product. It's annoying, just the sheer quantity of it clogs things, even if you autofile all mail from them.
Finally I hate that they embed an activeX in their SPAM and that they are tied to scientology. I try to be tolerant of religions but scientology is not a religion in my book, it's a plot to world domination.
So.... I do still surf Pandasoftware.com. I still use their free online product even though I have to enable activeX on internet explorer (temporarily I assure you) to use it. They get a disposable email they can spam till the cows come home. I still research viruses on Pandasoftware's site because they have good information. I still believe their products are technically pretty good even though I haven't used them since early 2005.
But..... I won't touch them with a ten foot pole because they don't give a rip about the little guy, their technical support is worthless, they won't help you solve problems
unless you throw MORE money at them and they SPAM.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
platypus55
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Member: Colleen
Location: Pacific Northwest
Reviews written: 117
Trusted by: 75 members
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