McAfee

McAfee is a close second in the "most frustrating customer service experiences of the year". Their anti-virus renewal process drove me nuts for about 2 hrs before I packed up the software and returned it to Staples. I am not sure if I had a freak experience, but it seemed like they had barely tested their software with real users.

After I wrote this letter, I received a call from the customer service manager apologizing, thanking me for the letter, and offering me a free 1 year McAfee subscription. I thanked him for the call, but that I was currently using Norton and it was working fine. If anyone wants a free year of McAfee, let me know. It is yours.

_____________________________
Barry McPherson or who it may concern
McAfee Customer Service
3965 Freedom Circle
Santa Clara, CA 95054


Dear Mr. McPherson and McAfee Customer Service,

I am writing you to let you know that I am disappointed with McAfee’s Anti-Virus renewal process and your customer service. I recently switched back to Norton because of the way I was treated by your company. Thank you for taking the time to read and understand my experience.

My wife and I purchased McAfee’s Internet Security Suite (ISS) one year ago. Over the last month we were alerted over email that our Anti-virus was expiring. However, when I tried to download online I was never directed to my “log-in” page or given the option to renew online. Therefore, I went to Staples to buy a new copy of ISS. I brought the CD home hoping to easily renew my virus protection. The renewal process was the most difficult and frustrating software experience I have yet to encounter.

After following the instructions, the software refused to renew its subscription. I tried several times to uninstall my previous version and then reinstall the new CD. All of the attempts failed. I then tried to contact your customer service department. The first person I spoke with had no idea how to solve my problem. He answered my questions by reading off a script – no of which related to any of my questions. Then, he directed me to the technical service center, but informed me that they were going to have to charge me. I was not very happy. I had already paid for the software and I did not want to pay McAfee anymore to install my software. For the next two hours I called your center two other times and also tried to receive support through your downloadable chat client. Several of the agents told me different things from the instructions and the chat client was a miserable experience trying to download a program just to try to renew my anti-virus. I was desperate for a knowledgeable person to talk to.

With no one to talk to help me solve a seemingly simple software renewal process, I returned the software to the store and removed McAfee from my computer. At the same time I purchased Norton’s Anti-virus software and installed the 2008 version in 10 minutes with no problems. I was relieved that there was a company that cared about my installation / renewal experience.

I am sure you know how important a company’s customer service is to a customer. McAfee really disappointed me last week, but I am happy that I was able to quickly protect my computer with Norton. With this letter I am hoping that you empathize with my experience and hopefully improve your renewal process and customer service for future customers.

I look forward to your response.



Brian Mason