Anti-virus software annoyances
Okay. So I had AVG's free trial. That expired about two weeks ago (we didn't have the money at the time to renew, so I had to wait and cross my fingers that I wouldn't get infected before I could buy the full version). Last night I tried to buy the 1-yr license for $35. The purchase didn't go through. I realized that the transfer of funds Mom made hadn't gone through at the time, so I had to wait until today to try again. I did, and it still didn't go through. It advised me to talk to customer service. I did. Once again, I got someone who has English as at least a second if not a third language. After going around in circles for about 10 minutes, I finally asked him to rerun my card. He did. It was still being declined. I gave up on AVG and decided to go ahead and purchase the McAffee antivirus instead, even though it was $50 instead. I wasn't happy about spending the extra $, but I felt I had no choice.
I then received a call from Wells Fargo checking to make sure I had been the one trying to buy the AVG software. It turns out that the company is based in Cyprus - the country - and thus the charge was being turned down because it was an international transaction. I told them it was fine and I had been the one trying to buy $35 worth of software. They then explained that because I let them know it was okay, I COULD make that purchase now. Of course this was AFTER I had already paid through the nose for McAffee.
As I was trying to install the McAffee, it told me I had to uninstall my other antivirus software. As I tried to uninstall AVG, it gave me the option of changing to AVG Free. Why didn't it give me that option SOONER??? Bastards. So now I have a functioning antivirus software with AVG free and don't really need the $50 McAffee, and even if I want to upgrade to a full version antivirus, I can pay the $35 to AVG now.
Thus I called McAffee to get a refund. Once again, even though the damn company is based IN TEXAS, I was sent to someone whose primary language is not English. We went round and round about what I was wanting. The finally got the message and said he would refund my purchase. He also told me the reason I hadn't received the purchase confirmation in the first place was because it was sent to my old yahoo address. NOT the gmail address I used to purchase the damn software. So I've now been waiting for over 2 hours for the refund confirmation to hit my email address (I'm checking both the yahoo and gmail, which is annoying) AND waiting for the credit to hit my bank so I can go ahead and get the full AVG version. Neither was happening, so I contacted customer service again through the chat program. She didn't get what I was driving either ( do you see a pattern here?) . Finally, she said that she did see a refund, but it would take up to five days to be put back in my account. WHAT?? Why didn't guy #1 say that??
Needless to say, any surveys from either company I get asking for feedback will include how frustrating it is to try and get one's point across to someone who cannot understand your meaning, due to the language barrier. It seems like companies nowadays feel like as long as the person speaks English that they can get away with using people from other countries. My problem is that, even when someone speaks the language fluently, things can get murky if the native speaker uses idioms and other such phrases. It's hard enough to understand someone who speaks English and is from Britain, since the idioms are different. I can't imagine how it is for someone whose first language is Hindi, or something else where there is NO cultural similarity.
So now I have to wait and wait and wait to have that $50 back so I can do what I meant to from the beginning.
Bright side: I was given a little of my own money from the car sale to purchase some books for my reading pleasure. I've been waiting for a LONG time to be able to afford buying Fall of Giants by Ken Follett, the Pillars of the Earth guy. I finally bought it!! WOO. I'm also looking for other books to read while I'm waiting for A Dance of Dragons the fifth book in the Song of Ice and Fire series to come out in July. Any suggestions? Preferably longer books, of any genre, since I love to have time to get fully invested in characters. And since I'm buying these as NookBooks, i'm paying the full price equivalent to a paperback, so the longer the book, the more cost-effective they are.
ETA: It took McAffee 2 HOURS to send me my refund confirmation email. To the wrong address. Good God.
I then received a call from Wells Fargo checking to make sure I had been the one trying to buy the AVG software. It turns out that the company is based in Cyprus - the country - and thus the charge was being turned down because it was an international transaction. I told them it was fine and I had been the one trying to buy $35 worth of software. They then explained that because I let them know it was okay, I COULD make that purchase now. Of course this was AFTER I had already paid through the nose for McAffee.
As I was trying to install the McAffee, it told me I had to uninstall my other antivirus software. As I tried to uninstall AVG, it gave me the option of changing to AVG Free. Why didn't it give me that option SOONER??? Bastards. So now I have a functioning antivirus software with AVG free and don't really need the $50 McAffee, and even if I want to upgrade to a full version antivirus, I can pay the $35 to AVG now.
Thus I called McAffee to get a refund. Once again, even though the damn company is based IN TEXAS, I was sent to someone whose primary language is not English. We went round and round about what I was wanting. The finally got the message and said he would refund my purchase. He also told me the reason I hadn't received the purchase confirmation in the first place was because it was sent to my old yahoo address. NOT the gmail address I used to purchase the damn software. So I've now been waiting for over 2 hours for the refund confirmation to hit my email address (I'm checking both the yahoo and gmail, which is annoying) AND waiting for the credit to hit my bank so I can go ahead and get the full AVG version. Neither was happening, so I contacted customer service again through the chat program. She didn't get what I was driving either ( do you see a pattern here?) . Finally, she said that she did see a refund, but it would take up to five days to be put back in my account. WHAT?? Why didn't guy #1 say that??
Needless to say, any surveys from either company I get asking for feedback will include how frustrating it is to try and get one's point across to someone who cannot understand your meaning, due to the language barrier. It seems like companies nowadays feel like as long as the person speaks English that they can get away with using people from other countries. My problem is that, even when someone speaks the language fluently, things can get murky if the native speaker uses idioms and other such phrases. It's hard enough to understand someone who speaks English and is from Britain, since the idioms are different. I can't imagine how it is for someone whose first language is Hindi, or something else where there is NO cultural similarity.
So now I have to wait and wait and wait to have that $50 back so I can do what I meant to from the beginning.
Bright side: I was given a little of my own money from the car sale to purchase some books for my reading pleasure. I've been waiting for a LONG time to be able to afford buying Fall of Giants by Ken Follett, the Pillars of the Earth guy. I finally bought it!! WOO. I'm also looking for other books to read while I'm waiting for A Dance of Dragons the fifth book in the Song of Ice and Fire series to come out in July. Any suggestions? Preferably longer books, of any genre, since I love to have time to get fully invested in characters. And since I'm buying these as NookBooks, i'm paying the full price equivalent to a paperback, so the longer the book, the more cost-effective they are.
ETA: It took McAffee 2 HOURS to send me my refund confirmation email. To the wrong address. Good God.