I am a customer of McAfee Secure. On March 7, 2011. I was experiencing difficulty keying in information on my ASUS laptop computer keyboard. I initially began to run a McAfee scan. I also decided to contact tech support to see if they could be of assistance. I did a search on McAfee Tech Support phone number. I called the first site offering McAfee support. I called 1-877-314-3518. When I established contact, the gentleman assured me that he would provide assistance for my McAfee concerns. He proceeded to tell me to stop my McAfee scan and close all applications. After I did this, an Iyogi dialog box popped up. I asked what Iyogi was and I was informed that it was only a way for them to send me messages as they took control of my computer to assist me in fixing my problem. After 30 minutes, a scan appeared on the screen that indicated that I had 4 critical issues that needed to be fixed. According to him, this was an emergency situation since the corruption of my computer could lead to all of my personal and financial information being stolen. At this point, he proceeded to tell me that for $169 I could receive free tech support for a year. I replied that since McAfee didn’t notify me that my system had viruses, I thought McAfee should was responsible to handle it. It was at this point that he advised me that he did not work for McAfee. I suspected that something was amiss and refused their offer. The scan disappeared before I could print it and they disconnected from me. I proceeded to run the McAfee scan again. It showed no problems or viruses present. The problem was resolved after I spent 2 hours on the internet researching similar problems and finding the correct solution.
I called McAfee the next day to relay this information. I was informed by regular and corporate customer service that they were aware of this and legal was handling it. I asked why they didn’t notify their customers and I was informed that there could be legal repercussion if they mentioned Iyogi to customers. They also said they were not notified of any resolution to this issue to date. I guarantee that anyone calling Iyogi with my problem will be shown a bogus scan and then solicited for the $169 to fix it. The problem that I have with all of this is that McAfee is aware of what is going on and isn’t even sending generic emails or letters to its customers warning them of this possibility and providing a safe and secure phone number and web site for tech support. Iyogi doesn’t even need to be named. It is incomprehensible to me that McAfee doesn’t care about or take any responsibility for its customers being scammed. How many dollars have McAfee customers paid to Iyogi without even knowing that the information they were given was bogus. I have seen scams on the internet, but this one hit hard. The reason for this is that a supposedly reputable company knew what was going on and did nothing to protect its customers. We all know that the legal system is overwhelmed and legal action could take many years. Until its resolution, how many hardworking McAfee customers will pay for non-existent problems. In this economy, $169 is a lot of money to many people. A computer is no longer a luxury, but is instead a necessity in today’s world. Computer security programs such as McAfee, depend on people’s fear of identity theft viruses, and the inability to use their computers safely and securely for work, school, and their finances. How can these companies allow their customers’ faith in them to be so abused?
I grew up at a time where the customer was king. Customer satisfaction was paramount. It even trumped profit. I realize the corporate world has changed, but when did being oblivious to their customers’ needs and concerns become common place procedure. McAfee needs to provide answers to its customers and the public at large. I discovered this on March 7, 2011, but how long has it been going on? I checked on the Internet and found that Iyogi also offers Microsoft tech support. Coincidentally, they are also the first web site listed for Microsoft tech support when it is googled I am desperately hoping that someone will investigate this so Iyogi cannot continue these practices and companies such as McAfee cannot continue to hide this information from their customers.