Spyware, viruses, & security : Spyware Doctor: NOT Recommended

Spyware Doctor: NOT Recommended

This and similar programs are much more thorough and sophisticated than any of the free anti-spyware apps, but this one takes FOREVER to load and is marketed in a fraudulent manner.

Online marketing techniques are becoming increasingly deceptive and Spyware Doctor takes such unethical practices to a whole new level. It lures you into making the $30 "purchase" without informing you that you are really only renting it for a year. Its marketing technique uses what amounts to a "bait and switch" con to suck you in:

To begin with, I've had it up to here with Web sites that refuse to tell you the price of a program until you actually start the purchase process; but this one is even more duplicitous because it tries to lure you into a purchase without being fully informed of what you are actually paying for. On the PRODUCTS page, no prices or stipulations are presented. If you click on the "READ MORE" link, supposedly the "Detailed Information Page," you will still find no such divulgence. Where else in this world must we first commit to buying something in order to find out what it costs?

This product goes even further. What you will find on the Detailed Info Page is a button that deceptively reads "Start Spyware Scan Now!" -- the clear inference being that selecting this link will result in a free spyware scan performed from the Web site, when the proper description should clearly state that selecting this option will enable one to download and install a bare-bones trial version that will scan your computer and reveal the results, but will not perform any remedial procedures whatsoever unless the Registered Version is purchased for $29.95 -- and there is still no mention of the limitations of such purchase.

Only after the product has been installed and run is the user informed that no fixes may be performed unless the program is "Registered," and even then there is still no mention whatsoever of cost or duration of license -- a clear deception. When I complained about this, I was told, that "well before you reach to the checkout page to purchase it, we clearly state that the subscription includes all new versions, unlimited smart updates and customer support for 1 year." In fact, however, only when one attempts to register the product does any mention of the word "Purchase" appear; and, even on the Purchase Page only the initial cost is revealed -- still no hint of the stipulations they claim to be so clearly stated. Where does this revelation occur? Why, on the page they well know that virtually everyone skips over -- the Agreement Page, accessed by a "here" link that's so tiny an amoebae would need reading glasses to see -- and even there you will find no hint of the renewal fee.

The final insult is that renewal is automatic; after one year your credit card is charged the undivulged renewal fee without prior notice! Clearly they are counting on you to not bother to set up some sort of self-notification warning you that your year's usage is about to expire so they can slip through at least another yearly charge before you can cancel, should you desire to do so. What's worse, nowhere in this program will you find an installation or expiration date; it's up to you to remember such crucial info.

In my opinion this is backdoor fraud, pure and simple; and I made them refund my thirty bucks immediately. There are plenty of good spyware applications out there, and I prefer to do business with companies who are user-friendly rather than those who try to use you in a friendly manner.