Hello, everybody.
I recently downloaded and installed the 30-day free trial of ESET Smartsecurity. After about a week, it gave me a message that my trial was going to expire in a couple weeks. I counted the days, and it was giving me about 3 weeks instead of 30 days.
To me, evaluation of security software includes how well they treat you, as well as how well the software works. So I used the recommended link in the ESET window to write and ask them why my trial period was so short. NO response after about a week. So now the ESET window is telling me my trial expires in 6 days, so I went to their web site and used the CONTACT link to ask the same question. I'm still waiting.
It really seems absurd to trust the security of my computer to a company that won't respond when I ask them a question, and it's really stupid of them if they're ignoring me because I haven't bought yet; that's not the way to convert a potential customer into an actual one. I'm really disappointed, because I've been looking for a replacement for Norton, and I really thought ESET was it.

Does anybody have any input on this?
Thanks.

Hello there,your right that is realy not good customer service.

But I use this and had no issues:AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition - Free software downloads and reviews - CNET Download.com

Let me mark you as "Open" so others can sugest a good FREE antivirus software for you.

Why pay if you can get a darn good free one?

JB.

100% with Jelly Bean on AVG.

At this time I use AVG, Spybot, CCleaner, Malwarebytes & Comodo firewall (XP only)

All free and all very good.

....but don't install any "extras" they want supply like toolbars etc, use the minimum.

I use ESET at home and at work and its the best AV ever. I wouldn't know about their customer service as I have had no issues with it.

I have also noticed that it seems to update itself even if the program isn't active...for some reason I've messed up the startup and ESET doesn't come on at startup so I have to start it manually. But if I do and its been a few days I find I automatically have the latest version.

My only complaint would be the Safe Mode version of the software...its command line only and its hard to tell if its doing anything. But it does scan eventually.

Well, Jellybean, I appreciate the info, but I have to say, this thread:
PC Help Forum >> Security & Safety » Security Watch » AVG anti-virus mistakenly tags user32.dll, right here on this forum, and others like it on the web, sure make me reluctant to trust AVG. Sure, they published a fix, but if AVG has already made your PC un-bootable, you can't get online to get the fix!
In a different forum, somebody is complaining that if you're using free AVG, they ignore your support requests. And that's my problem with ESET right now; no response. Do you have any experience with AVG support?

And Amtech, it doesn't really matter how well ESET works, if you can't get help when it stops working. And it will. No software is perfect.

I'm looking for a program that works and has customer support.

Thanks guys.

jLittle what people do not realise while installing AVG there is a link attached during install there is an update requested to be installed before installing AVG 8.

Ignoring this update can cause many issues.

Rules are fully update your computer before installing any software.

Also installing any software on a lower grade computer with lack of memory can also cause issues.Minimum specs should be adhered to.When AVG 8 was first released it did have issues and a patch/fix was soon forth coming.

Did you check that some of the above may of been older dated threads to before the fix was released?

Many things can cause issues with any Antivirus install.Some times if you notice just on this forum Antivirus would not install due to a person already having an infection.

I could write pages of why antivirus software could cause an issue not just AVG.But I would be here all day.

I posted my personal choice of Antivirus which I have had no issues or infections with using it.

Others can give you other software you could possibly use.

JB.