The Technology Coach: I thought AVG was FREE, why am I being asked to pay for version 9?

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

I thought AVG was FREE, why am I being asked to pay for version 9?

A client emailed me recently asking:

Hi Scott, it’s about my AVG Internet Security. I received a notice from them a while back saying that I had to upgrade to the AVG 9.0 and I did and now they are sending me messages saying that my trial period is over and I have to buy it now. Isn't AVG supposed to be free? Why am I being asked to pay for it now? What should I do?

My reply went something like this.

It would seem you fell for the ol’ bait and switch, don’t feel bad most people do, when AVG insists that you upgrade to version 9, they make it REALLY easy to find the “trial” version and really difficult to find the “FREE” version, so most people download the trial and end up running out of time, then, if AVG gets their way, paying for the full version! Clever marketing huh? But frustrating just the same.

The solution is uninstall AVG all together and install Microsoft Security Essentials, completely free, for good, no trail, no upgrades, no annoying sales pitches. You can find it here: http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/

In my testing it's proved to be JUST as secure as AVG FREE and with non of the attention seeking!

Scott Kendall
Small Business Technology Specialist
__________________________________

Small Business Technology Service,
Training, Coaching and Support!