Anti Spam For Bitdefender?

RickGates

Hello,

I am wondering if it's possible to purchase an Anti-Spam package that will prevent spam that comes from Bitdefender itself. Let me explain...

I am a Bitdefender Antivirus 2012 user. Today, I received a pop-up advertisement from Bitdefender alerting me to the serious possibility that I might not be protected from identity theft. When I checked the forums, I found that there was no way to prevent these pop-ups from occurring (although one company rep responded that it was pretty easy to just hit "X" to cancel the popup).

Wow! Even the creators of the Bitdefender program don't know to prevent the Bitdefender program from spamming.

Anyway, would it be possible to purchase an extra program from Bitdefender that will stop Bitdefender from spamming me? That would be very useful.

In the meantime, I will post messages on all the antivirus evaluation sites I can find, letting them know that Bitdefender is the new leader in both spamming and anti-spamming.

Feel free to write or call,

Rick Gates

rick@rickgates.com

(541) 556-2630

rootkit

Hello Rick

That is not a spam message, the option for ID Theft protection is available after activation in you My Bitdefender Account.

This is optional and only available for US market.

It not a spam message since we do not promote 3rd party tools.

Take care.

RickGates

But it's not an option that I get to choose. It's an option that is presented, without advance warning, during any operation I might be doing on my computer, no matter how crucial.

In other words, the popup asking if I would like to purchase ID Theft Protection is an unsolicited advertisement sent to me in the hopes of earning extra revenue. This is SPAM. Your contention seems to be that only 3rd party tools could be considered SPAM, but I disagree.

I have designed software for a living. I know that these popups can be programatically turned off.

If you do not provide myself and others with the facility to do so, I will have no option but to warn others who might use your software of the SPAM that they can expect from your programs.

Please feel free to write or call...

Rick Gates

rick@rickgates.com

(541) 556-2630

Hello Rick

That is not a spam message, the option for ID Theft protection is available after activation in you My Bitdefender Account.

This is optional and only available for US market.

It not a spam message since we do not promote 3rd party tools.

Take care.

RickGates

All,

I'm quite put out by the fact that Bitdefender is subjecting its own users to unsolicited popups, a practice more commonly known as spamming. The company's response to forum threads on this topic is to claim a patch is coming out, to state that "lots of customers like this", and to also state that because these popup are not from a third party, they are not spam.

The company's own adverstising claims: "No pop-ups. No configuring. No interruptions. That’s the kind of silent security you’ll find in Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2012".

The company claims to have been working on patch since January. As a former software engineer, I know that this could be fixed relatively quickly.

Since the company hasn't provided any way to opt out of this, I feel I have no choice but to post the following message to AVTest, Top Ten Lists, and other antivirus evaluation sites so that other consumers are more fully informed.

I welcome anybody's feedback, particularly the company's reps. I'm not interested in damaging the company, but in making them understand that unsolicited popups is spam.

The message to be posted to antivirus evaluation sites:

Potential purchasers of Bitdefender products should be aware that Bitdefender will actually spam it's own users. After numerous complaints, the company remains unable to provide a way to opt out. If you want more details, read on...

A couple of days ago, a popup like the following appeared on my screen..

When I went to the forums to find an answer to this, I found several users who complained about it. The company's responses were:

* Jan 19, 2012 - The company has a temporary patch in internal testing.

* March 2, 2012 - The company has compiled some patches,and will get back to the forum when the tests are over.

* March 4, 2012 - Comapny wrote: "We have a lot of customers that like this type of promotions or special offers. Clicking an X button is not that bad".

* March 22, 2012 - Company wrote: "It is not a spam message since we do not promote 3rd party tools".

I explained to the Bitdefender rep that unsolicited advertising is spam regardless of who it comes from.

I have given the company my email address and phone number in the hopes that this issue can be resolved. However, they've been uncommunicative.

Given that the marketing for Bitdefender products includes the following...

"No pop-ups. No configuring. No interruptions. That’s the kind of silent

security you’ll find in Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2012."

...it seems preposterous to me that they have unsolicited popups for their own users.

Rick Gates

rick@rickgates.com

(541) 556-2630

rootkit

Hello

Thank you for your feedback.

This discussion will continue over here:

http://forum.bitdefender.com/index.php?showtopic=31124

Take care.