Norton NIGHTMARE

My Norton 360 subscription ran out today, OK I though, I'll just renew it.

I clicked renew now, expecting to be done in five minutes, until I was given the bill.

£59.99

£59.99?

SIXTY FUCKING POUNDS and thats just for ONE YEAR!

If I pay £110 I get two years, nice enough to save me a tenner I suppose. But come on, this is not even for updates here, my software has stopped working!

Now I know businesses get shafted by these yearly renewal costs every year, and have done for a long time. But Norton has brought these yearly renewals to the public domain, and in doing so have just lost me, my family and as many friends as possible as customers.

If I buy software as a home user I expect to be left with that software, with security updates. If I want more features, a new PC tune up tool, or similar, then I will buy a new version.

For now however, Symantec can suck my rather large cock. I will be going to the numerous, less resource intensive, free antivirus and firewall options out there.

I do not know how Symantec can even try and sell their product for £60, especially when you consider the American version is, wait for it, $60, with a regular 50% discount, meaning overseas they are expected to pay around £15.

On top of these blatent rip off prices they do not even give you the latest version of the software, my renewal only giving me security updates, not product updates. For an extra £5 however they will allow me to use their latest software, as long as I keep paying them that additional £60.

So on top of us having to pay a value which takes the UK and US exchange rate as 1:1, we also fail to benefit from their discounts.

Goodbye Norton, Goodbye Symantec, Price gouging has pissed me off royally, so I am bidding thee farewell.

I hope your company burns to the ground.

Bring on the free software!