WARNING:
We make it a point to note companies in the computer and some other fields
that you should avoid at all costs. Below is the Blackdog Do Not Shop list and
why:
Kaspersky
Anti-Virus: Avoid like the plague. At a security
convention, of all places, I received a free copy of their anti-virus
software on a trial basis. It destroyed my computer’s operating system and
several other parts that took two full days to rebuild. I eventually had to buy
a new operation system and then a new computer.
Nuance: I do a
lot of editing of very sophisticated statistical papers. Nuance has a product
called Scan Soft that supposedly would convert those papers (sent to me in PDF
because they were written in Linux) into Word. I paid $50 for the first version,
and it didn’t work at all. It dropped out footnotes, some formulas, some
sentences. It just didn’t work. So they called me again and said they had a
new product, and they absolutely guaranteed it would work. I paid $97.69 for
this. If it did what it said, it would be tremendous. It did not. So I asked for
an immediate refund. I had to pay $20 to ship the product back to them, and then
they only credited my account for $84, with no explanation at all as to why. Do
NOT shop there, and do NOT trust them.
CVS: Okay, I
realize this is not a security issue, but it is of great import to a lot of
people. Because of a prior medical condition, I cannot get affordable health
insurance. But I did go online and research companies that offered prescription
plans. I found Yourrxaccesscard.com, which offers you free coverage, so to
speak, that allows you to buy your prescriptions at a discount. I printed out
the card and had it registered at my local CVS store. The prices for drugs they
cover (a long list) are listed on their Web site.
Imagine my surprise when I checked the site on a Saturday and learned my two refills would cost about $39, but when I picked them up later that evening, they charged me $75+. No one yet has come up with any clue as to why I was overcharged. But I have changed plans, changed pharmacies and will not return to CVS. The pharmacy supervisor even called and said he would investigate, but has never called again. Basically they stole $36 from me! This is not a store I want to deal with.
Blackdog 