Is A Program Really Free If It Doesn’t Fix The Problem?

I say this posted over in the PC World forum and I believe it brings up an interesting point. Is a program labeled as free, really free, if it doesn’t fix a computer problem? If the program indicates for the fix to be made you have to pay for it?

Here is a question posted by Nikkidog:

I have been taking PC World magazine for years now and I love reading it. I have received many good solutions for fixing problems or eliminating them before they become a problem.. My question: Why does PC Magazine post some programs to fix PCs as free and when you down load them they only fix a couple of items and then you must purchase the product to finishing cleaning up the rest of the items found. That is a little ambiguous to me. Thanks for listening.

We have all fallen for these gimmicks. We are told the program will do a free scan and also indicates that a fix or repair will be made, only to find that the programs finds multiple problems, and will only repair a limited number. If you want the items fix you need to pay for the full version.

So the question is are these programs really free? Or is this just another scam?

Source.