More Norton Malarkey
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Gnomie Ken Goldstein of Computer-Aided Technologies International, Inc. writes:
Aloha, Chris:
I just read the blog on the other poor sap who got burned by Symantec, and that prompted me to drop you a note.
My company had (not “has”) been a Symantec reseller since the early DOS days, 1986 to be exact. When Peter Norton was at the helm, I could expect almost real-time response to any problems with his software, via his toll-free number. But today, Symantec just isn’t worth the trouble to deal with.
I should first mention that I first started using computers in 1959, have my doctorate in Systems Engineering, and hold various professional certifications like MCSE and CNE. The major Symantec problems started arising with Norton AntiVirus 2005. As a computer consultant, I had always advised my clients to keep the latest version of NAV on their computers, usually through a suite like Norton SystemWorks, but after the first dozen panicked calls, I wasn’t blind enough to miss the pattern.
As I had not upgraded my own copy of NAV from 2004 at that point, I took one of my in-house computers (a Pentium 4 running Windows 2000 Pro) that was running perfectly with NAV 2004, and imaged it using Ghost. I then carefully followed every instruction that came with NAV 2005 and installed the upgrade. After several reboots, I found that the CPU usage was averaging 72 percent without anything else running. I then started in Safe Mode, where the CPU usage dropped all the way down to 70 percent. Hmm, big problem there.
I ran MSCONFIG, and double-checked that nothing unusual had been installed by NAV - nope, nothing at all. Just for grins, I did the same procedure on an old Pentium III laptop, but stopped when the CPU usage refused to go below 99 percent no matter what I tried. I decided to place a call to Symantec reseller technical support, and shouldn’t have been surprised when I eventually got a voice prompt to leave my company name and the reason for my call, as they were “experiencing high call volumes.” I waited for a few days, but after no response, I e-mailed a Symantec technician who I knew, gave her a brief explanation, and asked for a quick return call. Hoo-boy! Did that open the gates of hell!!
Within an hour, I got a call back from a person identifying himself as Symantec’s Director of Quality Control. But Mr. QC wasn’t calling to help solve my problem, oh, no - he was calling to tell me how uneducated I was, how my equipment must be completely faulty, and how I probably hadn’t even installed my operating system correctly or bathed lately. Being a martial arts instructor, Chris, I was torn between ripping him a new orifice (verbally or physically, his choice), or trying to get a word in edgewise. He finally ran out of vituperative phrases, and I asked him whether anyone else was having the same problems. He screamed that all the resellers he had spoken with so far were all as uneducated, etc. as I was, and slammed down the phone.
I guess I got my answer.
So I reinstalled everything on my P4 using the Ghost image, and found the CPU usage was down to its normal and expected 2-3%, running happily with NAV 2004. I then called back the dozen clients who had followed my recommendation to install the latest NAV, and told them that I would be happy to come by and remove all traces of Symantec products at no charge, and to install the free version of GriSoft’s AVG until we could decide on a permanent anti-virus solution.
You probably won’t be surprised, Chris, when I tell you that Symantec didn’t renew my master reseller contract, will you? Or how little I cared. Keep up the good work.
Tags: bad customer service, customer dissatisfaction, substandard service
10 Comments
Dave Timestar
April 20th, 2007
at 12:26am
I just read the Norton experience report and am compelled to write in. I am also a computer consultant and service 2 corp. accounts and another 100 or so independent clients per year. I refuse to use any Norton product and have felt that way for about 4 years now. Norton’s products constantly trip over the fine line between helpful and hurtful. They are over priced and have grown extremely difficult to uninstall. I’m certain that is by design. It appears as though Norton has chosen AOL as their business model. We all know which direction AOL is heading.
A clever old saying applies accurately with Norton/Symantic, a happy customer tells 10 friends… a unhappy customer tells everyone. Everyone, Norton SUCKS!
Mike Nelson
April 20th, 2007
at 1:02am
I am not a reseller, but a tech. From 2000-2004 I used Norton’s to clean infected machines up. When they started to crash computers from 2004 on up, I not only quit using Nortons, I recommended to remove it from every machine I found it on explaining I can not guarantee the computer will run right with it installed.
I just uninstalled it from a new Vista machine this past Tuesday. Symantec is an inferior product any more. It does more damage than what it fixes, period!
Steve Hobberstad
April 20th, 2007
at 2:37am
Yeah! Like a building tsunami, I’m sensing a trend! I’m finally seeing the high ratio of bad press that Symantec so richly deserves–increasing exponentially it seems.
I’d experienced exactly the same kind of crappy attitude on the part of incompetent Symantec “support” personnel–bailing on NAV/NISS 2005 (early enough to get a refund) and vowing never to patronize them again.
Are you listening, Symantec?
Having Trouble With Norton Antivirus? Read on... « Digital Dharma
April 20th, 2007
at 3:38am
[…] 20th, 2007 · No Comments My company had (not “has”) been a Symantec reseller since the early DOS days, 1986 tobe exact. When Peter Norton was at the helm, I could expect almost real-time response to any problems with his software, via his toll-free number. But today, Symantec just isn’t worth the trouble to deal with. … More Norton Malarkey ~ Windows Fanatics […]
George
April 20th, 2007
at 5:12am
So Chris,
What can we, those who currently have Symantec installed, because is shipped free on our new PC, use that would replace it and is free? Thanks.
Paul Gorski
April 20th, 2007
at 6:58am
A rant about a 2005 version of Norton Internet Security is just that, a rant.
While it is true Norton has had problems in the PAST, the 2007 vewsion has received awards and praise from vertualy all sectors.
In the new version of NIS computer processes and CPU use has been drastically reduced.
It is the only product I recommend for home use,
dan huycke
April 20th, 2007
at 7:23am
I would like to say amen to this article.I too and many I know have had allot of issues with Norton the last 2 years.Not only is it a huge energy hog,you can’t get any customer service from them either.Since they have been getting bigger,there products have been getting worst.I use to like there older products but when my subscription runs out I will be using something else.
Robert Kubichek
April 20th, 2007
at 7:23am
How true, and Symantec loads up your registry with soooo many entries, that even their uninstall prg does not remove all instances of their product…
The only sure fire way is to manually delete them from the registry..
NOT a job for the inexperianced person!!!
Bye Bye Symantec…
Bob
Steve Pulley
April 20th, 2007
at 12:55pm
I too have been having my share of woes with Norton Internet Security 2005. After installing some LiveUpdate updates the other day which required a reboot, my monitor screen began flickering. I contacted Symantec Support describing the problem, and was informed by email that I should go through the various menu options, turning them off one by one to see which of these might be the cause of the flickering, and then turning them back on. The flickering continued unabated. Changing refresh rates, restoring to a point earlier than the update, and doing other WinXP help suggestions did not resolve the flickering problem either, which is mildly annoying at best, but a strain on the eyes over time. I wrote back to Symantec Support, and the next and final response was that I should take the issue up with my ISP!
Steve
Peter March
March 7th, 2008
at 5:00pm
Norton was a great company years ago but everythings changed. I would never have any Norton product on any of my computers. The last straw was when Norton failed to find a virus. I scanned a pc first with Norton and then with AVG. Only AVG found the virus even though both anti virus products were up to date. All my friends in IT think the same as me. Dont use Norton. If someone finds that a Norton product comes bundled with a new pc then remove it before it caused problems.