In a recent blog item, I related one reader's complaint about a McAfee security "test" utility that rated system security solely on the basis of whether it was using McAfee products or not. Only a few readers defended this as a legitimate marketing practice.
"If you are a novice user, then this is an excellent marketing tool that attempts to make users more aware of their computer, their environment, and the risks that face today's modern PC sitting on an increasingly-interconnected world," wrote one reader. "Smarter and more discerning users will know better."
Most readers I heard from, however, felt this was all too typical of marketing practices that make them reluctant to use Network Associates at all. "I still get spammed by McAfee several times a week," said one reader. "They show themselves to be a very low level operator by marketing this way. Some of this was determined to be from third party vendors but McAfee will never get a cent of my IT budget."
"Let's face it -- McAfee is the leader in abusive marketing practices," wrote another reader who recalled when a client had purchased a site for McAfee online virus protection. "Three months before the one-year license came up for renewal ... I received an angry call informing me that every PC had started getting pop-ups requesting a credit card number to renew subscriptions on individual PCs. Further investigation revealed that on top of this, users were getting marketing pop-ups for other McAfee products while their virus signatures were being updated. Needless to say, McAfee got pulled off of every PC and any new PC that is purchased that has McAfee installed has it removed before it is put into service. I will never recommend or use their products again."
11:46:16 AM 
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