My recent column about McAfee’s policy of automatically renewing VirusScan subscriptions brought both advice and warnings from readers.
Many readers recommended the use of credit card accounts that generate a unique "virtual" credit card number for each online transaction. "There have just been too many cases where these ‘trusted’ companies have abused their access to my credit card account, and is another reason why I don't allow for any automatic deductions from our bank account," wrote one reader. "Using a virtual credit card number is also a good practice in terms of one of these companies getting hacked and all of their customers' stored credit card information being stolen. Note, most credit card companies worth their salt will stand by you if you contest a charge like this -- it is in their best interest to keep you, a source of interest revenue, happy."
A number of readers wrote to dispute the contention of McAfee officials that their automatic renewal is comparable to auto payments of monthly ISP or cable TV bills. "On the automatic payment, McAfee is way off base," wrote another reader. "First the power and phone company only bill me a month at a time and then only at a rate they have set with me in advance. Also they might want to consider that as an IT manager, I have been getting those sort of sneak renewals -- 30 to 90 days or auto-up for the original one to three-year terms -- either removed from our contracts or the business moved to someone who doesn't insist on it as I come up for renewal. Tracking those sorts of terms and dates is an additional burden consumers don't need. They are going the wrong way by adding them."
Readers also reported a number of other circumstances in which Network Associates/McAfee employ automatic renewals. "I received a notice that they were going to replace my subscription to McAfee Clinic with a subscription for VirusScan," wrote one. "Since I'm running Windows 95 on that machine, I went to their web site to check supported OSes, and lo and behold, Windows 95 is not on the list. I checked with them via e-mail and they verified that Windows 95 will no longer be supported. What gripes me about this is that they were going to pull a switcheroo from one product that works fine for my OS to another that will not support my OS. Had I been real busy that day, I might not have checked the supported OS angle on this. Who knows what would have happened then? It could have ranged from nothing to total system destruction."
A few readers reported some surprising instances of other companies that appear to have an automatic renewal policy. "Here is an automatic renewal practice which while not specifically computer-software related shows how far the practice is spreading," a reader wrote. "I recently found an unidentified $25 charge from Barnes & Noble on my credit card. Imagine my surprise when follow-up at a local B&N store revealed that this was for an annual renewal of their ‘Readers’ Advantage’ discount card. They asserted that when I first got the card I had agreed to this annual renewal. I had always renewed it at the store the first time I made a purchase after the card lapsed. In all these years there was never any indication or discussion about automatic renewal. I have contacted my bank and had the charge reversed and I have no intention of ever buying anything from Barnes & Noble again."
8:48:49 PM 
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