Real Networks is up to their shabby tricks again

earthrisers wrote on 6/24/2002, 11:30 PM

Despite bad experience with them before, and despite warnings on this forum about their practices, I just fell for a "special offer" from Real Networks to purchase their Real One Player software for just $19.95. AFTER you give them your credit card number and AFTER you initiate the purchase, and ONLY if you select the "advanced users" installation option for the downloaded software, after all that, they mention -- BURIED IN THE FINE PRINT OF THE "ACCEPT" gibberish -- that you've actually just purchased a monthly subscription to their "service" and that they'll be billing your credit card every month.
Damn their fraudulent ways!!
I e-mailed them demanding a refund, but I don't know whether they'll process that or whether I'll just have to tell my credit card provider to refuse payment because of fraud.
Just venting here... and warning my fellow Sonic Foundry aficianados against falling into this trap.
Ernie

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 6/24/2002, 11:51 PM

Please send an eMail about this to Ed Foster, gripe@infoworld.com . He's been tracking and reporting these practices, which he calls "sneakwrap licenses" in his GripLine column http://www.infoworld.com/community/t_opinions.html. He's mentioned Real Networks before and i'm sure he'd like to include more information about them. If possible, copy & paste the section you saw about the subscription and the URL where you saw it.

With enough exposure, companies like Real will be put into a tight corner and hopefully come clean. Maybe. But if we all sit back and do nothing, then we've rewarded them for their bad behavior.

p_l wrote on 6/25/2002, 12:11 AM

Wow, thanks for the cautionary tale. Man, those guys... So, not only is installing their "free" version like fending off date rape, as an insightful poster here once put it, but it now looks like their paid version is like fighting off serial theft.

Take a look at the litany of discontent from User Reviews on CNET:

http://home.cnet.com/software/0-3227898-1218-8066855.html?tag=st.sw.3227898-1204-8066855.urev.3227898-1218-8066855

Makes you appreciate the good guys, like SoFo!

ped wrote on 6/25/2002, 8:43 AM

You know what? I never believe there are any "good guys" around in the corporate world. (not meaning that Sofo are not cool)
It's all about money. Sure I believe that in a software company there are the "visionaries" and the "believers" that can be found in the beginning or in the programming section. But don't forget that most of the time, it's the guys "upstairs" and the marketing section that calls the shots at the end.
I especially believe that when a company is not the pre-dominant one around and have to fight their way to get a nice large amount of users for their software, it is a mellowed one - a nice guy - a company that is trying hard to make their customers happy and keep up with the updates fix etc,,,
I have seen many companies that were cheered for their fight against monopoly ,and after while when they become rich,powerful and are widely accepted as the "standard",they gradually turn to arrogance and greed(Real Network is a good example)
Of course, there are exception to my stereotype narrowed view to this issue and let's just hope that Sonicfoundry will never take the devils path in the future.

The Duckman

BillyBoy wrote on 6/25/2002, 9:28 AM

Wow, that's pretty shabby. I would also suggest you post it to the forums over at http://grc.com/discussions.htm. If I remember correctly Steve was the guy that exposed Real's spyware originally. They may already be aware of it, haven't visited there in some time.

happyg wrote on 6/25/2002, 9:33 AM

interesting enough.. i did buy Realplayer PLUS when it came out..... read what RealONE was all about. Sent RealPlayer a NOTE asking them WHY THEY BASE THEIR NEW PLAYER ON A SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE, and never heard back. I guess it is hard to say, "We are doing it for the MONEY." I have thus removed RP from my computer and rely much more on QT5 and Windows Media Player. I will admit that the only advantage that RealPlayer had was a graphic EQ. Besides that when rendering video to RP for streaming it is horrible. (UNLESS YOU USE THE HIGHEST SETTING - then it is somewhat tolerable.)