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Riding the Autorenewal Express
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By Ed Foster, Section The Gripelog
Posted on Tue May 06, 2008 at 01:00:58 AM PDT
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Do credit card companies protect their customers from online services that automatically renew annual subscriptions without clear notice, or do they collude with vendors to keep the transaction fees flowing? As autorenewals by security software vendors and others become increasingly common, we need to know whose side our financial institutions are on.
(13 comments, 1137 words in story) Full Story
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Comcast Gets Nominated for Worst ToS
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By Ed Foster, Section The Gripelog
Posted on Fri May 02, 2008 at 08:51:27 AM PDT
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OK, so my challenge to readers last week to find a worse ToS (Terms of Service) than Dilbert.com's looks like it's going to be pretty easy. We've already got one very worthy candidate recently pointed out by a reader: Comcast's broadband subscriber agreement.
(8 comments, 577 words in story) Full Story
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Taxing Software Experiences
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By Ed Foster, Section The Gripelog
Posted on Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 11:58:57 PM PDT
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Every year I try to publish all the significant gripes I get about tax software before April 15th, in the hopes it will keep some last-minute tax filers from choosing the wrong program. But, except for one short piece we had about H&R Block's TaxCut earlier this year, that proved impossible as the complaints about the 2007 tax-year software flooded in. And it wasn't going to help to weed out the bad apples anyway, because it seemed like just about all of the programs came in for criticism on support, accuracy, or even privacy grounds. So instead, I gave myself an extension and now file this late return on the 2007 tax programs for future reference.
(12 comments, 1011 words in story) Full Story
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Terms of Ridicule
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By Ed Foster, Section The Gripelog
Posted on Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 11:10:48 AM PDT
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Dilbert is a great comic strip, always good for a laugh. In fact, as one reader points out, there are even a few chuckles in Dilbert.com's Terms of Use.
(9 comments, 632 words in story) Full Story
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Sneakwrapped Medical Forms
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By Ed Foster, Section The Gripelog
Posted on Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 12:06:50 AM PDT
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We are all increasingly inured to the daily assaults various institutions make on our rights and privacy through the sneakwrap terms in their forms, mail stuffers, warranties, monthly statements, etc. But some medical patients in one metropolis that will remain nameless are just a little safer today from such outrages because of one reader who read the fine print, took the time to think about it, and then said no.
(10 comments, 1186 words in story) Full Story
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A Genuine Microsoft Mistake
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By Ed Foster, Section The Gripelog
Posted on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 12:11:09 AM PDT
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Mistakes happen. But when software publishers make mistakes with their anti-piracy programs, it always seems to be the users who pay the price. That's certainly been the case with Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program throughout its less-than-illustrious history, and now a new pilot program for Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) Notifications nagware has started off on the wrong foot.
(28 comments, 966 words in story) Full Story
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Sound and Fury for Dell
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By Ed Foster, Section The Gripelog
Posted on Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 12:01:37 AM PDT
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As long as we're on the subject of soundcards, another reader recently had an issue over a Sound Blaster board. But his problem wasn't with Creative - it was in trying to get Dell to send him the $99 card that he'd paid for rather than a cheaper unit. And what's really remarkable is the amount of noise he had to make just to accomplish that seemingly simple objective.
(18 comments, 1500 words in story) Full Story
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Getting Creative With Crippleware
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By Ed Foster, Section The Gripelog
Posted on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 12:03:35 AM PDT
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If you discovered a device driver was malfunctioning and published a fix, you might assume the manufacturer of the product would be grateful. In very public fashion though, Creative Labs in the last few weeks has made it loud and clear that users who tinker with their drivers risk being shouted down. As far as Creative is concerned, it's not for you the user to decide how badly your Sound Blaster card will or will not function.
(26 comments, 990 words in story) Full Story
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Yahoo's Not Getting the Message
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By Ed Foster, Section The Gripelog
Posted on Mon Apr 07, 2008 at 01:25:43 PM PDT
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I couldn't help but shake my head a bit over today's announcement about Yahoo's plans to re-make online advertising. While I truly wish them luck, my readers keep telling me that Yahoo still has a problem with a much more basic part of the Internet -- e-mail.
(14 comments, 659 words in story) Full Story
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