Trouble with AVS Video Tools

[hans009988]

Caveat Emptor!

I purchased AVS Video Creator 4 from avsmedia.com. The program has a
feature that
a) checks for updates
b) verifies license
on the Internet by phoning home when the software is run.

Last week AVS Video Creator 4 refused to start because it recognized a
newer version was available. I had downloaded the update but not yet
installed it. If it ain't broke don't fix it. So I was "forced" to
upgrade the installation which does accept the old license. The new
version worked OK with some decent new features.

But over the weekend, during a "phone home" my software was disabled by
AVS Media. Trying to revert to the working v. 4 version did no good, as
it refuses to load without an Internet connection AND once it is
connected it is disabled because of the new version update
availability.

In short, I'm a paying customer (purchased the software January 2006)
who has had his software remotely disabled by the developer. After two
days there is still no response from (e-mail address removed). The software
remains disabled. The software is installed on one PC running Windows
XP Media Center 2005. Actually, since the software won't run, it's
installed on no PCs.

So beware. Maybe AVS will fix this, maybe they won't. But in the
meantime the end user remains held hostage at their whim. This has got
to be the biggest blunder a corporation like Online Media Technologies
Ltd. can make: turning a current, paying customer into someone who will
never purchase or recomend their product again. And into a customer
who's now trying some eval versions of similar software from a
competitor.

 

[Hans]

I have most certainly been ripped off AVS Media. Wish I would have
known this earlier, but whois details of avsmedia.com reveals it hidden
behind "Registrant: Domains by Proxy, Inc."
http://domainsbyproxy.com

In addition, AVS' street address at

29 Harley Street
London W1G 9QR

is merely a blind mail drop.

See the address elsewhere on the web used by various unseemly sorts
leads to
http://www.londoncenter.com/contact_details.htm
which offers "...a virtual London Office... with mail forwarding to
anywhere in the world... and manage your London Office viab online web
interface."

All of the above from a software maker claiming to have 5,000,000
installations.
at
http://avsmedia.com/downloads/index.aspx
see
http://avsmedia.com/images/load_info.gif

Oh sure, five million users of software from a company hiding behind a
mail drop and domainsbyproxy. Um huh.

I was robbed of $29.95. A cheap lesson in learning to do more due
diligence before shopping online.

I hope this helps.