Speedy PC and Safecart
Complaint 93478 Details

First, Speedy PC advertised a "special price" of $29.95. They accept only PayPal payments. I authorized a purchase through PayPal. When downloading the software, I was told to call a phone number to "activate" the program, so I did.

Person answereing phone directed me to another web address named www.logmein123.com and told me to log in with a 6-digit code (851538)which he gave me. He then asked if he could run a "diagnostic" on my machine. He proceeeded to give me extremely dire alarms in an urgent voice about various programs he found on my computer. One in particular he described as "dangerous", namely winlogon.exe. He told me that Best Buy would charge me $300-400 to fix my computer, Staples would also be "very costly", but he could do it for less --around $300--if I would sign up with his company. I said that I was under the impression that Speedy PC was supposed to fix that stuff, or otherwise, why was I buying it? He proceeded to offer to do the job for a "special price" of $99.95. I said to forget it.

I logged off and looked up "winlogon.exe" and found that while it could enable rogue programs, it was a necessary component of the Windows operating system, and that if I tampered with it, I could harm my computer. So, I left it alone. I went ahead and ran Speedy PC Pro, which identified over 300 probvlems on my system, inclduing the existence of winlogon.exe, and allegedly fixed them all; but who knows? Incidentally, after Speedy PC Pro cleaned up my machine (allegedly) I ran another diagnostic with Speedy PC Pro, and this time it did not report a problem with the dreaded winlogon.exe. So, at the very least, I didn't need the added and expensive service of the Indian guy who offered to save my system for only $300--then $100 as a "special deal".

Anyway, the next thing that happened was that my bank statement reflected a charge of $39.95, which is $10 more than I had authorized. I also found an email from a company called SafeCart confirming that I had subscribed to them to renew my Speedy PC Pro annually. Before this, I was unaware that SafeCart even existed. In reviewing the order confirmation I initially got from Speedy PC, I saw that it said, on page 2 of the downloaded confirmation form that "Your order includes enrolment in the Automatic Renewal Service". So, I realized for the first time that although my intention had been to buy Speedy PC Pro for $29.95, what I had actually done was enroll in a program of annual charges of $39.95 against my account.

I immediately sent emails to Speedy PC Pro and to SafeCart, demanding a reund, which I must say, they promptly gave me. However, I have wasted the better part of an hour getting my money back and the experience has elevated my blood pressure considerably.

Is Speedy PC Pro a good program? SpeedyPC Pro might be "airware" that in reality does nothing. I might add that I run Microsoft Security Essentials on my machine, and it has never mentioned any such problems as Speedy PC Pro identified. It has caught and quarantined a few trojans, but after running Microsoft Security Essentials for over a year, I have had no problems other than the alleged "problems" identified by SpeedyPC Pro.

I know software programmers, and they have told me about companies that put out software that identifies bogus "problems" that will end your world as you know it. Certainly that is the experience I had with the catastrophist who tried to piggyback his services on top of SpeedyPC Pro for an added $300--then $100-fee. SpeedyPC Pro might be "airware" that in reality does nothing.

I might add that I run Microsoft Security Essentials on my machine, and it has never mentioned any such problems as Speedy PC Pro identified. It has caught and quarantined a few trojans, but after running Microsoft Security Essentials for over a year, I have had no problems other than the alleged "problems" identified by SpeedyPC Pro.

Personally, I would avoid Speedy PC Pro as if it were a deadly snake.