UK competition watchdog unveils principles to make a kinder antivirus business

guest · Oct 19, 2021

UK competition watchdog unveils principles to make a kinder antivirus business
Treat customers fairly when it comes to auto-renewal. Or else
October 19, 2021
https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/19/cma_antivirus/

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has unveiled compliance principles to curb locally some of the sharper auto-renewal practices of antivirus software firms.

The move follows the watchdog baring its teeth at McAfee and Norton over the issue of automatically renewing contracts.
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The CMA took exception to auto-renewal contracts for antivirus software that customers in the UK signed up for and found difficult to cancel. Refunds and clearer pricing information (including making sure consumers were aware that year two could well end up considerably costlier than the first) were the order of the day.

The focus remains on auto-renewing contracts, where a customer signs up for a fixed period, then is charged again for subsequent periods. The CMA acknowledges that such arrangements are convenient, but they risk the consumer being locked into an agreement they no longer want or that they get stung with higher fees at renewal time.
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Price claims must be "accurate" and "not mislead your customers" – so only show discounts against the normal price. It must also be possible to turn off the auto-renew easily, keep auto-renew turned off once it is off and, if on, make sure customers are reminded in good time that an auto-renew will happen.

Getting a refund must be easier and customers should be able to change their mind when auto-renewal happens.
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bellgamin · Oct 19, 2021

Good for the UK!!! We need the same thing in USA.

NormanF · Oct 19, 2021

SAS. New local AV software seems wasted. They're moving to the cloud and it can anticipate threats faster than local definition updates.

That's critical with zero day malware and exploits.

That said, auto renewal is the most abusive aspect of it. People shouldn't be tied down to a cybersecurity vendor.

guest · Oct 28, 2021

AV-Comparatives welcome UK guidelines on auto-renewal by antivirus vendors
October 28, 2021
https://www.av-comparatives.org/av-...delines-on-auto-renewal-by-antivirus-vendors/

The UK Government’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recently published guidelines for antivirus software vendors with regard to auto-renewal of subscriptions. These Compliance Principles advise security software vendors who sell to UK consumers how to avoid falling foul of British consumer protection laws. Austrian AV test lab AV-Comparatives supports the principles behind the CMA guidelines.

Auto-renewal is likely to be of benefit to the software vendor, as it means a continued source of income for them, without any additional effort or expense on their part. For customers who are satisfied with the service, auto-renewal brings convenience, and the peace of mind that their computers will remain protected. However, the CMA article notes that some antivirus vendors have been investigated to determine whether their autorenewal policies comply with UK consumer protection laws.
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AV-Comparatives reports that it is aware of numerous complaints from customers regarding subscription auto-renewal. Last year, the Austrian antivirus testing lab investigated the auto-renewal policies of various consumer security-software vendors. Their findings were published in the testing lab’s Consumer Summary Report 2020.

The report noted that in the most extreme case, the auto-renewal price was over three times the cost of the first year’s subscription. This is not in itself illegal or improper. However, it appears that some customers feel they were not suitably informed about the auto-renewal procedure, how to cancel it, or what the renewal price would be.
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