Warning - Tenebril Ghostsurf rip-off

I bought this software for the Ghostsurf proxy only but it comes packaged with a one year Spycatcher licence (amongst other junk). However, after the year is up, they try and turn off the proxy, even though it is not advertised with expiry. Tenebril suck! Avoid these scammers like the plague - a shame as the proxy is the best I've tried.

Lon

 

??

The Tenebril product website clearly states the license is for 1-year, additionally they also clearly advertize Standard and Platinum packages. Platinum being the one which includes SpyCatcher.


I fail to see a problem.

 

It looks like you bought a one-year license.
An expiration notice would have been nice though.

 

No one's going to give you a high quality proxy service indefinitely for a one-time purchase. Servers and bandwidth cost money. I don't know how they advertise their service, but these types of services usually give subscription plans lasting from a month to a year. A year is on the high end.

If they provided you with acceptable service for a year, then they're not scammers.

 

They changed their website AFTER I complained - before it said the Spycatcher had a 1 year expiry NOT the Proxy. That didn't bother me as I only ever used the proxy.
On top of this, when I complained they were extremely rude and as good as told me to stuff it - instead I decided to stuff them - thieving b**stards.

Lon

 

I also hate it when websites are not entirely honest about their practices, and perhaps you're right about their advertising practices (or maybe they made a mistake). Usually when a website puts up confusing information that works in their favor, it's done on purpose. Perhaps you would never have signed up if you knew it was only a year.

However, I have a hard time believing you were ripped off. What did you pay, $30 or $40 for a year? That's about the best deal possible. My guess is that they have some limitations on the bandwidth for those prices (i.e. I probably wouldn't be able to use it), but you seemed to find it acceptable. What does your ISP charge you for a full year of service? If I thought that they could handle my bandwidth requirements, I would take that offer in a heartbeat, and I would probably pay double for it.

You should feel fortunate you never had to deal with the likes of Privacy.li. Not only would they have taken a lot more money, but they probably would have actually ripped you off (as in stealing your private information). Privacy.li is a true scam. Anyone else is an amateur by comparison. Let's save the word "scammer" for the true scammers of the world (*cough* Privacy.li *cough*). We have stories of them stealing thousands of dollars (providing absolutely no service), and that's just the people who had the guts to tell their stories. Of course, those people were trashed publicly by the owners.

Sorry, but I can't take your side on this one. Now, if you say you paid $100 or more, I think you would get more people on your side, but, even then, the price isn't unreasonable for a full year.

 

Well said all the way around.

 

A lot of people here like to bash Privacy.li because of the stories they've heard or possibly they talked to Adem (or whoever runs the service).

But, let me be clear, I was actually ripped off by them. So, I know first hand that they're a scam. It's not just something I read.

 

So which package did you buy?

@I no more than U lol John Wayne, i was expecting to see your security apps.

 

Nah, I don't want to "re-do" my avatar every time I change something, which is usually every week. I also think it nicely demonstrates how easy it is to hide data in files (i.e. steganography). If that was encrypted, you'd never know it was there. And it has no effect on the function either. It can also accomodate a lot more data.

Besides, for a meat-head, the guy managed to give one of the best one-liners, and it's so true, both figuratively and literally.

 

Seeing I paid for it, for the first time in my life I have now sourced a "hookie" version and am currently using that. So, for scamming me it seems they gonna cost themselves money - serves the thieves right!

 

That's true, i've often wondered how many encrypted stenographic images are out there in innocent blog posts, forums avatars like yours that contain "real" sensitive information from terrorist groups and the like. It must pose some massive problems for the government "watchers".

What package did you buy 1ondon? Was it Ghost Surf, Ghost Surf Premium or some other one?

 

Unlike most programs that can be cracked, proxy servers require login credentials (don't they?) to work properly. Didn't they expire your account by revoking your login credentials? How long do you think fake login information will work? Note that I'm not saying you're wrong (or right), but I'm doubtful this could work for very long.

Besides, why don't you just pay? From what I see, they charge $2.50 a month. That's peanuts.

p.s. If you do this and they figure it out, they'll be able to get your IP address. Also, unlike most cracked programs that you wouldn't have otherwise paid for, you're actually using their bandwidth. So, this actually costs them money.

 

Not to go off-topic here, please could you post your experiences with privacy.li in this thread:
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=211655&=privacy.li+facts

 

FYI, I was "malwaretesting". Besides, I went by a lot of other names in the past. I've been around for a long time. Everything about my story is already public knowledge. In fact, a lot of the information that's currently out there about them is because of stuff I revealed.

Don't worry. I only use one name at a time. I sometimes "disappear" from these forums for a year or more at a time, and I just delete my credentials. Then I get the itch to come back.

Edit: I'd rather not rehash everything from the past, but I'd just like to warn people to steer as far away from Privacy.li as possible. It's not so much the theft as the fact that they'll take any personal information about you and post it anywhere. They use this leverage to force people to shut up about the theft. I've seen them do this numerous times.

 

Let me also add that I absolutely do not have more than one set of credentials to this forum, in case anyone is concerned. Anything I used in the past is gone for good.

I'll try to hang on to this one, even if I know I'll be gone for a while.

 

Ghostsurf 2007 Platinum.

 

Ok i was just curious when you said this...

I took a look at their archived pages back a year ago and prior when you would of bought it, and their page looks largely unchanged and indicates a year. For example this is July 2008.

I guess "updates" is poor terminology, it should be "access" but it says a year.

That price for 1 year is very cheap, i run my own servers and i couldn't afford to have anyone proxy through it for a year at that price.

 

No kidding.

I can see where the OP might have been confused. But still, if you knew anything about proxy services at all, you would have to know service would end after a set period of time.

Also, If you click on the Ghostsurf link on the archived link you provided, you'll get this:

http://web.archive.org/web/20080610064348/www.tenebril.com/consumer/ghostsurf/ghostsurf_standard.php

Here, it clearly states 1 year of service for Ghostsurf (or the Ghostsurf component of Ghostsurf Platinum).

Whether they use the confusing language "update" on purpose for the Platinum package is debatable. But it's not a rip-off.

 

The archived links are clearly after I bought the software - it used to imply outright purchasing of the software/proxy and 1 year of spycatcher updates (which I never used).
And YES, it is a ripoff, as I was led to believe I was buying the software and not licensing it for a year, or otherwise. Furthermore, their customer "support" was extremely rude to me when I complained.

Lon

 

Apparently you didn't read everything when you purchased the software. I have been using Ghostsurf for almost 5 years now, and it's always been a year subscription for the proxy.

As far as customer service goes, a few versions ago I had isues trying to run one of the updates. Not only did they spend significant time on the phone with me, but when they couldn't fix it they refunded my money. A month or so later a manager emailed me and sent me a newer version with a 2 year free subscription. You shoudn't try and give a company a bad name, when it was your mistake.

 

Welcome to Wilders! Glad to have you here. Clearly you are right. I think many problems like this are caused by the fact that the internet is worldwide and this forum has members from, literally, all over the world. Communication (or lack thereof) is often a problem with people who have a native tongue different than the software developers main target audience. Especially with that in mind, more people should be careful before maligning a company and/or product here on the forum. Too often the "problem" is simply miscommunication.

 

That is absolute bollox! I read the terms several times and it clearly stated that the Spycatcher had a one year update sub on it - there was nothing about the proxy being limited.
Respectfully, you shouldn't gainsay people when you clearly have no clue.

Lon

 

Agreed, but even in this case Tenebril half admitted it was ambiguous (at best) before - they even updated the website now.

 

Ghostsurf is the WORST, I repeat, THE WORST software for anonoymous browsing.... it will take over your computer.. try and uninstall it? no can do... you have to get another program. THis application will freeze everything.. it is the worst trial of an IP hide program I have ever tried. Save yourself the headache and DO NOT try this.

Who's the ~Snip~ that designed it is what I'd like to know... total garbage.