Subscription Renewal - NIS and Others

I think Symantec should change their practices on subscription renewal. Currently when you renew your subscription, any days you have remaining on your current subscription gets taken away.

 

By default NIS starts warning you that your subscription is about to run out around 30 days before the end of your current subscription. If you renew at that time, you lose 30 days of subscription.

 

So you are either forced to wait until the last day or two before you renew or lose up to a month worth of subscription.

 

What would be so difficult about Symantec changing this so that when you renew your subscription, the renewal period simply gets added on to your current subscription?

 

This should apply not only to NIS/AV but also to any other subscription based service.

 

Thanks

Allen

Hi

 

I agree, just like any other subscription for newspapers, TV guide or anything else. Why start reminding you 30 days in advance, except it does give people time to go out and buy a copy from some other place than just Symantec store.

Hi Floplot,

 

Thanks. The thing is it should be so easy for them to simply add to our current subscription. This is a choice they make and I truly hope they change this. :smileywink:

 

Allen


AllenM wrote:

I think Symantec should change their practices on subscription renewal. Currently when you renew your subscription, any days you have remaining on your current subscription gets taken away.

 

By default NIS starts warning you that your subscription is about to run out around 30 days before the end of your current subscription. If you renew at that time, you lose 30 days of subscription.

 

So you are either forced to wait until the last day or two before you renew or lose up to a month worth of subscription.

 

What would be so difficult about Symantec changing this so that when you renew your subscription, the renewal period simply gets added on to your current subscription?

 

This should apply not only to NIS/AV but also to any other subscription based service.

 

Thanks

Allen


First, I agree with you that that would be easiest for the consumer.

 

However, you make it sound more difficult than it is.

 

Get your new product or subscription.  It doesn't start until you use the activation key.  Enter the activation key into your existing product on the last day of your subscription (and you will not be allowed to forget it) and you will now have no days wasted.

 

If you resubscribe online, then that does get added to the end of your subscription.

Hi Mijcar,

 

I have renewed online several times, including just today and it did not get added on to my current subscription. I had about 19 days remaining on my current NIS 2010 subscription, renewed and it now has 366 days instead of 385 days.

 

And yes I know about waiting till the last day but one should not have to do that. The reason I renewed now vs waiting is because my trial for NU was about to expire and Symantec had a package deal for both for only $5 more than just NIS renewal so I went ahead and done it now.

 

Allen

Message Edited by AllenM on 12-05-2009 07:00 PM

Hi AllenM:

 

I just renewed my subscription on line, and the days were added to what I had left.  I now have 382 days remaining.   I think it is only a problem if the user buys a new disc and adds the key to the existing version.  I'm not entirely sure why this makes a difference, though, as the new subscription also gets added to your account.


delphinium wrote:

Hi AllenM:

 

I just renewed my subscription on line, and the days were added to what I had left.  I now have 382 days remaining.   I think it is only a problem if the user buys a new disc and adds the key to the existing version.  I'm not entirely sure why this makes a difference, though, as the new subscription also gets added to your account.


 

HI delphinium,

 

Perhaps it happened this time because I took advantage of a package deal for NIS and NU instead of going through the program interface of NIS to do Express Renewal. However I have done this in the past and I don't recall ever getting time added on. Perhaps I'm remembering wrong though.

 

But as you said, this really should work when installing from DVD too. :smileywink:

 

Thanks

Allen

My understanding is that a subscription renewal is cumulative and extends your current subscription while using a different product key from say, a retail purchase, replaces the existing subscription causing a loss of remaining days.  I certainly think that a Norton Account could easily be set up in such a way that the account would be credited for all days still remaining on any unexpired product keys on file.  So, instead of the expiration date being tied to the product key currently in use, it would be based on the total number of days for all valid keys in the account.  My Norton Account currently shows the keys I have used for the last four years (three correctly showing as expired) so the record keeping is already in place.  It would just be a matter of setting up the accounting to allow for an accrual of days.  I, too, would like to see this done.

 


AllenM wrote:

Hi Mijcar,

 

I have renewed online several times, including just today and it did not get added on to my current subscription. I had about 19 days remaining on my current NIS 2010 subscription, renewed and it now has 366 days instead of 385 days.

 

And yes I know about waiting till the last day but one should not have to do that. The reason I renewed now vs waiting is because my trial for NU was about to expire and Symantec had a package deal for both for only $5 more than just NIS renewal so I went ahead and done it now.

 

Allen

Message Edited by AllenM on 12-05-2009 07:00 PM

By renewing online, that means re-subscribing and it will be added to your current subscription.  What you did was buy a new version of your product (plus NU); that is not "re-subscribing."  Call customer service and explain and they will fix the issue.  Your subscription to NU should not be attached to the one to NIS (unless this is yet another new marketing strategy); so customer service will probably fix it for you.

 

In the future, assuming NU is separate from NIS, just hold off on using the NIS activation key until NIS says "you need to resubscribe now!" and then put it in.  As easy as that.  You can have it saved in a text file on your desk and when NIS reminds you, open the text copy, copy the entire key, point to the first square of the activation key entry, and press Control-V (or right-click and select paste).  Done!


By the way, you have actually shown one reason why Symantec probably does things the way they do.  There may be products whose licenses are in tandem.  Remember that the NAV license was tied to the NSW license if you bought the NSW Standard.  I don't like these marketing strategies, but it's a consumer trade-off:  You get a good deal on the dual-packaged product (Symantec did this with NSW Pro where you got NSW and Norton Save & Restore), but although boxed separately, the products are integrated and have the same subscription length, so you don't get to use half of that package to lengthen the subscription of the same product you had as a standalone.

 

If that's the policy, I'd dump it, because it doesn't make for happy campers.

 

Still, it could be problematic for some people, having half their dual package expire on one day, and the other half expire two months down the road.

 

Message Edited by mijcar on 12-05-2009 09:02 PM

Hi

 

Renewing with the same key for a product or buying a new key for the same product shouldn't make any difference as far as when the subscription would end, but it does. It still is resulting in the customer using the same product. It shouldn't make any difference if the person is getting the product extended by renewing the product with the same key or going out and buying the same product with a different key, but it does. Whether using the same key or a new one, the end result should be that the program is extended for another year. If they would just add on the new subscription to the ending date of the current subscription, look at all the calls they could save by not having the customers having to call up customer support to get this solved every day. They are free calls to the customers, but Symantec is still paying for the calls. It would really be so much easier on the consumer to just have the year's subscription added on to the end of it whether it is done on day 30 or on day 1 of the last month. Look at all the calls to customer support that could be prevented if it was only added on at the end. It shouldn't make any difference if it's the same key or a new one if it's for the same product, it still is extending the product for another year.

 

It all goes back to updating a product or upgrading the product like that other long thread we had before.

Hi Floplot,

 

That is so true. Customer loyalty is what it is all about and however the subscription is extended, that customer is still being loyal to Symantec.

 

Allen


AllenM wrote:

Hi Floplot,

 

That is so true. Customer loyalty is what it is all about and however the subscription is extended, that customer is still being loyal to Symantec.

 


It is also true about the reduction in support calls that could be expected.  Floplot makes a very good point.  Support calls are not an insignificant expense for any company.

Message Edited by SendOfJive on 12-05-2009 09:49 PM

AllenM wrote:

Hi Mijcar,

 

I have renewed online several times, including just today and it did not get added on to my current subscription. I had about 19 days remaining on my current NIS 2010 subscription, renewed and it now has 366 days instead of 385 days.

 

And yes I know about waiting till the last day but one should not have to do that. The reason I renewed now vs waiting is because my trial for NU was about to expire and Symantec had a package deal for both for only $5 more than just NIS renewal so I went ahead and done it now.

 

Allen

Message Edited by AllenM on 12-05-2009 07:00 PM

Hi AllenM,

 

To (try and) get back the days you lost, contact Symantec Customer Support and tell them about what happened; they should be able to add the days back to your new subscription:

http://www.symantec.com/norton/support/contact/contact.jsp?pvid=cs

In addition, this post by Tony Weiss clarifies and explains a lot of things concerning subscriptions, upgrades, renewals etc.:

http://community.norton.com/norton/board/message?board.id=Announcements&thread.id=12

Message Edited by Yaso_Kuuhl on 12-06-2009 10:33 AM

I agree with all that's been said about remaining subscription days should be added to a renewal, no matter which method of renewal you use.

 

What is Nortons priority here, to keep you safe, or to get your money ? 

 

You are asked early enough to renew, so I don't think you should be punished just because you took the trouble to go out and put money in the Norton coffers by buying a new CD

Why penalise the CD users.

 

 

Not everyone is able to wait until the last day to renew, due to other comittments, holidays, working away or, (I hope not), hospital.

So if they want to Buy  the CD so they have the facility to re-install if needed, it happens, they have two options:-

1       Load and Activate it early, losing already paid for time.

2       Return home and find  that their Security has disappeared, and they are on-line without any protection.  

( Especially if they use an Always On router connection.)

OK, you can contact Norton and get it sorted, but that's an unnecessary waste of your time, and Nortons.

 

 


boneidle wrote:
....

 

Not everyone is able to wait until the last day to renew, due to other comittments, holidays, working away or, (I hope not), hospital.

So if they want to Buy  the CD so they have the facility to re-install if needed, it happens, they have two options:-

1       Load and Activate it early, losing already paid for time.

2       Return home and find  that their Security has disappeared, and they are on-line without any protection.  

( Especially if they use an Always On router connection.)

 


You know, Bone, that practically every post -- including my own -- have mostly agreed with you.  But you do still go on a bit much.  Some posts also try to offer a possible explanation for Symantec's thinking; it is no longer illegal to try to understand the other guy's side.  :smileyvery-happy:

 

You make good points, please understand that; and we are not arguing against them.

 

Maybe if I summarize what you want and most of us agree with, and make it specific enough, Symantec will get the point; and we can find some needy threads to direct out attention to.


 

Symantec, what we are suggesting is an installation procedure that goes as follows.

 

1.  The user has bought a Symantec product that carries a subscription and launched its installation.

 

2.  The installer checks for currently active or previous active products of the same type (NIS for NIS, NAV for NAV, etc).

 

3.  If the installer finds that there is a previous product of the same type, it displays a message somewhat like the following:

    We have detected an earlier version of NIS on this computer.  Do you wish to UPDATE this version of NIS?  This might give you a longer subscription time.

 

4.  If the customer says "no", then it goes into the usual procedure.

     If the customer says "yes", then it produces the following query:

             We will verify your ownership.

         Please enter the Activation Code of the product you previously were using.

         If you do not have the Activation Code, click here.

 

5.  If the client enters the correct Activation Code, the installation procedes and the time of the new product begins from the later of either the end of the previous subscription or today.

     If the client "clicks here" he is asked for his email address associated with the Norton Account and his password.  If online checking verifies his ownership, the installation also procedes as in the step above.

     If the client cannot verify ownership, he is given the option of installing with a new subscription starting as of that date or cancelling the installation.

 

Note:  If using the Activation Code of the previous product is considered too insecure (example: maybe the computer has been resold without being reimaged, and the new user has "stolen" the previous owner's activation code from the registry), then the extended subscription can depend solely on the email+password.

Message Edited by mijcar on 12-06-2009 09:31 AM

 

  mijcar

I now see why you are near top of ladder, well done.

And my feet will always be in the water.


boneidle wrote:

  mijcar

I now see why you are near top of ladder, well done.

And my feet will always be in the water.


Yeah, well ...

 

The trick now is to get a staffer to read it.  If I could do that, I might actually deserve that "lofty" position.  Hah!

I’m sure they will, yours anyway.

boneidle,

 

Trust us; in conversations with Symantec personnel, it is apparent that they do read every post on the forum.