{"id":41133,"date":"2021-05-25T15:46:06","date_gmt":"2021-05-25T15:46:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/brit-watchdog-shows-some-teeth-over-mcafee-antivirus-auto-renewals\/"},"modified":"2021-05-25T15:46:06","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T15:46:06","slug":"brit-watchdog-shows-some-teeth-over-mcafee-antivirus-auto-renewals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/brit-watchdog-shows-some-teeth-over-mcafee-antivirus-auto-renewals\/","title":{"rendered":"Brit watchdog shows some teeth over McAfee antivirus auto-renewals"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has reached agreement with antivirus vendor McAfee that means some customers whose software subscription was automatically renewed will be able to get a refund.<\/p>\n

The deal<\/a> follows a lengthy investigation into the antivirus sector that kicked off in 2018 amid concerns that “some firms in the industry may not be complying with consumer law.”<\/p>\n

It’s quite the slap on the wrist for McAfee, whose software tends to be bundled with a large number of devices sold in the UK. Customers who signed up with the company may not have understood the ins and outs of auto-renewal, hence the CMA action.<\/p>\n

Under the arrangement, the process for turning off auto-renewal “will be made more straightforward for customers in the future,” said the regulator. Anyone already renewed will be entitled to end their contract and get a refund for the months remaining. Significantly, that refund right will be backdated for customers that were refused a refund in 2020.<\/p>\n

Additionally, McAfee has been instructed to make its pricing clearer (including the part about year two pricing being higher than the price paid when the antivirus product was first purchased.) It must also make instructions on turning off auto-renewal and getting refunds clearer on its website.<\/p>\n