Is This allowed, changing T&Cs, inc for existing customers? Roboform Free Upgrades

Mamzie

I am really annoyed with Roboform, deciding to charge annually. I've posted on their wall and am not impressed with their response so far -

Is it even legal for a company to decide to change their Software Upgrade terms and apply it to existing customers? Roboform have withdrawn support for old versions, and require existing customers with lifetime upgrade licences to take out annual subscriptions before they can upgrade to V7. Am I overreacting on the Roboform wall? I feel really let down by them cancelling the Lifetime upgrades with no notice

https://www.facebook.com/RoboForm/po...t=feed_comment

fluffnutter

AFAIK, companies can change their T&Cs but they have to give you notice and allow you to cancel without penalty if you don't wish to continue under the new terms. I think the free lifetime upgrades are a material part of the contract and I would be cancelling too.

fluffnutter

I'd look closely at the original T&Cs though. The response seems to suggest that 'free' only applies to upgrades within that version. You'd have to check to be sure.

I appreciate that this most definitely a consumer rights question but you might try the Techie board on this forum. They're probably pretty good with software licence queries.

squeaky

Hi,

Yes, it might well be worth asking on the techie board, so I'll move the thread across there for you.

Good luck

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RussJK

Happens all the time in software, the main risk of a 'lifetime licence' unfortunately. It only stays that way until they use the 'new version' excuse.

You'd have to see the original Terms, but usually they have a "we reserve the right to change these terms" option in there.

I don't see what you gain out of cancelling unless you get a partial refund. On the same token, I wouldn't upgrade to version 7.

I notice they've taken down the "http://www.roboform.com/why-pro.htm" that you posted, also it's not in the Wayback Machine (www.archive.org).

Equaliser123

squeaky wrote: »

Hi,

Yes, it might well be worth asking on the techie board, so I'll move the thread across there for you.

Good luck

Much more of a consumer rights issue....

The_Pedant

This issue with this company has come up a few times before.
Unfortunately, with them being american you've got an uphill battle ahead of you.

Under british law, the 'free lifetime updates' would have been a key part of the contract entered into when the software was purchased.

Unfortunately, unless you can get together with a load of the affected users & have very deep pockets, then you won't get very far. Best just to move on, for what little it's worth.

To be honest, they could probably got around this very easily by changing the name of the software & then effectively terminating the old application & the lifetime updates along with it.

texranger

I had the same problem with Winzip

when i purchased version 9 i purchased a free lifetime version upgrade, so any upgrades to newer versions would be free, which the honoured until version 15 when i recived the email to upgrade i clicked the link as always, but was directed to a payment page to pay for the upgrade. i immediate contacted them i told that yes to upgrade i have to pay. i explained no i dont as i have a free version upgrade which i have had since version 9, they refused to believe this and told me to pay or they would disable my use of winzip. they started to get abusive and threatening. i them presented them with the email i had showing what i have paid for and that i would not pay to upgrade. eventually they relented and gave me version 15 free. i dare say when they change versions again i will have the same trouble.

debitcardmayhem

Aaah the old lifetime updates, paid for similar with my garmin sat-nav, as far as I know it is still working, but since it was nicked out of the car I can't prove it is still functioning. Never mind when I went to buy a replacement they wanted me to pay again for lifetime updates, hmmmmm, insurance wouldn't pay garmin wouldn't transfer it so you know what I negotiated with insurance co for a Tom-Tom.

Of course the moral of the story is "whose life time" they refer to.

Mamzie

I found quite a few pages saved on the Way Back, and they all mention the Free Upgrades. I also imagine that many other users, like myself have been through major version changes over the years with Roboform...

I could have agreed with them changing the term if they had given some warning, or offered the EveryWhere program and encouraged existing users to move, maybe by offering them a discount. This way stinks

Mamzie

I also feel that this is much more a consumer rights issue that a techy issue, as theres not really any tech thing to help with...

I do agree that its worth the money, but I have bought it 4 or 5 times for different PCs already, and now, it appears that because I would prefer to have the desktop version I need to buy another load of licences...

I have been searching internet Archives for the old versions of their Website pages and it shows that they didn't have the Free Upgrades as a Plus Point for buying the Pro Version pre Nov 2002, then they added the Free Upgrades as the Very First benefit for buying Pro from 2003 until late 2008. However they changed the page, end 2008 and quietly removed the Free Upgrades from the benefits of buying Pro..

So the way I read that is if you bought while they offered Free Upgrades, then thats what you should get. Or a refund or a free conversation/years for however many lifetime licences are held and an apology for reneging on the original offer. I have screenshot all the relevent pages if Roboform would like to see them, or anyone else needs them