Why do I have to pay to keep my excel and outlook?

misty6

I bought a new windows 8 laptop last February and a disk to install Microsoft office on it. I only use excel, word and outlook.

I got an email the other day saying that my subscription for my 365 office home premium was expiring on 1 Feb and I need to renew it. There was a link to renew it that I haven't clicked on as I don't trust it.

Surely this isn't right - I've never had to pay this before. Can anyone tell me is this correct. I wouldn't have bought it if I'd have known Id have to keep on paying. Thanks.

kwikbreaks

The MS Office you get bundled with new machines is normally a trial version. They usually only run 90 days too but the 365 in your product title says it was a one year licence - http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/home-premium/ What does your invoice say you bought?

If you want free then look to Libre Office which offers broadly similar features but is open source and free.

spannerzone

Office 365 is a yearly subscription service isn't it?
http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/buy-microsoft-office-365-home-premium-FX102853961.aspx
So I guess you bought this yearly renewable version of office, lasting 365 days before needing renewal.

macman

The clue is in the product name...and the '£79.99 per year' is not exactly hidden away on the website.
I'm guessing that you bought the laptop at PCW and they sold you Office 365 as a very profitable add-on?
You are paying for a 5-user licence, which you presumably don't need.

paddyrg

Office 365 is software rental as opposed to purchase. It's actually pretty decent value if you use Outlook and the Office suite, as you're always going to have the latest versions, not have to upgrade every new version.

If you don't want to pay annually, buy the perpetual licences which are significantly dearer than the 365 price but last forever, or stop using MS Office, and try Thunderbird instead of Outlook and Libre Office which is good enough for most people most of the time, and at the perfect price point.

PasturesNew

paddyrg wrote: »

.... It's actually pretty decent value .... as you're always going to have the latest versions, not have to upgrade every new version.

However, many people are still using much older versions. Mine's "really modern" as I've got Office 2003. Not everybody upgrades.

Horace

I have a new laptop and run Windows 8.1 but I made sure that I bought a copy of Microsoft Office for Business separately so that I could have Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint and Word (all programmes that I use constantly), I remember that it cost me about £100 for the programme.

Alas Office 2003 does not run on Windows 8.1 and would only work on my old laptop that ran XP Professional.

misty6

Thanks for all the replies.

Yes when I bought the laptop, I said I needed office and he sold it to me without mentioning it was renewable (can't remember which shop it was). So it's my fault I bought the wrong thing then! Will look into perpetual licences and the free libre and thunderbird things suggested. Thanks very much

aerostar

Give up on Office 365 - try LibreOffice (FREE)

http://www.libreoffice.org/features/

http://www.libreoffice.org/download

Ivrytwr3

As long as your Work place is part of the Home Use Program, this offer will be available to you.
Follow the steps below
1) Click on Deal Link
2) Enter your work e-mail address
3) Enter Program Code ( If Known, I did not enter this and ticked Don't Know Your Program Code? Click Here.)
4) wait for confirmation E-mail from Microsoft in your works e-mail address
5) Click on Link provided within E-mail
6) Go through Purchase
7) Product Key will appear in purchase order and in works e-mail address.
Either download and install (or wait for DVD if ordered), apply product key.. all done
I know this may have been posted previously but it seems like a good deal not to mention, as it may have dropped of the radar.
As far as I am aware this deal used to apply to Office 2011/2012, but now on 2013.
Also this deal is Available for MAC, but a different package, you will get
Word 2011
Excel 2011
Outlook 2011
Powerpoint 2011
Again the price is the same as the windows package.
RRP from Microsoft is £389.99 incl. VAT
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msuk/en_GB/pdp/productID.260260300?srccode=cii_18615224&cpncode=35-139228249-2&WT.mc_id=PLA_UK_GooglePLA
****** If URL not working use
****** http://www.microsofthup.com/hupuk/home.aspx?culture=en-GB

full details here:

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/microsoft-office-2013-professional-plus-8-95-microsoft-via-home-program-1742418#comments

You may be suprised the amount of companies / employees who can get this. Good luck!

GunJack

I just got a 2013 Pro 2-user version from HUP for £18 (£9 of that was to have the DVD as a backup medium