Why is a $50 1yr McAfee Live subscription bundled with my new laptop when I don't want it and don't want to pay for it?

Hello,

That is how OEM's cut costs for the customer. Lenovo stopped bundling PUP's about 6 months ago. I don't know about HP. You are not "forced" to keep it once you receive delivery.  Having said that, I believe that anti-virus is still included by most OEM's. Years ago we couldn't be sure customers would install an anti-virus, so it made sense. Now that Windows includes Defender and a firewall, McAfee is optional, but if not bundled, the price of your computer might be more.

Also see: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2887213/microsofts-signature-edition-laptops-deliver-the-clean-pc-experience-you-really-want.html

I'm not talking about the trial software you don't have to use, I'm talking being charged $50 automatically for a 1yr subscription with no way to remove it. It is automatically bundled in.

I don't care about crapware I can remove on my own. Dell is literally forcing you to buy a 1yr subscription to McAfee on XPS laptops, at least the XPS 13 with no way to remove it.

So no, it is not optional.

I am not familiar with that feature. I would be upset, too.

Yep. This is a first for me. A very dishonest practice.

The last Dell desktop I bought several years back also included a McAfee AV subscription which I was forced to pay for, with no option to decline it. I thought it was a shoddy practise then, and I still do, considering the good free AVs available both then and now. My first act was to not register it, then to uninstall it. I have no idea if the price I was forced to pay for it was counterbalanced by the lower price that Dell presumably charged me for the system by bundling it by default.

By any definition, this is foistware, but at least Dell was upfront in telling me what was included in the system I was building. Nothing dishonest about it. Nobody forced me to buy that total package, but I chose to (McAfee and all). And as Bb said, you are not forced to use it.

I just ran into this while buying a new laptop. It just seems squishy somehow. Doesn't pass the smell test. I still bought the laptop, but customer experience is not as good as it could or should be because of this.

I suggest you post your concerns about this issue on Dell's Customer Care forum...

Check out these solution I guess it will help you!

Before you install any other anti-virus scanner it is advised to completely uninstall McAfee's trial product. Assuming your new system has Windows 7 installed then to remove McAfee go to the Control Panel > Programs & Features and uninstall McAfee from there. If you have any problems completely removing it, look at McAfee's own guidance here; and that offers a removal tool if you need it.

It is best if you have already chosen your replacement anti-virus and have the new anti-virus setup file downloaded and ready to install before uninstalling McAfee, and once the uninstall has completed, reboot, (restart), the computer to update the systems settings and registry, then install the new anti-virus.

Source:

Check out these solution I guess it will help you! Before you install any other anti-virus scanner it is advised to completely uninstall McAfee's trial product. Assuming your new system has Windows 7 installed then to remove McAfee go to the Control Panel > Programs & Features and uninstall McAfee from there. If you have any problems completely removing it, look at McAfee's own guidance here;http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS100507 and that offers a removal tool if you need it. It is best if you have already chosen your replacement anti-virus and have the new anti-virus setup file downloaded and ready to install before uninstalling McAfee, and once the uninstall has completed, reboot, (restart), the computer to update the systems settings and registry, then install the new anti-virus. Source: www.cnet.com/.../do-i-need-to-purchase-mcafee-antivirus-for-my-new-dell-557652

These users don't have the trial version of McAfee. They have and were charged $50 for a full (1-year) subscription even though they didn't want it

And there's no way to order the PC without having to pay for McAfee.

Dell is still doing this as of my order 5/31/21. They added it to my invoice for $42.57. Customer service tells me it's always bundled with a system purchase even though it is presented as a free trial.I had to make two calls to customer service. First one told my it's not included in the total. So I hung up an did the math and found that IT IS INCLUDED IN THE TOTAL. Second call I was told it's part of the system charge. I asked to speak to a supervisor and then the call disconnected. I was surprised the rep called me back. He then gave me the same story and told me the supervisor would tell me the same thing. I still ask to speak to the supervisor. Then the rep ask me to hold on while he looked into doing something. Then he came back and offered me a $30 coupon. I didn't say any thing and he then said or a $30 credit. I didn't want to waist my time for the remaining $12.57, so I took it. I've been purchasing Dell systems for myself and for companies for 25 year from Dell. Next time I'll look at HP and IBM before buying from Dell.

This is happening right now on an order that is in production but hasn't shipped. I am forwarding the screen shots of the invoice and build sheet to NH Consumer Protection as it is deceptive and I specifically opted out of any software licenses for this unit. 

Dell has really gone downhill since our last purchase two years ago. 

I'm now trying to cancel a very large order because they lied during the checkout process. It CLEARLY said support was free and I very intentionally de-selected any anti-virus and now I have nearly $200 in charges for McAffee and "Premium Support". This practice is utterly disgusting at best and potentially illegal. 

I will issue a chargeback if I have to.

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear about this.
I want to check this for you.
Please direct message us the order number,  name of the registered owner and email ID so that we can review this on your behalf.

Regards,
Pamyaphi 

Hi,

I see you have written to us on Twitter.

Should you have any query, you can always write to us there on Twitter to avoid confusion.

Regards,

Pamyaphi