Came for support, Left in a nightmare

Question

Hello! This will be a long post. I hope that's ok, and I hope I'm posting in the right place. I frankly don't know where else to go. I've been having slow-down and serious freezing problems with my dinosaur Dell Dimension 1100/B110 for a couple of months and have tried a LOT of free remedies -- you name it, I've tried it -- some of which have worked temporarily. My next step is to purchase memory since I've been running on the original 256MB the system came with in 2006, but that's another discussion for another forum. A few days ago I was once again perusing my Dell user manual for some information, prompted by some email exchanges I've been having with Crucial, and ended up at the Dell support website. At the bottom of the page I saw three options, one of which says: Free PC Speed Check Find out what's slowing down your PC. Get a customized error report and a list of recommended fixes.  http://www.dell.com/support/home/uk/en/ukdhs1/Products/ So I clicked on it. Big mistake. I think it's incredibly misleading for Dell to put this Free PC Speed Check link on their page, presenting it as a FREE service that's part of Dell's diagnostics, which apparently it is not. I trust Dell, (or I DID), so I downloaded and ran the scanner, thinking it would fix the problems it found as it claimed it would. It was doing such a thorough (and long) scan, I suddenly got the feeling that this couldn't possibly be a free service and that I was gonna be hit up for some astronomical charge in order to remove the problems. When it finally finished scanning, it said it would fix all the problems found today for a one-time fee of $9.95. (There was another more expensive option if I wanted to purchase year-round service.) It was then I discovered this wasn't Dell but a company called Iolo Technologies. I don't usually fall for this kind of sleazy marketing, but this time I figured what the heck let's see if it helps, paid the lesser fee and clicked 'repair'. Right after my transaction was completed, it said I was activated but that first I needed to click on a link in an email they'd just sent me in order to validate my account. I did all of that, closed the browser and then clicked 'repair' again. Nothing happened. I clicked 'repair' again. Again nothing happened. Finally after about 10 minutes it said 'Repairing Now...' Okay. So, I sat there and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited for 2 hours for something to happen. But it didn't, despite it saying, 'Repairing now...'. I saw no progress bar, heard no sounds of technology coming from my computer to indicate any action was occurring. The voice inside my head: 'Sucker!' After 2 hours I finally gave up, closed the application and then went online to google this company which as it turns out has scammed many people out of money and has even badly damaged some people's computers, despite it apparently being a legitimate software company based in California. I tried to find a customer contact link on Iola's website, but of course, this itself has been turning into yet ANOTHER trip down the rabbit hole which may never get resolved. On one of the two emails Iolo Technologies sent immediately after receiving my payment, this is what it said:   You recently created an account while using iolo System Checkup to scan your PC for problems. Once you have verified your email address, you may use it to sign in to System Checkup to find and fix computer problems according to the terms and conditions of your license and service plan.   But when I went to the company's website after the application failed to work, I discovered that I would first need to create an account -- which I thought I'd already done by verifying my email -- if I wanted to ask any questions about the product.   So I created an account. Then I discovered that I would need to register the product I purchased before being able to discuss any issues about it with someone. But in order to register the product, I would need licensing information. Licensing information? To use known licensing information when registering an iolo product, enter the User ID and Serial number, and then click Register.  https://secure.iolo.com/myaccount/Register.aspx The problem is that at no point was I sent or given a Serial number. During the downloading, installation, scanning, payment, email verification and fixing (supposed) process of this application, I was never informed that I'd need to create ANOTHER account. Nor was I informed that I'd need to register my product or that I'd need a serial number to do so. So I clicked on the link that said Help me find my licensing information which took me to yet another page where I saw this: The requested article is invalid or does not exist The Knowledge Base article you have requested is temporarily unavailable or does not exist. Please try your request again in a few minutes. If you continue to experience problems, you may try one of the alternative options listed below. https://secure.iolo.com/customercare/kbarticle.aspx?id=KBA-01423   So then I clicked on Go to the Customer Care Homepage which brought me to a page that had many options. http://support.iolo.com/ics/support/splash.asp   So I clicked on the FAQ link which took me to yet another page where I saw this: Where is my Activation Key? Your 20-digit Activation Key was sent in your Welcome Email. If you need to retrieve it, visit the Activation Key Retrieval page. Where and when do I enter my Activation Key? During installation, you will be prompted to enter your Activation Key along with the Email Address we are using to communicate this email to you. Together, these make up your licensing info. http://support.iolo.com/link/portal/16098/16125/Article/1051/Product-Activation-Questions-These-Answers-May-Help#activation01 Activation Key? No 20-digit activation key OR serial number was sent in my welcome email. The only number was a 15-digit order number. Nor was I prompted to enter ANY number during installation or during the running of the application. After the payment was received, it simply said Activated. So I clicked on Activation Key Retrieval page and arrived at this: The resource cannot be found. Description: HTTP 404. The resource you are looking for (or one of its dependencies) could have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.  Please review the following URL and make sure that it is spelled correctly. http://support.iolo.com/ics/support/www.iolo.com/customercare/licensinginfo.aspx Are we having fun yet? So I backtracked a few pages and saw this: If you have purchased the product but have not received your licensing information, please be patient, some promotional purchases require the delivery of a physical CD-ROM with the licensing information only available with the physical copy of the product. You may optionally download and use a trial version of the product until your physical shipment arrives. http://support.iolo.com/link/portal/16098/16125/Article/404/Downloading-and-licensing-information-for-previously-purchased-iolo-technologies-products   Optionally download and use a trial version? Um, I thought I'd just done that. CD-ROM? .   In the words of John Lennon: 'Nobody told me there'd be days like these.'   Before I call them, I'm trying to work up my human system resources to deal with phase three of this nightmare. That's why I'm posting this here first. Anybody else go through anything like this? Should I abandon cause and call it a day?   Iolo Customer Service: 877-239-4656 626-320-1800   Thanks

ky331 · Answer

I don't know what, if anything, can be done at this point... but I will try to bring your post to the attention of a DeLL Liaison/Moderator, DELL-Robert P, for assistance.

If he requests to continue the conversation privately, that would be legitimate.

EDIT: Since he hasn't replied, I believe Robert may be away for Thanksgiving. So please be patient, and let's hope he replies early next week.

Softwear · Answer

Thanks for your response. As of today I've received nothing in the way of a CD in the snail mail from them. I think I'm going to chalk this one up to live and learn.

dalem29 · Answer

256 MB of memory? How much more would fit in this "dinosaur" of a computer?

You didn't say what you use the computer for, but I looked at the Crucial website and even for the casual user 3-4 GB of memory is recommended

There are new or reconditioned Dells around that could be had for a modest investment, if you check around. You might consider this as another option.

RoHe · Answer

Keep in mind that your original link goes to a Dell UK site so the rules there may be different from in the US, and Dell-Robert P may not know or be able to do anything about things done in the UK.

And as Dalem29 mentioned, 256 MB is a tiny amount of RAM by today's standards and your system may just not be able to handle that Iolo detect / fix software.

Softwear · Answer

A link in my Dell user manual took me to the Dell UK site...   I had no expectation of someone being able to offer a remedy to the situation when I posted my lament. I just needed to vent my frustration AND wanted to know if anyone else had had a similar experience with the Dell/Iolo link.   I've installed other similar applications before, and my computer didn't even break a sweat. My main concern was with the impossible maze of customer service they've constructed which leads me to question their motives, and has left me wondering why Dell would have anything to do with this company.

Softwear · Answer

My computer can support up to 2 GB's. I will most likely purchase 1 GB from Crucial. This should be fine for my purposes.

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