Bitdefender - Warning

No, I've done my dance with Bitdefender, it's done. I won't be contacting you via your provided email.

I bought Bitdefender based on its reputation. But after all this happened, I Googled "complaints against Bitdefender" and read a few websites with people complaining about Bitdefender with complaints that are similar to mine. One person even mentioned that Bitdefender used to have better support, but what happened?

All I'm experiencing these days, are companies that are not totally honest or providing the support they said they would. This seems to be a trend in the world. But you companies that do that are going to loose customers in the short term and moreover in the long term. I realize business is very competitive these days, with many companies competing for business. But the way to keep your customers is to give them what you promised to give them. Not tell them you'll email them back every time your contacted, and then never do that.

I searched your website over and read the manual for my product. Nothing in there says that Bitdefender takes hours and hours to do a full system scan. If you know it does that, you could print it on the website and manual and explain why, so the customer doesn't wonder if there is something wrong with the process. No anti-virus I ever used before took 12 hours plus to do a full system scan.

It took me a while to figure out how to download the product, and when I did the process seemed quite weird to me. Your website just has the bare bones of information, not even a FAQ section. It's all disgusting and pathetic. I remain unimpressed.

Thanks alinvlad to the link for the FAQ area at the Bitdefender website. I looked at that website over and over and could not find FAQs. I bookmarked them and read some of them over, and the bits and pieces I got at first glance should be in the manual. It says not to scan archived (I assume they mean RAR or zip files) is one thing I got. That should be in the manual under setting up your full-system scan.

You cannot have your Safari browser open when it scans? So life is supposed to come to a complete stop? No wonder you don't advertise that. That would be the first anti-virus I've ever used that requires no use of computer, even though previous ones have recommended that. I guess I just expected more from Bitdefender.

You said you want the history of my conservations with your support Team. I have reported those here in this complaint. There was really nothing else profound that was said. The conversations were very brief. Most asked how much data I have, how big my hard drive is, and then took my email and said someone would get back to me. And then 2 or 3 weeks would go by and I'd realize no one ever wrote me back. Just one big put-off.

Is there some setting on my computer or in the program that should be adjusted? Because other than the tips you can provide, what else can be done?

Again, there is nothing else to report about conversations with your Team. Please now, just leave this all alone. I never anticipated that someone from Bitdefender would respond. I mean, I thought you had a shortage of technicians and that's why you'd never get back to me. So frankly, I'm surprised that anyone there has the time to read and respond to this thread. I read other complaints on other websites, some of those people have serious problems with Bitdefender products. Maybe go help them. Are you guys training your technicians to be able to help clients, or are you too stingy on the training? Is that why they just say someone will get back to you?

My computer before this iMac was a Dell. Wait times on the phone for their technical service were long, but in the end, the technician knew how to help me in detail. So what is it... you guys just aren't willing to spend the time and money to provide such help anymore?

But again:

Is there some setting on my computer or in the program that should be adjusted? Because other than the tips you can provide, what else can be done?

I only recently finished my first Time Machine backup. I will keep your advice in mind about excluding it from a scan.

My long over-due update:

I did challenge the Bitdefender charge on my credit card, and I won ! So Bitdefender was not paid by me, and I removed their software from my iMac.

Bitdefender did have the nerve to write me 2 emails, each from different Bitdefender sources, and ask for my payment when they realized my credit card was not going to pay them, but I just ignored those emails.

Good riddens to bad rubbish