The idea behind GNU Consumer Reports is that we will start rating companies based on everything from their policies, prices, people, use of free and open source software, where their products are manufactured, services, compatibility, hack ability, reliability, stability, kindness, ability to speak English on the Phone, etc.
Submit your stuff to ultumix at mindblowingidea dot com
Name of product(s) or service(s) or categories of Product types or service types.
Microsoft Windows Vista, Office, OneCare, etc.
Description of Product type or service.
Microsoft Software and Tech Support.
Rate the policy or agreement based on fairness and how much they trust the customer (1-5 penguins) and post a link to the current agreement at that time and date in a saved .pdf file that is on a private page or server so that it can't be altered by the company. Provide a link to their current agreement.
The Microsoft Windows Vista EULA and most new Microsoft EULAs for other products have a common thread. The main statement in the Microsoft EULA is that they don't trust you and you are guilty of stealing software, CDs, and DVDs until proven innocent by Microsoft's validation by sending them your information over the internet constantly. This is a violation of trust, privacy, and fair buisness practices. In a sense you don't have control over your computer or what you can or can not put on it any more because Microsoft already decided for you and if Microsoft has any reason to believe that you may have any pirated or stolen products on your computer they will lock it down into a limited state. 21% of these users get prosecuted each year. Vista EULA the current Vista EULA can be found at www.microsoft.com
User Reviews. if you can find them on line or reviews by other sites. (average their ratings and boil them all down into one 1 - 5 rating.
Ratings of Windows Vista in comparison to other known systems like Windows XP: newegg.com CNETHowStuffWorkstech.yahoodooyoo Amazon
Call the companies 1-800 number 10 times but not one after another and see: 1. How many people can speak fluent English in an understandable fashion, 2. Are they rude or do they answer your questions (ask a different question every time you call) 3. how long do you have to wait on hold?
About 3 / 10 people can be easily understood and can easily understand you on the phone without spelling out each letter of each word. Usually these representatives are not rude unless you can't understand them and then they get offended. Hold time is usually pretty short when using the most commonly used departments. Video Demo of Microsoft Tech Support.
Product or service quality, value, bang per buck ratio.
Paying $400.00 for Windows Vista Ultimate for example and not having any antivirus, office, or other software come with it is not worth it when free software does. When calling Microsoft Support you will find that when it comes to problems like Viruses they won't be able to help you but will instead refer you to an antivirus provider. Windows Vista Ultimate does not come with many drivers and it won't work with old hardware. So your going to need to spend a lot of money to upgrade or buy a new system.
Similar products or services from other companies.
Lets compare Microsoft's software to that of Macintosh and Linux. Microsoft's Windows Vista does not come with any extra software that you may need to actually use the system. Linux comes with tons of free programs installed and working right out of the box. Macintosh usually ships with a lot of software but they charge plenty for their systems. Microsoft's products are vulnerable to Viruses. Macintosh is vulnerable to some viruses. Linux is not venerable to viruses but Firefox can be affected. Microsoft products cost $300.00 or above for full versions. Macintosh software usually ranges from about $150.00 on up depending on how many copies you buy. Linux software is free with the exception of programs like Cedega which cost $60.00 but allow you to run pretty much any Windows compatible program or game on Linux.
Shipping rates, handling, and do they offer USPS, UPS, FEDEX or what? Do the items arrive broken? How long does it take for them to ship them out.
Microsoft won't ship to many countries and they use USPS which is good but they charge $7.00 to ship a CD or DVD. If I go down to USPS and try to ship a package that size and weight it does not cost $7.00. Other customer reviews of Microsoft Shipping.
Payment Methods. I.E. PayPal, credit card, google checkout, Direct deposit, etc.
Microsoft products are available anywhere and it's easy to pay for them as long as you have the money.
Any personal experiences.
Yes I have used Microsoft products for many years and even have beta tested for them. Not only were my Microsoft Licenses voided after I tested the products for Microsoft but they didn't give me any compensation, not to mention all of the bugs and glitches that I had to put up with for them and I didn't feel they listened to my concerns or opinions with their products. My customers and I have experienced dramatic speed losses in our network and processor performance. The lack of speed was caused by a bloated system that was constantly sending information about our personal files to Microsoft and verifying that we were not doing anything they didn't want us to do with our computers.
Would the average consumer expect to have any of the problems mentioned here on a regular basis or is this something that they would have to be a customer for a long time before they experienced?
The problems that Microsoft software has is very repetitive and it is so repetitive that Microsoft customers are use to having problems and don't expect much more. Most Microsoft customers expect to send Error Reports to Microsoft on a weekly basis and expect slower speeds resulting from antivirus programs or viruses themselves or the Fragmentation that is unique to Microsoft products.
Does this company outsource? If so how much is outsourced?
Yes Microsoft does outsource. If you call their tech support it is highly likely that you will not get someone who can speak fluent English. Video Demo of Microsoft Tech Support.
Does the company say one thing and do another? Do their policies agree with what they say?
For the most part Microsoft complies with their own agreements and has until recently. The new Vista EULA says that Vista licenses must come shipped with a Vista install disk and Microsoft has been issuing out licenses to people without shipping them a disk with the license. This is not a major violation but it's still a violation.
Do they lye, Cheat, steal.
Well yes Microsoft has claimed that other companies and software brands such as GNU/Linux have stolen their intellectual properties and violated patents in efforts to scare away customers and companies that use Open Source software. But in general Microsoft is very open and honest with their end users as long as the end user will read the EULA before they click I Agree but most consumers feel that they should be able to trust Microsoft.
Warranty, return policy, RMA time. etc.
You can return your Microsoft licenses and products to most vendors but you usually will not get a full reimbursement of the original purchase price unless you have a receipt.
If you buy their product or service for a small fee do you end up paying more in the end?
Yes. You will probably end up paying for an antivirus program, Microsoft compatible software, service, and support. This will cost you about $500 - $1,000+ a year.
Linux Compatibility:
Some Microsoft products will run under WINE, Cedega, and CrossOver, in Linux. Microsoft products that are Windows 98, 95, 2000, NT, and ME compatible run better under Linux than under Vista or the new updated XP.
Just to give you an idea of what your agreeing to in the Microsoft Agreement Watch This.
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