ESET AU offers free ‘upgrades’ from other AVs: how companies should treat their competitors’ customers

ESETOften just because you’re using a product that is in direct competition to a company’s offerings, you’ll be treated like second-class citizens who don’t know what’s good for them. Security software companies aren’t known for their kindness or generosity to each other, so what ESET Australia announced today deserves to be recognized.

Currently limited only to Australians, owners of anti-virus suites from other vendors (ex. Norton, McAfee) will be offered a free “cross-grade” license of the upcoming ESET Smart Security software equal to the remainder of their current license term (with maximum of 1 year). Existing owners of NOD32 will also be able to acquire a free upgrade.

ESET Smart SecurityESET Smart Security

After hearing all the good things about ESET’s NOD32 anti-virus – lightweight and effective, I’ve been keen to try it and maybe replace the functional but hideous-looking AVG Free. Perhaps my procrastination is even paying off with the imminent release of NOD32 version 3 and the new Smart Security package on November 5. Both of which not only looks to be extremely capable but also polished interface-wise to fit in well on Windows Vista.

In detail, the offer does not discriminate for what type of security product you own a license for, whether it be purely anti-virus or an anti-everything bundle, as long as there is proof of purchase. As you might have guessed, owners of free anti-virus are not eligible nor OEM versions (with purchase of computers). Also, multi-users licences are only offered a single license.

I urge everyone who is eligible to take up the offer because there’s everything to gain and nothing to lose. Your existing license remains valid so if everything fails, you can also go back. This is a brilliant marketing idea I think should be adopted more often. Definitely one-up from the uninspired 30-day product trials.

P.S. Maybe for the first time in software history, the new version of NOD32 will be the same price as the current version.

Update: Clarifications from ESET. Because ESET only offers single-user licences for home consumers, multi-user home licences from other vendors can only be exchanged for a single-user licence. However business multi-user licences can be exchanged for multi-user ESET licences. In addition, anyone who buys NOD32 from now till Dec 31 is eligible for a free upgrade to Smart Security.

46 insightful thoughts

  1. I hope ESET in the UK accounce such an offer. I have been using NOD 32 for years now and would highly recommend it. It is effective, thorough and doesn’t hog system resources like other antivirus software tends to.

  2. Long,

    This is a simple way for ESET to lock people into their product. ESET NOD is by far the most expensive AV product in the market.

    I bit the bullet two years ago after reading a review in a German computer magazin and bought 3 licenses. You have to renew your subscription yearly at about AU$100 per computer.

    As I said it’s not cheap… however on the upside I have not had any virus/ spyware/ addware/ malware infections on my computer since installing ESET NOD under Windows XP 2 years ago. After using Norton Anti Virus as well as McAffee for several years I was amazed how many threats NOD found when I first installed it. And this despite both Norton Anti Virus and McAffee reporting not threats at all.

    In reallity NOD should be part of the operating system. Even under Vista I get regular threat warnings under Internet Explorer 7. NOD is now the first piece of software I install right after the OS. Even before doing any windows system updates.

    I can highly recommend this software (despite the high cost).

  3. Tom, you pay about AU$100 per computer to renew for a year?

    You’re being ripped off!

    I renewed for 4 computers last week, 2 years for AU$263, including a CD.

    I wouldn’t call less than AU$0.10c per computer per day expensive.

    The Smart Security suite is brilliant. I’ve tried the beta and I can’t wait to upgrade to the real thing when it comes out.

  4. P.S. (for Long Zheng)

    I called ESET Australia today when I got the update e-mail and they said I can have a free upgrade to ESS for the 4 computers, not just a single licence. Check it out.

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  6. sorry… my mistake. paid AU$145 for two computers at my last renewal back in August.

    I guess the annoying thing is that you need pay for a AV package in first place primarily because an OS I paid over $600 for is so inherently un-secure.

    Of course that’s not ESET’s fault.

  7. NOD start as cheap product, grab people into it then rising the price. I still remeber this. Four or three years ago we ever able to buy it for 199 Baht.

    I still keep my computer as AV free (but not Japanese AV video 😛 ).

  8. Hi Long

    Do you know if this offer is still available ?, I want to crossgrade but there is nothing on ESET Australia website about this offer, and no emails or phones are answered. D’ya know whats happening with this, I had heard the offer had been withdrawn ?

  9. What a lot of bulldust. Who was paid to write this article???

    I am a Nod 32 user and what I can’t understand is why are the congratulations and accolades being passed around when ESET HAVE NOT YET DELIVERED ON THEIR PROMISE?????????????

    Go to their site and check for yourself. I go there everyday and all I see is that black box informing me that they have not yet received the link from ESET.

    So in the meantime my license is expiring and day by day I am losing on this so called FREE OFFER.

    I only have about 4 months left on my AV license and Windows LIVE ONE CARE offers 3 months free trial so what’s so great about ESET’S offer considering I can get the 3 months from Microsoft immediately but have already waited 2 weeks for ESET and still no show?????

    Why is ESET’s no show being congratulated when they have done absolutely NOTHING to earn it?

    You guys are full of Eset and jumping the gun in trying to praise Eset for something it hasn’t even done yet. Speak about BIAS!!!!!!

  10. > So in the meantime my license is expiring and day by day I am losing on this so called FREE OFFER.

    Yeah, I can see all the dollars flying out of your wallet from here.

    ROFLMAO!

    You were offered something for free and now you’re sniveling like a spoiled little brat because a technical hitch is holding it up?

    How pathetic can you get?

  11. I posted the original of this on DSLReports. A link brought me to this blog.

    I’m Australian and I’d like to get my hands on the free upgrade for our 75 NOD32 bums on seats too, but there’s been a delay.

    So what? Worse shit happens every day in the IT world. It’s something for nothing, and it’s worth waiting for.

    Learn to live with it and quit crying like a schoolgirl, or uninstall NOD32 as a sign of protest and get the One Care trial if you’re so peeved about it.

    ( http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r19497245- )

  12. Publishing glowing praise of Eset’s ‘offer’ a month ago without the offer having been honoured a month later makes the author out to be complete fool and idiot.

    You’re talking through your arse by praising Eset because they still have yet to deliver.

  13. We handle marketing and PR for ESET Australia. The company regrets the delays in the free upgrade/cross-grade program, which are caused by unforeseen logistics issues related to the offer being unique to Australia.

    I can assure you that ESET will deliver on the generous offer it has made in the coming weeks. Anyone who is running out of licence period for existing AV products can download a 30-day trial to bridge the gap.
    NOD32: http://www.nod32.com.au/download/download.html
    ESET Smart Security: http://www.eset.com/

    I will post again when progress has been made. Meanwhile, I’d ask for patience while ESET is working on the issue.

    Best Regards
    Kim Brebach
    Technoledge

  14. My NOD 32 license expires early March so the delay makes the freebie negligible for me. I can get a 3 month trial of any AV suite from any vendor anywhere. Bought Spysweeper but no use to me anymore. Anyone want a Spysweeper license?

  15. Hey Dave “worldcitizen”, checking you out on Wilders Security I discovered you pulled your pissing and moaning crap on Eset in your very first post years ago.

    You scored a free licence off them that time.

    In case they don’t read this blog, I’m going to E-mail Eset warning them you’re trying to pull the same shit again!

    P.S. Calling a guy a fool and an idiot and telling him he’s talking through his arse in his own blog makes YOU the idiot, you IDIOT!

  16. Hennig

    Accusing a person of embezzlement is going a bit too far I think. I’ve never and would never ever entertain such a thought so how dare you make such false accusations!!! I pay for my NOD 32 licenses and have never ever tried to get free programs from Eset or anyone else.

    I don’t cheat anyone and I never have and I never ever will!!!

    I apologise for causing anyone any offense but I’m NOT an embezzler or a thief and I strongly resent that accusation.

    My only beef has been that this site is putting the cart before the horse by praising Eset for something they haven’t delivered on yet. (5 weeks overdue.)

  17. A bit more investigation turned up your FIRST and ONLY post on dslreports;

    http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r19494309-Re-Why-is-the-free-ESS-upgrade-only-for-Australians

    I don’t know what other people think about your performance in this blog and other places around the web, but a guy who claims he has “never ever tried to get free programs from Eset or anyone else” who goes to the trouble of joining a security forum specifically to piss and moan about a program for which he previously pissed and moaned his way into a free licence strikes me as having a hidden agenda!

  18. You think the upgrade will be out by Christmas?? Would be nice if it would.

    I hope you all have a nice Christmas and Hennig try and not get too upset about other peoples posts. We all have different opinions and it’s easier if we try and be a bit tolerant of others. Have a nice Christmas.

  19. Better buy a new hearing aid “Dave”.

    This went up on the ESET Oz website sometime since Sunday:
    ———————————
    We apologize for the no show of the proposed ESET Smart Security upgrade. We expected it to be available weeks ago, but it hasn’t happened as planned.

    Most of our customers are aware that ESET Australia is not to blame for the problems we’re having and we appreciate their patience and understanding, but we’re taking flak by email and on Internet forums and blogs from a small number of people who seem to think we can wave a magic wand and produce a license upgrade for them out of thin air. If those people thought about it for more than two seconds they’d realize that this whole thing is beyond our control. We can’t do anything without an upgrade path.

    We always try our best to do the right thing by our customers, so we’ve implemented a short-term alternative solution. Anyone who renews before 15 January 2008 will receive an ESS license without losing any remaining time on their current license, and will actually save money over and above the free upgrade offer.

    A single computer ESS license costs US$20 more than a NOD32 license, and obviously renewal of an ESS free upgrade on a license that expires in June 2008 (for example) will be up for renewal at the ESS price in six months, but all renewals (regardless of expiry) received before 15 January 2008 will be processed at the current NOD32 price.

    This offer will cost us a fortune in lost renewal revenue over the next couple of years, but our reputation and credibility are more important than dollars, so the option is there for those who want it.

    If you licensed NOD2 with one of our authorized resellers please contact that reseller to renew and upgrade, or click here to renew and upgrade online.

    [ Offer expires 15 January 2008 ]
    ———————————

  20. I just read the links “Hennig” posted, and I’m not surprised they withdrew the offer from a professional nitwit like you “Dave”.

  21. I stand vindicated.

    Eset lied, deceived, misled and then attacked those who called Eset’s bluff. What kind of a company blames others for it’s own misdeeds and for getting upset for their misleading statements and broken promises. You all put the cart before the horse and now you’ve got egg all over your faces. Eset never delivered as I thought they wouldn’t. I have always believed this was a cheap publicity stunt meant to increase Christmas sales and when it didn’t happen then they pulled it. It took them 2 months and they couldn’t put a simple link up?? A technical glitch? Geez if they can’t fix such a simple thing as a link then how can we trust them with protecting our pc’s???

    I use NOD 32 but I’m not an Eset fanatic and will not stand up for an Eset that deliberately lies, deceives and breaks promises and then attacks people like me for exposing their very unprofessional conduct.

    It was a promise that Eset made publicly and then went back on. They should accept responsibility for it and accept gracefully the rightful criticism because it was THEM who made the promise. Instead they carry on with an attitude of ‘it wasn’t MY fault’ and that others should be more understanding???

    Well Eset, this is the REAL world we live in. You live and die by your WORD. If you can’t hack it then get out of business because your going to be held to account for every promise you make and if you don’t deliver you’ll get crapped on. That’s a part of business life and if you can’t live with it and accept that fact then you shouldn’t be in business.

    I hold you to your word. You broke your promise now you’ve lost some credibility publicly. Do it again and again and you’ll get a reputation for lying and deceiving and misleading. That’s all up to you.

    I’m happy to continue buying NOD 32 because it protects my PC but I will NOT tolerate lies and deceipt and broken promises. If you make a promise then don’t expect others to ‘understand’ when you break it. A promise doesn’t carry such a luxury. Dishonesty is frowned upon so be very careful not to make a promise you yourself cannot keep.

  22. You’re nothing but a shit stirring idiot Dave. Eset hasn’t broken any promises. I got an e-mail this morning saying they’re still trying to get the bugs out of the free upgrade for the Australian branch and apologising for the delay. I hope they sue your lying arse off for all the crap you’ve been posting for weeks.

  23. @Dave:
    Following Hennig’s lead I went and tracked your snail trail around the Web to learn just what sort of an imbecile would make posts like yours and risk being sued for libel.

    Unless I’m missing something, Eset (surprisingly) hasn’t attacked or even replied to any of your scurrilous posts.

    However you have been kicked up the arse several times by people who can see through your bullshit, and now I’m one of them.

    Do you see anyone else constantly snot dribbling about the delay? You’ll get the free Smart Security Suite upgrade at the same time as everyone else.

    You’ve exposed yourself as a greedy puke over an upgrade that will be worth a few dollars at most. Now stand in line, or shut up and piss off with your whingeing.

    Trevor Archer

  24. Come on guys, no-one could genuinely be so angry about missing out on a a free offer worth a couple of dollars. Dave clearly has a hidden agenda with regard to ESET and is using the upgrade as an excuse and Long’s blog as a sounding board to cause trouble for them. Don’t let him manipulate you into turning the blog into a battleground. He won’t shut up and go away but ignore the silly bugger anyway. Ratbags ( (c) Maximum Headspace ) hate being ignored.

  25. Say what you will you fanatical gooses. I’ll buy the Security Suite if I want it. You bunch are worse than Al Qaeda with minds that are as shut as a dark underground cave is from the outside world.

    Anyone and everyone knows that Eset fanatics are shut-minded insultive, abusive and very unreasonable people who get very upset when you criticise their darling Eset.

    They broke a promise and that is what I’m on about. Why should every ratbag company lure us in with tempting ‘free offers’ which are nothing but a gimmick to advertise their product for free, and then pull the plug at the last moment?

    You’re all fanatics because you haven’t got a sense of ‘reasoning’. Reasoning minds don’t get carried away like you’re fanatical minds which abuses and insults those whose opinions are contrary to what your small minds can comprehend. I feel sorry for you fanatics because you can’t think with your own brains, see with your own eyes or hear with your own ears. You are the ‘get on the bandwagon’ type of fanatics who can’t see what is as clear as day – Eset made a promise and broke it.

    You can’t face facts that Eset promised something and didn’t deliver.

    Your fanatics are all getting so defensive and even abusive that it is impossible to even have a rational conversation with you. Such are Eset fanatics. Ask over the internet. You fanatics have a reputation for being really stuck up and not being man enough to cop criticism. I think you are all a bunch of sissys because you can’t handle criticism without becoming abusive.

  26. Is “fanatics” the new word you learned today?

    Eset has NOT broken their promise and they DO deliver if you approach them in a reasonable manner. I’VE HAD THE UPGRADE FOR 8 WEEKS!

    Your idiotic ranting and persistent lies about Eset are probably why they didn’t give YOU one, and I can understand that. I wouldn’t give you one either!

  27. I’ve changed my opinion of you “Dave”. You’re not a professional nitwit, you’re a professional buffoon. And an idiot. And a liar.

    “Stan” was right. Everyone who reads your irrational anti-ESET diatribes can see you DO have a hidden agenda in relation to ESET.

    If ESET’s free upgrade offer had been nothing but an advertising gimmick the security forums would be flooded with complaints, but they’re not. You’re alone in the world pushing that lie.

    No-one believes the “ESET promised something and didn’t deliver” crap you’ve been pushing for months either. It’s another lie.

    People all over the Web, including some right here on this page, are saying they’ve received the free upgrade, but you keep saying you can’t get it. I suppose ESET could have blocked YOUR upgrade for behaving like such an asshole, but I think it’s more likely that you’re lying about trying just so you can keep your spiteful one man anti-ESET campaign running.

    Think hard with your “reasonable mind” before you respond. You’re out of your intellectual depth in this blog, and you’ll only make yourself look even more foolish than you already have if you come back with more of your immature drivel. Admit your lies and start telling the TRUTH for a change.

  28. Let me please clarify a few things with all of you.

    Firstly. NOD 32 is the very best Anti-Virus in the world that I have ever used and I have the greatest respect for the program and company. Since moving to Vista I haven’t had even one infiltration and it doesn’t take up many resources.

    Next, allow me to offer my sincerest apologies to Eset Australia as well as the users here for what I have posted. I never intended it to be anything malicious but apparently I have upset Eset Australia and a lot of people here whom I really had no intention of hurting or upsetting. For that I offer my sincerest and humblest apologies and promise that I will not continue posting in this fashion again.

    If possible can my posts here which are critical or offensive to Eset and others please be deleted as they do not constitute my real opinion and were only stupid comments made in jest without any proper consideration or thought.

    I rang Eset Australia to renew my license and apologised sincerely and they accepted and I also offer my apologies here and hope that it will be also accepted.

  29. Yes, I note that the upgrade offer is on the site. I hope you all will forgive me but if you don’t then I’ll understand.

  30. You should be thankful the owner of ESET Australia is a better Buddhist than I am “Dave”. To my shame, I am not so forgiving by nature, but I will follow his example and accept your apology in the spirit you made it. Perhaps we all should. It took balls to step up to the plate and confess your stupidity.

    It looks like the free ESS upgrade is all systems go. It’s not announced on the website, but my sister in Perth was told she could download ESS with her old NOD32 password. She did, and it worked.

  31. Saffron

    Thanks so much for forgiving my stupidity. I’ll never ever even think of doing it again. I believe in the Buddha too and have always had a copy of the Dhamma-Padda with me. Although the internet is a great place to post, monkeying around was the most stupid thing I’ve ever done and completely out of character and I won’t ever do it again.

    I received the upgrade and the Suite is fantastic. Actually Vista runs faster and smoother for me with the Suite than with the stand alone AV. Also pages load faster and with no errors. I thnk the inbuilt firewall was causing problems for me on some sites.

    Thanks and again I’m most sorry for being a real pain to you all.

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