watch dodogg MAXIMUM PC TAKES A BITE OUT OF BAD GEAR
WRONG TO TRUST
TRUSTWARE?
I read in the February issue (“Security
2.0”) that Trustware’s BufferZone Pro
would provide Vista support by the time
the article was published. I purchased
a one-year BufferZone Pro license only
to discover that Vista support doesn’t
exist. I contacted Trustware’s customer
support and asked if the company would
honor the one-year subscription once
the Vista version was finally available. I
have yet to get a response. This makes
me very displeased since I put faith in
the article. I know it’s not your fault, but
if it’s still OK, I’d like to vent a bit and get
a little pissed. A response would be nice
from both Maximum PC and Trustware.
—Brian StarrWe’ll use the Han/Lando rule and simply say,
“It’s not our fault.” Just kidding. While the arti-
cle did preface the statement about Trustware’s
Vista plans with “If true to its word...”, we are
sorry that some readers were lead astray. The
magazine must occasionally report estimates
from software and hardware companies when
it comes to pricing and availability, and as you
might expect, that information is sometimes
wrong—as it was here.
So what’s the story with Trustware? The
Dog pinged the company to see what happened
to the promised Vista support. A spokesman
told the Dog that, due to additional quality
assurance tests, the company felt compelled to
delay Vista support until the end of the second
quarter of 2008. In other words, it’s expected
to be out by June. The official apologized but
assured the Dog that Vista support is “defi-
nitely” coming. He said the company is offering
full refunds to folks who purchased the product
with the intent of running it under WindowsVista. Reader Brian Starr opted for a refund,
but he did tell Trustware he plans to purchase
BufferZone once Vista support is offered.WHEN IS ‘NEW’ NOT?
Last month I purchased a 250GB EIDE Western
Digital hard drive from 3BTech.net. The drive,
however, posted failed-read errors and refor-
mats, so after a week, I decided to return it. I set
up an RMA with the company and requested an
exchange. Before I sent off the drive, I ran Hard
Drive Inspector on it to look for issues. This is when
I found that the drive had 5,111 hours (212 days)
worth of run time on it. This was obviously not a
new drive. I included a printout of the report and
a request for a full refund when I sent the drive
back. Two weeks later I inquired about the refund
and was told that a replacement drive was on the
way because that’s what I
initially requested when the
RMA was created.
I figured that if the new
drive was truly new, I would
not concern myself with arefund. And how could 3B
Tech send me another used
drive after I discovered
the first one? I received
the drive, ran Hard Drive
Inspector on it, and discov-
ered 4,924 hours (205 days)
of use on it. I emailed the
company requesting that I
be reimbursed for shipping
and given a full refund.
The next day I received a
response that my request
would be granted. I believe I
will receive my refund, but a
company that can send old
hard drives as new should
not be trusted. I will never
buy from 3B Tech again.
I would recommend that
anyone buying a reportedly new or OEM hard drive
check the SMART data to see how many hours of use
the drive has on it.
—Vance SykesThis isn’t 3B Tech’s first problem with hard-
drive misinformation. Reader Lynn Means
reported purchasing a new drive from 3B Tech
and receiving a drive that was actually reman-
ufactured. After she returned the drive, the
company refunded her just 75 percent of what
she had paid for the drive, added a restockingOur consumer advocate investigates...
BufferZone’s Vista Delay 3B Tech’s
Drive Problem Saitek’s Phantom Copilot
Winslow, watchdog of the monthGot a bone to pick with a vendor? Been spiked by a fly-by-night
operation? Sic the Dog on them by writing watchdog@maxi-
mumpc.com. The Dog promises to answer as many letters as
possible, but only has four paws to work with.16 MAXIMUMPC | MAY 08 | http://www.maximumpc.com
Drive Problem
Winslow,BufferZone’s Vista support has been
delayed a few months, but the com-
pany pledges that it will come out.After testing his “new” drive, a reader
found it had already logged nearly 5,
hours of up time.