HELP! Did I get ripped off (again)....

.....or am I just full of computer FAIL? Let me preach on:

I bought WORD 2007 for my son. I have included a links about it.
Anyway, I get the product code + password in my e-mail, and click the link.
The program downloads, but it won't open. Hell, I can't even find it on my computer!

The phone number listed 1-866-576-8741 is nothing but a dial tone.
Any thoughts?

http://luxury-customers.com/user/download/?id=371739

http://software-data.net/shop/search/?s=office&cpn=library_iit_oem_2_55555

Well, I dialed that number there and it's just ringing. And ringing. And ringing. And... yeah, I think you got conned, dude.

update.....it is indeed on my computer, but I cannot open it.
I open it with internet explorer but nothing happens. All I get is a link to this:

http://www.ask.com/?o=10148&l=dis

WTF? So maybe I didn't get ripped off, since the files exists, but it won't open. Damn I am so glad I'm not a young person going to school today.
I would open a vein or put a bullet in my head. Nothing is intuitive or common sense or simple anymore, and all human contact is belittled. This is depressing.

file is called microsoft.office.200.enterprise
it's an ISO file (whatever that means).

ANOTHER UPDATE! Also Roxio came with the download. I deleted that - now I find out I will need Roxio to burn this ISO to a DVD I guess.

So...if I have a DVD burner on my computer, will I need to download any burning software? In other words, can I just use my DVD burner that came with my computer to burn a DVD so I can use this program?

Well you could just say "fuck it" and download Open Office. It's free and compatible with Word...

An ISO file is a disk image. So yes, you should burn it to a CD or DVD and it will work. You could also get a virtual CD program like magic disc and "mount" the image to install the program. I don't think you got ripped off.

Great. Please walk me through this process.

I'm trying to get a refund. They offered me "store credit" for my trouble. No, if one product didn't work for me, why would I want another?

The classic is the "Michael" from the company telling me his office hours - but he doesn't have a phone. From the grammar and the syntax I smell "foreigners" all over this company.

I just did and it looks very nice indeed! Thank you for the heads up!

I'm not feeling sorry for you.

It's what you get for being cheap.

Should have just bought the Microsoft Office Student edition from a known retail/internet store.

Let's look at parts of the FAQ of the one company:

2.3 The software we sell is packed into archives, which contain FULL BACKUP COPIES of original licensed software which have .zip format (to open them You need WinZip software);

(that means pirated)

2.5 Software cannot be registered on-line due to certain limitations;
2.6 You will not be able to receive any printed license confirmation;

(that means pirated)

2.7 You will not receive any CD/DVD, we neither sell CD`s nor ship them
; 2.8 Some software includes ISO files (iso - CD image ) . You need to burn this type of files on CD/DVD and start a setup from a CD. You will get all directions for burning CDs/DVDs;

(that means pirated - You're talking about Microsoft here - You're not getting Word 2007 in a download)

http://luxury-customers.com/info/terms/

They do have how to get a refund in that link but it's not likely you'll be winning your "case".

I wouldn't be at all surprised if that website was being operated by some dude in china.

I didn't know that. I don't buy much software, so this never even occured to me. My son had a project due and I figured this was legit since I kept hearing about discount versions (for students for example) - and since this was indeed a discount version, logic would dictate that this is legit.

I'm not much of a computer person, thus not as savvy about just how many shady characters exist and how to instantly spot them.

Well, your first clue should be the seriously cheap prices. A discount is one thing, but 90% off? Hell no. You have to be really careful. Treat it like you would someone on the street offering you a kick ass deal on a blu-ray player. If it costs $100 everywhere else, and he's willing to sell it to you for $10, brand new out of the box and the serial number seems to be rubbed off, then something's amiss. When all else fails, go to these places:

www.tigerdirect.com
www.newegg.com
www.amazon.com
www.staples.com
www.bestbuy.com

They're all legitimate businesses, and they all sell legitimate, legal merchandise.

Or ask us first.....

It's amazing how much legitimate free stuff there is out there. In addition to the previously mentioned LibreOffice (thank you again Front!) there's a great PDF reader program out there called Foxit, which takes up a lot less resources than Adobe. Of course, it does try add a friggin' tool bar to your browser, but that's a minor issue. Techforge is a great resource and I've always gotten good advice here.

Thanks! I will try Best Buy or Amazon - I have dealt with them before.
I hope if I don't get a refund these sweet people use my money to buy a hot dose of heroin and die in an open sewer!

Yeah. A good rule of thumb is, any Website called "luxury-customers.com" that is selling MS Office for $9.95 is crooked. A lot of the time if something looks suspicious, I'll Google it. The keywords are too vague to be useful here, so it is a good idea to have a decent BS detector when buying software online.

Back when I was running W2K so modern software was no longer supported, I had to resort to eBay for software. Even so, I'd confirm I was getting a licensed copy and everything I bought, I had the original CD and printed materials sent to me by the seller.

Not only is that money down the drain, but now these guys have your credit card info. I would watch your statement like a hawk!

Yeah, I take it back, after reading that, it's pretty clear that this isn't legitimate software. The "cannot be registered online" thing is a dead giveaway.

On the other hand, you most definitely can purchase legitimate downloadable versions of Microsoft Office products from Microsoft directly.

oldfella, I feel bad for you, and worry about your future dealing with the internet. There are tons and tons of scams targeting people like you - people who don't know a whole lot about what's out there on the internet and are willing to trust anyone who can make a web page. I find you can be incredibly naive at times, and I don't want to see scammers do any serious damage to you or your family.

First thing you should do - trust NO ONE. Assume everyone who's trying to sell you something is a predator. Secondly - DON'T GIVE YOUR CREDIT CARD INFO OUT!

If you can keep those two golden rules in mind, you can start making exceptions. You know the community here. Use us and ask about any site before signing up. I think generally, this group is good at spotting scams and telling you when something is legit.

Luckily (hopefully) this only cost you a few dollars. I've heard stories where people have been scammed tens of thousands of dollars. Don't let this be you.

Don't feel too bad, oldfella. My dad fell victim to a scam that is so ludicrous, I can't believe he fell for it. He got an unsolicited call from "Microsoft" to help him with his computer. After following their instructions, doing who knows what, they asked for his credit card number, which he helpfully provided to them. Then they told him that that credit card was not working, so he provided them with another credit card number.

Needless to say, when I got wind of this, the credit cards were cancelled immediately and I got them to have a computer person out to ensure the computer was not permanently compromised.

But you have to give your debit card number to order anything, legit or not. Couldn't some dishonest working in any online store then use your number? Anyway, I have some automatic deductions ready to clear against that number. If I cancel them they will bounce, and I'll get hit with fees aplenty.

However once they clear tomorrow, I will cancel the card.

Why do you keep asking for help, and then doing the opposite of what is recommended?

Here's the info on the websites:


Domain Name: LUXURY-CUSTOMERS.COM
Reseller..............: DNMaster LLC
Created on............: 25 Jun 2011 06:13:28 EST
Expires on............: 25 Jun 2012 06:13:28 EST
Record last updated on: 25 Jun 2011 06:13:28 EST
Status................: ACTIVE

Owner, Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Billing Contact:
Gallia Tachel (ID00467502)
26 Rue Sainte Barbe
Saint Malo, Ille-et-Vilaine 35400
FR
Phone: +33.299401004
Email: waver@mail13.com

Domain servers in listed order:

NS1.LUXURY-CUSTOMERS.COM
NS2.LUXURY-CUSTOMERS.COM

Registrar: PLANETDOMAIN PTY LTD.
Whois Server: whois.planetdomain.com
Creation Date: 24-JUN-2011
Updated Date: 25-JUL-2011
Expiration Date: 24-JUN-2012

Nameserver: NS1.LUXURY-CUSTOMERS.COM
Nameserver: NS2.LUXURY-CUSTOMERS.COM



Domain Name: SOFTWARE-DATA.NET
Reseller..............: DNMaster LLC
Created on............: 12 Apr 2011 01:46:02 EST
Expires on............: 12 Apr 2012 01:46:02 EST
Record last updated on: 12 Apr 2011 01:46:02 EST
Status................: ACTIVE

Owner, Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Billing Contact:
Sofie Mathiasen (ID00463715)
Tordenskjoldsgade 15B
Frederikshavn, Nordjylland 9900
DK
Phone: +45.098431899
Email: harley@mailti.com

Domain servers in listed order:

NS1.WHOISDNSCOMPANY.COM
NS2.WHOISDNSCOMPANY.NET

Registrar: PLANETDOMAIN PTY LTD.
Whois Server: whois.planetdomain.com
Creation Date: 11-APR-2011
Updated Date: 11-APR-2011
Expiration Date: 11-APR-2012

Nameserver: NS1.WHOISDNSCOMPANY.COM
Nameserver: NS2.WHOISDNSCOMPANY.NET

In other words, Oldfella, you're fucked.

That whole page of info on their identity was great! If I don't get my refund (or suspicious activity on my account) I have some evidence.

Huh? I'm not doing the opposite. I had already ordered the product before I even asked for advice, hence the "did I get ripped off" versus "will I get ripped off".

Are any of you guys interested in a nice Rolex watch?