This topic

VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

AlbertSnodgrass1 — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 11:56:19 GMT

Exasperated by the number of licences for the BT VP after it moves to Norton in March. My current package says 15, and this has a year to run. My BT VP on my laptop now says 2. The BT website says 2. The BT Helpdesk told me it was 10 ( where did they get that from)? My contract clearly states 15, so are BT obliged to provide 15 until the end of contract? Any lawyers out there that might advise?

BtVirus Protect Licences reduction after Norton Takes it over

AlbertSnodgrass1 — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 11:40:08 GMT

Worried by this change to Norton… My current package has 15 free licences to VirusProtect AND USING 5 of them. BUT recent BT change to Norton Virus Protect gives only two licences unless you are on the most expensive Broadband packages… this is to change fully on 31 March 2022. However, a lot of us have it stipulated in our contracts that we have 15 licences. So will this be a breach of our contracts if they are still operating after 31 March? The Helpdesk at BT could not help, as they had no clue what will happen!

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

JohnC2 — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 12:19:12 GMT

Hi @AlbertSnodgrass1, thanks for your post and sorry for the confusion over the number of licences. Have a look at message 7 from NeilO on this thread: https://community.bt.com/t5/Broadband-Extras-Apps-from-BT/Licences-on-BT-Virus-Protect/m-p/2181906

Cheers

John

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

AlbertSnodgrass1 — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 12:40:58 GMT

Thanks Moderator. Helpful, but I would like to know what will happen to the number of licences after March, when VP migrates to Norton. I cannot get an agreed answer from anywhere. My best offer at the moment from a girl on the Helpdessk was 10. My worst was two- which is on the BT website. Please try and get a definitive answer.

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

licquorice — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 12:50:09 GMT

@AlbertSnodgrass1 wrote:

Exasperated by the number of licences for the BT VP after it moves to Norton in March. My current package says 15, and this has a year to run. My BT VP on my laptop now says 2. The BT website says 2. The BT Helpdesk told me it was 10 ( where did they get that from)? My contract clearly states 15, so are BT obliged to provide 15 until the end of contract? Any lawyers out there that might advise?

Not a lawyer, but as Virus protect is a free bonus to your package which you are not actually paying for, I would politely suggest that your entitlement to any at all is absolutely zero and any you do get is a bonus.

However, from a PR point of view, it doesn't look good if the number of licences is reduced.

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

JohnC2 — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 14:02:16 GMT

Hi @AlbertSnodgrass1, there is no change to your licence entitlement. Customers will still be eligible for 2 or 15 BT Virus Protect licences as they are currently. They also get five licences for the Norton Password Manager. The only difference is that these products will now be provided by Norton.

Cheers

John

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

AlbertSnodgrass1 — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 14:06:51 GMT

Thanks licquorice… just getting a bit worried… as you say it is potentially a PR issue, but then to be fair to BT it might by March respect these commitments … it is certainly one of the reasons I opted for their package. I just wanted some reassurance. I only need 4 licences at most and have spent ages trying to find if I will still have them. I wish they let their poor helpdesk people know what is happening. My poor girl was lovely but admitted she was clueless about this. You can app. purchase more licences from BT after March at £4 a month, but this seems a poor deal (£48) - I discovered that students and many office workers can get a full year package for three machines from Norton for £20. I am no contract lawyer either… but if it is part of an advertised package that you purchase, and have still that package, isnt it part of the contract between two parties? Have to ask Martin Lewis!

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

AlbertSnodgrass1 — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 14:08:39 GMT

Thanks Moderator. Very reassuring.

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

jennygoodwin2 — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 22:04:33 GMT

Hi John,

Hope you can help me.

I logged into my BT account to check my bill and it came up saying that BT Virus Protect needed to be upgraded to Norton from Mcafee. My package had 3 devices protected with Mcafee with extra devices can be added as and when, up to 15.

I installed Norton on 2 of those devices and went to do the third - asked me to remove Mcafee which I did, got to the final step after it installed and then it said Norton didnt have any licences available and asked me to either transfer a licence or buy another subscription. We then looked back on BT and it said only 2 devices were able to be protected unlike Mcafee where we had 3 devices (and could protect more if needed under my package).

I am not very happy about this at all. We have not been notified at all from anyone at BT, no emails etc, nothing. I now have 1 device which has no protection on whatsoever because we have obviously uninstalled Mcafee as we were downloaded Norton. I have spoken to someone on the online chat and they were not very understanding of my issue that the packaged has been reduced, without any prior warning.

Is there anything you can do to help me? They said I need to upgrade my broadband but I dont want to do this as I only need 1 extra device and therefore do not want to pay an extra £4 per month for 15 licences when I will only be using 1 of them. My main concern is that I wasn't informed and looking online, it only states on the 'how to get BT virus protection' page that any existing customers need to take action which i'm not exactly going to see when I already have virus protection and therefore I wouldnt need to search anything about it. I only found out when I viewed my bill otherwise I would be none the wiser that my Mcafee wouldn't of been supported.

Any help will be much appreciated.

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

AlbertSnodgrass1 — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 22:39:34 GMT

This post is so worrying again, Jenny. The moderator assures us all above that there was no change in the number of licences from the ones allowed by the current allowances and under current contracts. So this advice deffo now appears to be inaccurate. BT HAS to come clean and communicate this to all its broadband customers, and it has not done so.
I go back to what I posted earlier - that from end of March, BT is likely to be in breach of contract for all of us who have continuing contracts - if they have unilaterally changed their side of the offer. Also, I would point out that most folk can (with a bit of effort) find Norton AntiVirus on offer (at least for three licenses) at far cheaper than the £50 a year being asked for the BT Norton extras!!!

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

PaddyB — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 10:45:17 GMT

Hi @jennygoodwin2,

Thank you for posting. What Broadband package do you have at the moment?

Thanks,

Paddy

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

AlbertSnodgrass1 — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 11:13:04 GMT

Hi again Jenny, just a quick check online and - if the worst come to the worst with the BT offer - you can buy Norton Antivirus 360 for 5 devices from Currys for £14:99 a year, and I did see that other sellers offer it on 1 device for less than £9 a year! Not sure why BT ate going to charge £48 a year! If like me, you have only 3 devices, this will be the best option. It is really annoying though to have to do this if BT change their offer. Bet they will lose broadband customers over it.

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

jennygoodwin2 — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 14:27:29 GMT

Hi,

Thank you for your 2 messages, its much appreciated 🙂

It is very wrong of BT to put this in place without informing customers. You cant find anything online now in regards to Mcafee and BT, they have removed everything possible so customers wont be able to dispute it!

I have looked online for Norton and its alot cheaper going elsewhere than the £4 a month, like you said. It's a shame as you want to try and stick to one provider because its the perks of paying so much a month. Think I will have to get Norton for the 3rd device elsewhere.

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

jennygoodwin2 — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 14:30:31 GMT

Hi Paddy,

I have the Home essentials, Unlimited Fibre essential plan. I had 3 devices connected with Mcafee, a home pc and 2 laptops under this plan but now it's changed to Norton, its only allowing me to have 2.

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

-Richie- — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 14:53:57 GMT

@jennygoodwin2wrote:
Hi Paddy,
I have the Home essentials, Unlimited Fibre essential plan. I had 3 devices connected with Mcafee, a home pc and 2 laptops under this plan but now it's changed to Norton, its only allowing me to have 2.

Home Essentials comes with 2 licences, as does Fibre Essential and Fibre 1, if you somehow had 3 that was a glitch and not a change of terms.

Fibre 2 and Halo promotions include 15 licences.

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

jennygoodwin2 — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 15:38:40 GMT

Even if it was a glitch, that is not my fault. I have been using 3 licences for a long time now and BT were not very understanding of my situation.

Regardless, BT should be informing customers of the change because it's not just me that is having this issue and now I have a laptop without any protection.

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

-Richie- — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 15:54:02 GMT

@jennygoodwin2wrote:
Even if it was a glitch, that is not my fault. I have been using 3 licences for a long time now and BT were not very understanding of my situation.
Regardless, BT should be informing customers of the change because it's not just me that is having this issue and now I have a laptop without any protection.

I never implied it was your fault, simply a glitch that allowed you to have something not part of your package, contractually your package includes 2 licences and that is what you have, your terms have not changed but a glitch has been corrected, BT have systems that do account sweeps and correct any data integrity issues, it would of been detected sooner or later.

At least now you know, so you can decide what suits your needs best and make a decision for the 3rd device.

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

AlbertSnodgrass1 — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 15:58:30 GMT

Well… me too, Jenny. I have Fibre with Hive 1 and was promised 15 licences when I began my contract … I have only used three but without any Issue… I have been using three licences for the last three years, I think. I will have to dig out my previous contracts, asI am now absolutely convinced that BT have unilaterally changed their terms mid- contract. How many more people have been glitched? What is more worrying is that there a lot of folks in March, when Mcaffee is removed, that will be left with no Antivirus on their machines. This is highly irresponsible of BT for not warning every customer about this. I cannot believe that a company would treat their customers like this, and am hoping that we, and the Moderator, have got the wrong end of the stick. We have three months to find out!

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

-Richie- — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 16:41:23 GMT

@AlbertSnodgrass1 your circumstances might be different to Jenny, depending on how long you've been a customer you might of been given a free Netprotect boost with extra licenses, your last order confirmation will include infomation about how many licenses you have.

Home Essentials is a brand new package, it has never been given free Netprotect boosts and has always included 2 liceneses.

@AlbertSnodgrass1wrote:
What is more worrying is that there a lot of folks in March, when Mcaffee is removed, that will be left with no Antivirus on their machines. This is highly irresponsible of BT for not warning every customer about this.

If you have received something in error BT will not know about it or they would of removed it already, normally any account changes or Data Integrity sweeps pick them up, the terms and conditions have not changed, the only change is now the anti-virus software is provided by Norton instead of Macafee.

Re: VIRUS PROTECT MOVE TO NORTON and Reduction of Licences

licquorice — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 16:50:02 GMT

@jennygoodwin2 wrote:

Regardless, BT should be informing customers of the change because it's not just me that is having this issue and now I have a laptop without any protection.

Of course you don't. There are countless free Anti Virus programs including the one that comes with all versions of Windows.