[katy]

I was had both by SDW and Paypal who have refused a refund and I have refered them to the Trading Standards Office. Paypal have obviously known for months (comments on this forum) about SDW so continuing to support it must be a criminal act of some sort.
If you type Office 2007 into the search bar on this forum you get a Google link on the page to SoftAtlantic which is just SDW in another form so maybe unwittingly this forum is supporting piracy!!

[Curly99]

Originally Posted by katy

I was had both by SDW and Paypal who have refused a refund and I have refered them to the Trading Standards Office. Paypal have obviously known for months (comments on this forum) about SDW so continuing to support it must be a criminal act of some sort.
If you type Office 2007 into the search bar on this forum you get a Google link on the page to SoftAtlantic which is just SDW in another form so maybe unwittingly this forum is supporting piracy!!

the first 4 links when you do a search from the google search at the top of the forum page are in fact google sponsored adverts which the forum has no control over as far as I am aware, if you want to complain then complain to google, please get your facts right before you accuse us, this forum does not condone piracy in any shape or form.

Curly

[katy]

My Apologies. I thought the way I had worded it was not a direct accusation. It is a complete eyeopener to me (and I suspect many others) that Google can have a link on a website which the owners have no control over. With Google, Paypal and Visa/Mastercard and others continuing to aid the piracy the pirates must be laughing all the way to the bank. This situation cannot be allowed to continue. I am suprised that Microsoft dont have the clout to stop Paypal etc
Incidently, when I complained to SDW that they had sent me a pirate copy they promptly sent me another.

[Curly99]

While it's not ideal at least you are getting some redress Via Microsoft with them send you legitimate software, as for Google, visa, paypal...etc it seems or at least looks like they bury there heads in the sand after the transaction and they have received there interest or what ever they get, you say that SoftAtlantic is just SDW under another name so maybe something was done about SDW but they just re-reg'd as a google sponsored advertiser under the new name. so really all that can be done is complain to Microsoft, paypal, google..etc until something gets done.

Curly

[titeinn]

Originally Posted by ultimateangling

You can add us to the list of people scammed by this company. Our version of Office Professional 2007 turned up (eventually after 2 weeks) looking perfect in a shrink wrapped box, proper certificate, hologrammed disc etc. It actually installed with no issues but we got the message that the copy was not genuine. After searching on the web I found this thread and read the horror stories of others.

Now for the relatively good news.

We spoke to Microsoft and it appears we should be eligable for a copy from them if we follow the instructions as follows:

Go to www.microsoft.com/genuine
Validate your office product
If its invalid follow the on-screen instructions on how to fill in a claim form and send all the information, the item etc to them. They will then assess it and if a high quality fake will give you a replacement copy.

The website is very good and helpful.

If you need extra assistance (from within the UK) call 0870 6010100 and press option 0 which takes you to their anti-piracy people who can help further.

Also you can email them at ukpiracy@microsoft.com

We managed to trace this copy to a company based in China. We even have their PayPal address.

All this will be sent to trading standards, microsoft and Paypal.

Jon

I have done as you said and many thanks from another "mug"

[milo9o]

Yet another mug/fool/dork! OMG, I can't believe what Iv'e been reading! and how bloody stupid I've been!!

I needed Office 2007 after the trial version on my laptop had expired. I have work related stuff that I can no longer edit on my laptop, so I did the usual thing and 'Googled' best price options for Office 2007. Like most of you guys, I clicked through some links that were rated highly by Google, and came across softatlantic.com.

Again like most of you guys - I checked the site over, looked for all the usual 'safe' indicators, checked the faq's, and genuinely thought it was a legit offer. OMG HOW STUPID I AM ***!!!!

I paid £99.95 for Office Ultimate, and as mentioned by someone else, thought it was a great offer.... until the paypal receipt came through and it was in chinese. I had no reason to think it was a chinese company and I started doubting the legitimacy of the site. I had allowed the payment to go through via Paypal, got the tracking details from EMS, even discovered that I had to track using Parcelforce too (not indicated by the site, despite my request for info), only to discover this blog 4 days later!!!

You can imagine my horror and embarrassment! I seem to have been duped by some fraudulent chinese website, (that changes its web address but tends to look the same) and by two of what I thought were the biggest and most respected 'safe and secure' organisations - Paypal and Google!

After spending the morning reading this full blog, I am kicking myself bigstylee.

I have a dodgy software package on its way to me, probably stuck in customs somewhere, that I aint gonna be able to use and I've lost £100 in the process....

Google, Microsoft, Paypal - get with the program guys and sort something out!!

Thanks to all on the blog, I will try to do whatever I can to get my cash back, and will follow the advice herein.

Wish I found this earlier.....

[Stiggy]

Originally Posted by milo9o

Wish I found this earlier.....

Glad we could help.

Mods - is there a way of changing the title of this thread? "Installing Office 2007" doesn't really cover what this is about now. This thread seems to be a major source of advice for people conned by softatlantic.com, softwarediscountzone etc. and a more appropriate thread title might help people to locate the advice they need.

[chrissybhoy]

Wow. I love this forum.

On searching the web for office software I found softdealworld.com and thought man thats a great price. I can't believe I nearly fell for it. I was just about to purchase a copy to make sure it was OK befor purchasing another 32 copies. I'm glad I did a search before commiting to anything. I can't belive this site is still running, why has no one done anything about this?

And on another note wheres my best place to get office 2007?

Thanks AV Forums you saved me again.

[chrissybhoy]

It also looks as if they are going by the name softatlantic.com and paypal are back with them.

Something has to be done about these people

[Singh400]

Originally Posted by Stiggy

Glad we could help.

Mods - is there a way of changing the title of this thread? "Installing Office 2007" doesn't really cover what this is about now. This thread seems to be a major source of advice for people conned by softatlantic.com, softwarediscountzone etc. and a more appropriate thread title might help people to locate the advice they need.

+1 with Stiggy on this.

[sophs000]

Hi all. My software arrived from softatlantic.com and, according to Microsoft, was a volume license for large companies and obviously therefore illegally sold for an individual user. I have sent the software to Microsoft (fingers crossed for a replacement) and will keep on at Paypal until I get my money back - they froze the funds on the day of purchase so if they hand the money over to softatlantic in the knowledge that the company is acting illegally, I will not let it lie. I continue to be unimpressed by Paypal's response to date and think they really need to take these issues seriously and to train their call centre staff to deal with them. Microsoft, on the other hand, have been very helpful so far.

On the up side, softdealworld no longer had a Paypal account when I looked at the site yesterday, although softatlantic.com still does.

This morning I spoke to FAST - the Federation Against Software Theft - FAST IiS (Federation Against Software Theft – Investors in Software) who were aware of softdealworld and said they would investigate softatlantic and see what can be done. The woman I spoke to was clearly extremely competent and knowledgeable - always good to talk to someone who knows what they are talking about!! She also said that AVForums is a really helpful forum.

She recommended a couple of consumer groups for people to contact if they need help in terms of trying to get money refunded: Which - Welcome to Which? ; Citizen's Advice Bureau - Citizens Advice *- the charity for your community and the FSA, which regulates Paypal - Financial Services Authority

Best of luck to everyone in resolving your situation.

[BREAKING WIND]

Hi all

I'm so glad I came accross this forum this morning. I have been contemplateing purchasing both office 2007 pro & acrobat pro from softatlantic. You know that old saying if something looks to good to be true it usually isn't. I've tried making a few enquies to softatlantic all without reply from them. Now I have found this this morning I will definately not be purchasing, I don't understand both google and Paypal supporting these companies, it is how ever good to hear that some people have had real product supplied to them via Microsoft F.O.C. Can't understand why Microsoft cannot run an advertising campaign advising potential customers that Softatlantic are not supplying the real thing.
Anyway thank god I come accross this forum this morning

Les

[fetlocks]

Good call Stiggy. I only found this thread after I had bought the dodgy software and was trying to install it.

Is there a moderator watching? Can we have the thread title changed please?

[oxymoron08]

How can you guys thinking a £300 office suite can be got for £30 legally?

How did you even think this was real?

[fetlocks]

Originally Posted by oxymoron08

How can you guys thinking a £300 office suite can be got for £30 legally?

How did you even think this was real?

oxymoron - those of us who have been victims of downsizing/credit crunch this year have been looking for value, particularly if attempting to set up working from home. I'm sure others who bought also had a good look at the very plausible "how can we sell this so cheaply?" explanation on the seller's website.

Hope your smugness keeps you warm this winter - or are you heading off across the Atlantic (where your grammar & language appear to belong)?

[Paul D]

Originally Posted by oxymoron08

How can you guys thinking a £300 office suite can be got for £30 legally?

How did you even think this was real?

I had no idea how much office 2007 cost, that's why i googled/froogled it for the best price.
I'm very happy for you that you know the correct price for everything, the rest of us rely on price comparison sites...

And just to totally stop your smugness...
I have just bought Office 2007 "Enterprise" (the TOP £480 package) TOTALLY legally for £35!
So, that kinda blows your "if it's too cheap it must be dodgy" theory out of the water!

Sorry to be so abrupt, but your post didn't help ANYBODY in anyway.

Oh, and just in case you are wondering where i bought my Office 2007 Enterprise from.

www.software4students.co.uk

They are linked directly from Microsofts own website, and are legit.

The £35 offer ended 31 Oct, but i'm sure they will be doing more offers.

[sophs000]

Hi all. I just checked the softatlantic web site and there is no paypal logo on there any more. So, for anyone who is trying to get money back from paypal, that might help your case. I hope that paypal has terminated their involvement based on complaints from people like us.

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by fetlocks

Is there a moderator watching? Can we have the thread title changed please?

Changed, is this okay or do you have another suggestion?

[Singh400]

Originally Posted by Iccz

Changed, is this okay or do you have another suggestion?

Since when are you a mod?! Dear god, standards have really dropped haven't they!

Guess I shouldn't provoke you now that you are a mod, oh mighty one!

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by Singh400

Since when are you a mod?! Dear god, standards have really dropped haven't they!

Guess I shouldn't provoke you now that you are a mod, oh mighty one!

Since the other day, I didn't even say anything good about cricket

[joff_arris]

Originally Posted by oxymoron08

How can you guys thinking a £300 office suite can be got for £30 legally?

How did you even think this was real?

Working in the building trade as I do I am often exposed to the concept that something can be bought for a fraction of the price if one hunts around and does a bit of negotiating. Discounts of 75% from builders merchants are simple if you know which buttons to press. Once you start cutting out the middlemen as well things can get even better. So to me, the prospect of getting office for around £100 instead of around £400 was not unrealistic although I did have some doubts at the time.

So how did I think it was real:

1. I knew exactly what it cost but WANTED to find it cheaper (thus prejudicing my decision making abilities from the off).
2. I was referred by Google and was comforted by the thought of payment via paypal.
3. I spent 30 mins evidently using the wrong search terms to try to find any information suggesting it was a scam - I had my suspicions but found nothing. Today I found this thread (I was still having doubts three days after the purchase and so was following those doubts up) but I notice that the thread title has only just been changed which might explain my difficulty.
4. Secure server in place - yeah I trusted the padlock.
5. Blind hope. I just spent a load on a spanking new PC with Windows 7 and was hoping not to spend much more. Some days you just take a punt and strike lucky. Like the day I got my Volvo 240 estate off a scrap heap for £130. I put in a new clutch and then had it for over 5 years, did 70k+ miles on it, drove around Ireland and Northern France before I sold it for £70 to a scrappy after the electrical system failed.

So Oxymoron, it is that simple. Hope that helps you appreciate that without hindsight you are probably just as daft as the rest of us. Now tell me, how many times in your life have you managed to buy a really decent car which cost you less than your TV license? If the answer is zero then ask yourself if you'd go for it if the opportunity was there - I bet you wouldn't have the nerve. The way I see it, the money I saved on that vehicle more than compensates me for any loss I might make on this occasion. Live a little - it is quite fun. Relish your gains and accept your losses and for goodness sake don't pronounce upon people who know they have made an error and are posting in the hope that by doing so they will help others avoid a similar mistake. Such behaviour simply emphasises the last two syllables of your nick over everything else.

Incidentally for those who are reading because they think they have made the same mistake as me then in my case I have yet to see any cash disappear from my account, having made the 'purchase' on 13/11/09. I have sent a cancellation email to softatlantic and have warned the bank concerned of an impending unauthorised transaction. Not much else I can do now, except go and pay full price for the software.

[Singh400]

Originally Posted by oxymoron08

How can you guys thinking a £300 office suite can be got for £30 legally?

How did you even think this was real?

Well I can get Office 2007 for £30 from 2 places. Through the Utlimate Steal program and the NHS/Microsoft program scheme. So, yeah it is entirely possible for anyone to be duped.

The only place I recommend is Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Software UK at Software4Students.co.uk they are linked to from Microsoft's own site. So they are trustworthy.

[Sheedy]

I too was a victim of Softdealworld.com. Luckily after a few weeks I DID get my money back from PayPal.

I tried ordering from the site that was on one of the posts on this forum but I think I can't order Office 2007 since I am not a student and also I am living in The Netherlands.

Another thing I was wondering if these two sites: Softdealworld.com and the identical site called Soft Atlantic could be wrapped up or at least reported. When I dealt with PayPal the site 'owner's' name came up as Huang Siang? His email address was said to be: fasterpay@yahoo.com.

Anybody got any ideas or am I really being mega naive?

[Sheedy]

Originally Posted by milo9o

Yet another mug/fool/dork! OMG, I can't believe what Iv'e been reading! and how bloody stupid I've been!!

I needed Office 2007 after the trial version on my laptop had expired. I have work related stuff that I can no longer edit on my laptop, so I did the usual thing and 'Googled' best price options for Office 2007. Like most of you guys, I clicked through some links that were rated highly by Google, and came across softatlantic.com.

Again like most of you guys - I checked the site over, looked for all the usual 'safe' indicators, checked the faq's, and genuinely thought it was a legit offer. OMG HOW STUPID I AM ***!!!!

I paid £99.95 for Office Ultimate, and as mentioned by someone else, thought it was a great offer.... until the paypal receipt came through and it was in chinese. I had no reason to think it was a chinese company and I started doubting the legitimacy of the site. I had allowed the payment to go through via Paypal, got the tracking details from EMS, even discovered that I had to track using Parcelforce too (not indicated by the site, despite my request for info), only to discover this blog 4 days later!!!

You can imagine my horror and embarrassment! I seem to have been duped by some fraudulent chinese website, (that changes its web address but tends to look the same) and by two of what I thought were the biggest and most respected 'safe and secure' organisations - Paypal and Google!

After spending the morning reading this full blog, I am kicking myself bigstylee.

I have a dodgy software package on its way to me, probably stuck in customs somewhere, that I aint gonna be able to use and I've lost £100 in the process....

Google, Microsoft, Paypal - get with the program guys and sort something out!!

Thanks to all on the blog, I will try to do whatever I can to get my cash back, and will follow the advice herein.

Wish I found this earlier.....

I am sitting here wondering whether you got your parcel in the end. I could tell you my sob story by quoting yours as had the exact same thing happening to me. Only I never got my parcel. After 2 weeks wondering I phoned up PayPal and ended up getting my money back yesterday! These people should be stopped. How can this happen?

[Sheedy]

Originally Posted by Paul D

I had no idea how much office 2007 cost, that's why i googled/froogled it for the best price.
I'm very happy for you that you know the correct price for everything, the rest of us rely on price comparison sites...

And just to totally stop your smugness...
I have just bought Office 2007 "Enterprise" (the TOP £480 package) TOTALLY legally for £35!
So, that kinda blows your "if it's too cheap it must be dodgy" theory out of the water!

Sorry to be so abrupt, but your post didn't help ANYBODY in anyway.

Oh, and just in case you are wondering where i bought my Office 2007 Enterprise from.

www.software4students.co.uk

They are linked directly from Microsofts own website, and are legit.

The £35 offer ended 31 Oct, but i'm sure they will be doing more offers.

I tried ordering from www.software4students.co.uk sadly I am not a student and could not fill out the boxes asking all sorts of questions like name of student and school etc. Not only am I not a student but I also live in The Netherlands....!! Any idea how I can still order from that site or IS it strictly for students only???

[jameson_uk]

Originally Posted by Sheedy

Not only am I not a student but I also live in The Netherlands....!! Any idea how I can still order from that site or IS it strictly for students only???

yes it is a student license so you must be a student

[milo9o]

Originally Posted by Sheedy

I am sitting here wondering whether you got your parcel in the end. I could tell you my sob story by quoting yours as had the exact same thing happening to me. Only I never got my parcel. After 2 weeks wondering I phoned up PayPal and ended up getting my money back yesterday! These people should be stopped. How can this happen?

Thought I would come back with an update.

I have today received my parcel. It looks surprisingly good, you know, like the real thing. I have complained to Paypal for supporting the site. They haven't replied and my dispute/complaint is being reviewed.

Im going to send the software unopened to Microsoft, cus although I have checked the COA against the images on their fraud website and it does look legit, I don't wanna chance installing it on my computer and having problems. It really does look like the real thing!

Im going to email Microsoft today to get some advice...

I will be back!

[fetlocks]

Sorry to hear of another victim. There is a procedure with Microsoft which you should follow - I have copied and pasted below..........

********

The UK Anti-Piracy Team have been made aware of these websites and are looking into them.

Please advise the customer to go to our product identification website; http://www.microsoft.com/uk/licensin...n-service.mspx

Advise her to take note of the ‘what do I need to do?’ and ‘what do I end up with?’ sections. She should qualify for a genuine replacement product.
Please also note that this service can take a few weeks before they hear back from us.

Kind regards

Anti-Piracy Team

[Stiggy]

This thread has gone a bit quiet. I hope we haven't killed it by changing the title!

[fetlocks]

good point stiggy - maybe our moderator can split/x-link enquiries?