Facebook and McAfee have announced a partnership where McAfee will offer Facebook users a free 6-month subscription to it’s Internet Security Suite software. After 6 months, you will get a discounted rate to purchase the software. The discounted rate has not yet been determined.
I have never been a fan of McAfee, as I have seen time and time again, how it will slow a computer down.
However, in my quest to remain open-minded, I have decided to give this a try. First, I had a hard time finding out where to access this free software. I went to the McAfee website, and they had a link to “Learn More” about the deal, and it just takes you to a copy of the press release, which took a gazillion seconds to load (OK, maybe not a gazillion, but it sure seemed like it!)
After googling the deal, I finally discovered that you can to go the McAfee page on Facebook. A tab is there called “Protect Your PC”. When you visit the tab, the text clearly states “Get your 6-month complimentary subscription to McAfee Internet Security”. However, nothing on the tab is linkable to a download.
Scratching my head, I am thinking, what the heck? I then click over on the Wall tab and read the comments for the announcement, which tell me two things:
1. The link is not working. At this point in time there is no way to download the free software.
2. For those users who were able to use the link prior to it going down, it was discovered that McAfee wants your credit card information prior to you downloading the 6-month free software.
My thoughts, first, don’t offer free software to 350 million people without have first set up the infrastructure to handle the traffic you will be driving to your download page.
Secondly, I am not willing to give McAfee my credit card information for “Free” software. Give it to me for free, and then when the 6-month period ends, ask for a credit card to continue the use of the software.
McAfee and Facebook, you have both failed with this effort.