MS Office 2003 does not offer features promised in its advertisem.

[Thorenn]

Last month I upgraded from Office 2000 to Office 2003, only because I read a
Microsoft Office advertisement in many magazines, which claimed that unlike
Office 2000, the Office 2003 version would give me access to certain
features, and I quote the ad "the latest version of of Microsoft Office
includes Information Rights Management technologies. Now you can put limits
on the printing, copying, or forwarding of sensitive e-mail and documents".
After this advertisement persuaded me to buy Office 2003, I have now been
told by Microsoft support staff that the Microsfort Office Basic Edition
2003, does not offer this feature. This was not mentioned in the magazine
advertisement and I would therefore regard this advertisement as containing
claims that are false and misleading and would be grounds for a lawsuit. I
demand to know why Microsoft chose to mislead consumers like me in this
regard and I demand that Microsoft offers a patch that Microsoft Office 2003
customers like me can download so that we can get the features that Microsoft
claims that Office 2003 has.

 

[Brian Tillman]

I demand to know why Microsoft chose
to mislead consumers like me in this regard and I demand that
Microsoft offers a patch that Microsoft Office 2003 customers like me
can download so that we can get the features that Microsoft claims
that Office 2003 has.

Demand all you want, but demand it in the correct venue. This isn't it.

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

the features should be listed on the box (they are on the back of the pro
box - and it clearly states irm is not in any version except pro) - and they
are on the ms website, so I don't think your lawsuit will hold up.

what magazine was the ad in?

 

[Thorenn]

The ad is currently appearing in several magazines including the National
Post Business, issue dated April 2005, page 54. The software did not come in
a box, it came in a sleeve and no mention is made as to the fact that IRM is
available only in the professional version. Besides, since the Microsoft ad
very cleary implies that all versions of Office 2003 offer IRM, it is only
natural that any consumer wanting IRM would go out and buy any version of IRM
or configure the computer they are buying to include any version of Office
2003 by paying extra, rather than ensuring that they specify only the
professional version, which is what any consumer would do, IF Microsoft cared
to mention this in their ads!

 

[Brian Tillman]

The ad is currently appearing in several magazines including the
National Post Business, issue dated April 2005, page 54. The software
did not come in a box, it came in a sleeve and no mention is made as
to the fact that IRM is available only in the professional version.
Besides, since the Microsoft ad very cleary implies that all versions
of Office 2003 offer IRM, it is only natural that any consumer
wanting IRM would go out and buy any version of IRM or configure the
computer they are buying to include any version of Office 2003 by
paying extra, rather than ensuring that they specify only the
professional version, which is what any consumer would do, IF
Microsoft cared to mention this in their ads!

Give me a break. Any person with half of a brain knows that ads are meant
to attract attention and to make a product sound great. It is then up to
the person considering the purchase to seek out additional information apart
from the advertising to see if the product actually fills the needs or
desires of the purchaser. If you got screwed, blame yourself for being less
than diligent in your research.

 

[Thorenn]

I can't believe that you can be so naive. As Creative Director of a leading
advertising agency, I know that companies are totally liable for any specific
claims made in their advertisements. Microsoft can praise their products all
they want in their ads and get away with it, but the moment they made
specific claims for a product they are liable if the product does not offer
what they claim it has/does. Microsoft did not made a general claim in its
ad, they specifically stated that Office 2003 offers IRM when they said and I
quote "the latest version of Microsoft Office includes Information Rights
Management technologies. " In their ads, Microsoft did not qualify this
statement by saying that only certain versions of Office contains IRM. They
therefore very clearly and implicitly imply t hat ALL versions of Office 2003
contain IRM, which is totally false and completely misleading. Ask you
attorney about this before replying with such uniniformed and ignorant
statements like you just made.

 

[Brian Tillman]

Microsoft did not made a general claim in its ad, they specifically
stated that Office 2003 offers IRM when they said and I quote "the
latest version of Microsoft Office includes Information Rights
Management technologies. " In their ads, Microsoft did not qualify
this statement by saying that only certain versions of Office
contains IRM. They therefore very clearly and implicitly imply t hat
ALL versions of Office 2003 contain IRM, which is totally false and
completely misleading.

While it may imply that to you, it certainly doesn't to me, since I read and
KNOW that Office comes in different versions that may have varying features.

Ask you attorney about this before replying
with such uniniformed and ignorant statements like you just made.

I'm not the one making unwarranted assumptions, so it's no surprise who the
*real* uninformed person here is.

 

[Gordon]

While it may imply that to you, it certainly doesn't to me, since I read
and KNOW that Office comes in different versions that may have varying
features.



I'm not the one making unwarranted assumptions, so it's no surprise who
the *real* uninformed person here is.

If the OP is a Director of an Advertising Agency, then surely it's a
case of "the biter bit"......

 

[Thorenn]

I've spoken to a supervisor at Microsoft Customer Service and she agreed that
the text of their ad is misleading and has apologized to me. She has promised
to excalate the matter to her superiors so that either the ad is modified or
that in the future the Office 2003 Basic Edition does offer what the
Microsoft ad has promised in their ads.

SO where does that leave you and what you refer to as "UNWARRANTED
ASSUMPTIONS" and "UNINFORMED PERSONS", you discombobulated biped.

 

[Gordon]

I've spoken to a supervisor at Microsoft Customer Service and she agreed that
the text of their ad is misleading and has apologized to me. She has promised
to excalate the matter to her superiors so that either the ad is modified or
that in the future the Office 2003 Basic Edition does offer what the
Microsoft ad has promised in their ads.

I think it's really funny, a Director of an Ad Agency complaining about Ads!

 

[Thorenn]

CORRECTION: A Director of an ad agency complaining about "MISLEADING" ads.
Nothing funny about that!!!!!!

 

[Gordon]

CORRECTION: A Director of an ad agency complaining about "MISLEADING" ads.
Nothing funny about that!!!!!!

So now you know what the rest of the world thinks about Ad agencies!

 

[Thorenn]

..............what the world thinks about ad agencies that do not do their due
diligence and who succumb to pressure from their clients to create/run
misleading ads. Perhaps this could be a good time to pitch for the Microsoft
account. Their current ad agency could very well get them into hot water by
creating and running such misleading ads. The ad campaign that is ultimately
created depends a great deal on the client's brief, but an ad agency that
blindly follows the brief without checking the facts and warning the client
about the consequences, is not doing the client any favours. BTW, it looks
like Brian Tillman finally found out who the "real" uninformed person here
really is!

 

[Brian Tillman]

SO where does that leave you and what you refer to as "UNWARRANTED
ASSUMPTIONS" and "UNINFORMED PERSONS", you discombobulated biped.

It certainly doesn't change anything. It cost that manager NOTHING to say
few words to you and YOU ARE NO BETTER OFF than from before you started your
diatribe other than having had your ego massaged.

At least I don't have four legs and bray.

 

[Thorenn]

That's what you think. They made me a deal that was a lot better than I
thought they would and it cost them plenty to satisfy me.

BTW, I see, for someone that has four legs and brays, you actually have
access to a dictionary and the amazing thing is that you know how to use it.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!