Product Key (RIP OFF)

[Patricia Youngkin]

I am very upset with microsoft. I purchased microsoft 2003 student teacher
edition after a trial version on a new laptop. I received the cd by mail
after having had a problem with my computer. The product key sticker had
fallen off my cd case. Upon contacting microsoft for a new product key I was
informed that I would have to pay for it. They even found my registration
for this microsoft office 2003 edition. WHY DID I REGISTER IT IN THE FIRST
PLACE? I should be given a new product key number at no charge. PERIOD!!!!
I see others are having the same problems. Bill Gates, please feel free to
contact me about this. Sincerely, Patricia A. Youngkin.
(e-mail address removed), or (e-mail address removed)

 

[Peter Foldes]

Patricia

No need to multipost this to different newsgroups

If you go into a store and purchase something nice and then you leave the store and
on the way home you lose whatever you purchased, will you go back to the store and
demand a replacement because you lost the purchased item somewhere outside of the
store on the way home.

Come on Patricia.

Also see my answer to your queries about your issue in one of the other newsgroups
where you posted. If you can answer them it would be helpful

 

[Earle Horton]

I suppose a cynical person would say that MSFT is counting on this sort of
thing happening. Every time it does, they get to sell another product key.
Your story is a little fuzzy to me. You say that "The product key sticker
had fallen off my cd case." Did it fall off to parts unknown, or did you
see it in the packaging? Is this a replacement CD, or are you referring to
the original CD? The first thing I did, after receiving my copy of Office
2003 Student Teacher Edition, was to fix a piece of transparent packing tape
over the product key. I also have one of those marble cover composition
books, with ALL of my product keys written down inside.

Cheers,

Earle

 

[Andy]

Peter, that's a horrendous example. If I lost the keys to my house, I'm not
going to buy a new house. I only want a key. She didn't lose the disk.
She lost digits because a sticker fell off.

Now, since the disk is good, and MS can verify that the key belongs to that
disk, then why can't they recover the key from her disk for her?

She needs to do a Google search for a product that will recover the key for
her. Couldn't someone give her that advice instead of extorting her for the
use of a product she already has?

 

[Gordon]

Now, since the disk is good, and MS can verify that the key belongs to
that disk, then why can't they recover the key from her disk for her?

There's a basic misconception here. The Product key is NOT stored on the
CD. MS cannot verify that any particular key belongs to a particular CD.
For example. I have an OEM version of XP on my desktop. The "Recovery"
CD failed. Rather than fork out money, I copied a friend's OEM XP CD. I
can install, re-install, repair, and do anything with it on that machine
because it's the KEY that is important, NOT the CD.

 

[Tom [Pepper] Willett]

Bill Gates has retired, and never read this newsgroup anyway. This is a
peer-to-peer newsgroup and not MS support.

message :I am very upset with microsoft. I purchased microsoft 2003 student teacher
: edition after a trial version on a new laptop. I received the cd by mail
: after having had a problem with my computer. The product key sticker had
: fallen off my cd case. Upon contacting microsoft for a new product key I
was
: informed that I would have to pay for it. They even found my registration
: for this microsoft office 2003 edition. WHY DID I REGISTER IT IN THE
FIRST
: PLACE? I should be given a new product key number at no charge.
PERIOD!!!!
: I see others are having the same problems. Bill Gates, please feel free
to
: contact me about this. Sincerely, Patricia A. Youngkin.
: (e-mail address removed), or (e-mail address removed)

 

[Tom [Pepper] Willett]

I wonder how the sticker "fell off". It usually takes a chisel to remove
them.

:I suppose a cynical person would say that MSFT is counting on this sort of
: thing happening. Every time it does, they get to sell another product
key.
: Your story is a little fuzzy to me. You say that "The product key sticker
: had fallen off my cd case." Did it fall off to parts unknown, or did you
: see it in the packaging? Is this a replacement CD, or are you referring
to
: the original CD? The first thing I did, after receiving my copy of Office
: 2003 Student Teacher Edition, was to fix a piece of transparent packing
tape
: over the product key. I also have one of those marble cover composition
: books, with ALL of my product keys written down inside.
:
: Cheers,
:
: Earle
:
: message : >I am very upset with microsoft. I purchased microsoft 2003 student
teacher
: > edition after a trial version on a new laptop. I received the cd by
mail
: > after having had a problem with my computer. The product key sticker
had
: > fallen off my cd case. Upon contacting microsoft for a new product key
I
: > was
: > informed that I would have to pay for it. They even found my
registration
: > for this microsoft office 2003 edition. WHY DID I REGISTER IT IN THE
: > FIRST
: > PLACE? I should be given a new product key number at no charge.
: > PERIOD!!!!
: > I see others are having the same problems. Bill Gates, please feel
free
: > to
: > contact me about this. Sincerely, Patricia A. Youngkin.
: > (e-mail address removed), or (e-mail address removed)
:
:

 

[Gordon]

I wonder how the sticker "fell off". It usually takes a chisel to remove
them.

I have to say I agree - I have NEVER seen key stickers "fall off" in
fifteen years of using MS products...

 

[Alias]

I have to say I agree - I have NEVER seen key stickers "fall off" in
fifteen years of using MS products...

The stickers fell off of three of my generic OEM XP packs. Of course, I
put them in a safe place.

Alias

 

[Earle Horton]

The one I am talking about was stuck to the outside of the clear plastic
jacket on a DVD style case, the same product that Patricia is talking about,
Microsoft Office Student and Teacher Edition 2003. I didn't like the way it
looked, so I put a piece of packing tape over it to avoid problems. It
depends on what the key sticker is stuck to. Interestingly, when I bought
international proofing tools for the same product, the key sticker was
inside the jacket, stuck to the paper product label. You stand to lose a
lot in time, inconvenience and money if you lose one of these things, but
the people who stick them on the packaging don't care. All they are after
is the pay check.

A product key sticker could fall off or be damaged. I haven't tried the
immersion in coffee test yet. I write them down in a notebook for safety
also. You can use a product like the free Belarc Advisor to make a computer
copy of the product keys for all your installed software too. It doesn't
help if you experience hard disk failure, and your only copy is on the
failed hard disk. ;^)

http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

Earle

 

[Andy]

Even still, they verified that she had purchased the product and had an
active key. Why couldn't they just send her the same key that she'd already
paid for?

There's a basic misconception here. The Product key is NOT stored on the
CD. MS cannot verify that any particular key belongs to a particular CD.
For example. I have an OEM version of XP on my desktop. The "Recovery" CD
failed. Rather than fork out money, I copied a friend's OEM XP CD. I can
install, re-install, repair, and do anything with it on that machine
because it's the KEY that is important, NOT the CD.


--
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Please tell us the version of the application you are asking about,
your OS, Service Pack level
and the FULL contents of any error message(s)

Andy Bonanno ============ Power Cash Secret

 

[JoAnn Paules]

Because Microsoft doe NOT keep track of who owns exactly which copy of
software.

 

[Andy]

Did you miss the part of the original post that says: "They even found my
registration for this microsoft office 2003 edition."

Stop making excuses for simple greed. They make us register to use the
software and issue a unique key to use the same software. We don't pay to
own the software. We pay for a license to use the software, not for the
key. We can't lose that license because it's kept as a record of the
product owner, and Microsoft confirmed that last fact. The product remains
property of the software company and they grant the rights to use it. What
makes them think that they can demand multiple payments for using the same
rights?

Without Patricia returning to post any more details, I have to read the
original post "as is". She had a problem with her computer, then got the
original CD by mail. The product key sticker had fallen off. Then MS said
she had to purchase a new key. Why would she have to purchase a new key for
a product that was supplied without a key sticker on it?

I'll go back to the house example. If you buy a house and the seller
doesn't supply the keys, should you buy the house again just to get the
keys?

 

[Gordon]

Did you miss the part of the original post that says: "They even found
my registration for this microsoft office 2003 edition."

registration doesn't mean anything. All it means is that MS knows that
someone has bought one of their products.

 

[Tom [Pepper] Willett]

: Andy wrote:
: > Did you miss the part of the original post that says: "They even found
: > my registration for this microsoft office 2003 edition."
:
: registration doesn't mean anything. All it means is that MS knows that
: someone has bought one of their products.
:

And, since registration is simply for marketing purposes, and not required,
not many people even bother....and it doesn't have anything to do with a
product key.

 

[Gordon]

: Andy wrote:
: > Did you miss the part of the original post that says: "They even found
: > my registration for this microsoft office 2003 edition."
:
: registration doesn't mean anything. All it means is that MS knows that
: someone has bought one of their products.
:

And, since registration is simply for marketing purposes, and not required,
not many people even bother....and it doesn't have anything to do with a
product key.

Absolutely. I can't remember the last time I bothered to register an MS
product...

 

[Peter Foldes]

Everybody is missing the point here. An Office 2003 Student and Teacher was on her
Computer . Then she purchased Office 2003 Student and Teacher from ****Microsoft****

Office 2003 Student and Teacher Trial and the purchase of this Office suite has long
passed and has not been available from ***Microsoft *** at all.
If there is any available then it is from a place like Amazon,EBay and etc


--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.

Because Microsoft doe NOT keep track of who owns exactly which copy of software.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"

Even still, they verified that she had purchased the product and had an active
key. Why couldn't they just send her the same key that she'd already paid for?


Andy Bonanno ============ Power Cash Secret

 

[Andy]

So, based on what all of you are saying, Microsoft doesn't know if any
product anyone is using even has a valid license key. That's awesome (he
says sarcastically). I'm gonna start learning how to hack. [insert evil
laugh here] They don't collect any evidence. [more laughter]

 

[Earle Horton]

I am afraid that the OP is long gone from this discussion, but it was my
impression that she got a CD from MSFT through their media replacement
program. That would explain the Product Key "falling off" the CD case. It
never was there in the first place.

Earle

Everybody is missing the point here. An Office 2003 Student and Teacher
was on her Computer . Then she purchased Office 2003 Student and Teacher
from ****Microsoft****

Office 2003 Student and Teacher Trial and the purchase of this Office
suite has long passed and has not been available from ***Microsoft *** at
all.
If there is any available then it is from a place like Amazon,EBay and etc


--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.

Because Microsoft doe NOT keep track of who owns exactly which copy of
software.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"

Even still, they verified that she had purchased the product and had an
active key. Why couldn't they just send her the same key that she'd
already paid for?

Andy wrote:


Now, since the disk is good, and MS can verify that the key belongs to
that disk, then why can't they recover the key from her disk for her?

There's a basic misconception here. The Product key is NOT stored on
the CD. MS cannot verify that any particular key belongs to a
particular CD. For example. I have an OEM version of XP on my desktop.
The "Recovery" CD failed. Rather than fork out money, I copied a
friend's OEM XP CD. I can install, re-install, repair, and do anything
with it on that machine because it's the KEY that is important, NOT the
CD.


--
Asking a question?
Please tell us the version of the application you are asking about,
your OS, Service Pack level
and the FULL contents of any error message(s)
Andy Bonanno ============ Power Cash Secret

 

[Earle Horton]

The software knows at install time if you have a valid install key. It
"unlocks" something that allows it to install. The activation servers do
further verification. They count the number of times that a particular key
has been used. There have been cases of people stealing license keys and
overusing or selling them. Many times they are employees of college book
stores and their nefarious activities result in a pattern of duplicate
activations, hard for MSFT to ignore. Or the legitimate purchaser finds
that she cannot activate her product, and calls to complain. A single
fraudulent use of a stolen product key might excape notice, but rarely are
thieves satisfied with that which is sufficient for their own needs. They
sell them, and the unwitting purchaser assumes that he has full use of the
product. Now many MSFT update and download sites require product
"verification". I don't know the technical details but it fails with an
unactivated product.

You could probably hack an individual copy of Windows or Office for your own
personal use, but unless you have an iron will you wouldn't stop there. And
even if you did the money you saved wouldn't be worth your time. Don't
bother learning to hack. If you do, at that point you might qualify for a
legitimate programming job. Many sites on the Internet sell product keys...

Earle

So, based on what all of you are saying, Microsoft doesn't know if any
product anyone is using even has a valid license key. That's awesome (he
says sarcastically). I'm gonna start learning how to hack. [insert evil
laugh here] They don't collect any evidence. [more laughter]

Absolutely. I can't remember the last time I bothered to register an MS
product...

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Asking a question?
Please tell us the version of the application you are asking about,
your OS, Service Pack level
and the FULL contents of any error message(s)