Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/22/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am speaking on ********************************************************************* Around February 27 ******* renewed his subscription to McAfee for $86.63. The following months he received several emails from McAfee reminding him to renew his subscription before it runs out. Not remembering if he had already paid for the renewal he responded by paying several times. He wound up paying 8 years into the future.
  When I contacted McAfee to request refunds in early August, they apologized for the emails and stated that they would refund the 6 most current payments totaling $557.41. On August 15, 3 of the 6 were refunded. Since that time, I have contacted McAfee customer support 8 times and spent over 7 hours on the phone re-explaining the situation to a different representative. Each time the rep apologized for the mix up and stated that they would work to get it corrected. They also stated that from their end it looked like all of the refunds were processed so ******* should have received all refunds. The last 6 times (of the 8) I contacted McAfee, the rep stated that since this has not been resolved yet and there is an issue with the refund going through, they would elevate my request to someone higher up. Each time the rep promised that someone would contact me within a few hours to a few days to make sure the issue was finally resolved... but I never received a phone call from anyone... so I continued to contact them. The last time I contacted them, the rep promised her supervisor would contact me within 1 hour, and that she would call within 3 hours to make sure I was contacted. But I was not contacted by either.
  During that time, I was able to have *******'s bank dispute one of the three remaining charges, leaving two refunds that still need to be made. The refunds that I am seeking from McAfee for ******* Serrano are for $86.63 and $102.87... totaling $189.50. The service request # McAfee assigned to this case is ***********
  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/22/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/12/09) */
  Dear Mr. ******,
  
  My name is *************. I am on the Executive Customer Assistance Team at McAfee. I want to thank you for working with me regarding your concerns.
  
  If you have any additional concerns in the future regarding your McAfee account, please feel free to contact me directly at ************. I am available Monday-Friday, from 8am to 5pm Central Time (US).
  If you would prefer to communicate by email, you may reach me at*************************
  
  Thank you for contacting McAfee.
  
  Sincerely,
  *************
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (2000, 7, 2022/12/22) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/19/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 11/18/2022 my wife ****************** saw an email, supposedly from McAfee, that said thanks for your Purchase, the final cost is $499.99 that will be deducted via direct debit--the problem is, we never ordered anything from them, and we haven't used them in at least 10 - 15 years (we have used pc-matic for last couple years). On the morning of 11/19, ******* explained this, and apparently they weren't satisfied, so they called back at 11:00 am, that same morning, and bothered her about it again. ******* explained that she doesn't even have or use a desktop or laptop, she only has her android phone, and then explained that no such amount (thank God!) had been deducted from our bank, at least as of yet. She again explained that we didn't order anything from them. I called the bank and told them if they see any such thing, it's fraud, don't honor it. Then today (nov. 19). The man hung up on her. Then they called again this morning, and when I picked up the phone, he hung up on me.
  I suspected it was someone posing as McAfee, so I looked up their website and called the number listed, which is ************, and called at 2:13 on Nov. 19. A man who identified himself as *************************** entered so he could enter and look at stuff on my computer and he then said it was a hacker/phishing scam, not McAfee. He then looked up and said my PC-Matic did NOT cover my network, and tried to do a hard-sell on me, saying I had NO network / firewall protection, and I HAD to purchase it now from them, for $199.99. I am really suspicious that this guy put some kind of unethical tracking or malware on my computer, and I'm not 100% convinced that even this site / phone number was legit. from McAffee. Anyway, I don't appreciate their invasive / snoopy, suspicious procedures on my computer, nor their hard-sell tactics.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/01/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/11/28) */
  Dear ******,
  
  
  After review of your complaint, we wanted to inform you that the email your wife received was not a legit McAfee communication. McAfee does not offer any products or services for the amount of $499.99. Additionally, the phone number dialed,************* is not affiliated with McAfee in any capacity; our support phone number is *************
  
  It is unfortunately common for scam actors to pose as trusted, widely used brands such as McAfee to perpetrate any number of fraudulent activities. McAfee takes reports of these activities seriously as a threat to both our customers and brand, and works to stop such activities when we are made aware of them. If you or your wife receive any further messages claiming to be from McAfee, please forward them to our internal security team for investigation at ***************. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
  
  If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me directly.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************
  Executive Customer Assistance Team
  McAfee

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/14/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I got the shock of my life this morning when I saw that McAfee had charged my bank account for $158.99 WITHOUT MY PRIOR KNOWLEDGE NOR MY APPROVAL!!! I have no idea how they obtained information about my debit card because I never did any business with McAfee using the card that they used. I have used that card for a very short time, and I certainly didn't give them the information, so they must have obtained it through less-than-legal means.
  
  There is no way to justify what they did. I am a disabled senior living on Social Security only and this charge left me with almost no money for the rest of the month. I will be filing complaints for the rest of the day and maybe even longer. I have been robbed and McAfee is the thief!!!
  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/02/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/11/30) */
  Dear ********,
  
  My name is *************. I am on the Executive Customer Assistance Team at McAfee. I was not able to reach you by phone or email to discuss your account in detail.
  
  I have reviewed your McAfee account, and I see that you have multiple active subscriptions as well as multiple saved payment methods. If you would like to contact me regarding your usage, I can help manage the account and stop any duplicate subscriptions from renewing. You can view your current and expired subscriptions in your McAfee account at https://mcafee.com by logging in at the top right of the screen.
  
  If you have any additional concerns in the future regarding your McAfee account, please feel free to contact me directly at ***************. I am available Monday-Friday, from 7am to 4pm Central Time (US). If you would prefer to communicate by email, you may reach me at *************************
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/11/30) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  I complained because McAfee automatically signed me up for Auto-Renewal without my knowledge or permission. I suddenly had a very large sum taken from my bank account and I was left with not enough money to stay alive. I wasted no time in appealing to them. They did refund my money, but signing someone up for something at least should be done with the customer's knowledge and permission. Because they charged me so much and left me impoverished, I am not sure that I will continue with their product. I am a disabled senior living on Social Security Retirement income for an amount of less than $1000 per month. I have to decide what to do about the future, and I have a hard time living down such an experience.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/10/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Unbeknownst to me Mcafee virus protection came with a new computer. According to Mcafee the store provided them with our credit card. This happened in 2018. CC charge was noticed today. I called my bank and reported fraud. Called company. They refunded new charge of $159 today but would not refund last 4 years of charges.
  My husband has been blind since 2019 and no one has used his computer. Also Mcafee was never used as we use the free antivirus software from Microsoft.
  We had no idea they were charging us. We never purchased anything from them. My husbands email is rarely checked and the yearly charge was not noticed.
  How can they just keep charging like that.
  The phone number for them was*************. I see lots of complaints that are similar.
  We were charged $159 a year
  
  Name **************
  Email was**************
  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/07/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/11/18) */
  Dear ***********,
  My name is **************. I am on the Executive Customer Assistance Team at McAfee. I want to thank you for working with me regarding your concerns.
  
  If you have any additional concerns in the future regarding your McAfee account, please feel free to contact me directly at ************. I am in the office Monday-Friday, from 10am to 7pm Central Time (US).
  Thank you for contacting McAfee.
  Sincerely,
  **************
  Executive Customer Assistance Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/02/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have automatic renewal charges on my PayPal account from the last 3 years. I'm certain I've called before and cancelled this as it was not something I purchased but assumed it was my error so i didnt take it any further. This year it happened again on october 30 2022. When I called again to resolve the issue, the representative gave my correct home address, attached to my correct paypal but it was attached to an email address and person's name that was not mine (and not familiar to me). She also confirmed it was downloaded on a Dell laptop, and I do not (and have not) had a Dell laptop during the time my account was charged. I have not downloaded any copies of this software and would like all 3 charges refunded. Customer service associate refunded to most recent one but there are two from previous years i would like refunded.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/16/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/11/10) */
  Dear *********,
  
  My name is **************. I am on the Executive Customer Assistance Team at McAfee. We have received your complaint and would like to get in touch with you regarding your issue. I have tried to contact you by phone and email, but I was not able to reach you.
  
  Please see my email correspondence for more information. If you have any further questions, I can be reached using the contact details noted in that email.
  
  Thank you,
  **************
  Executive Customer Assistance Team
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (2000, 7, 2022/11/16) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/31/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  McAfee Total protection keep popping up on my computer screen and want to buy their antivirus software. It has also sometimes block me so I cannot get into my computer. I do not want their services.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/23/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/11/10) */
  Hello *********,
  My name is Lauren *******, and I am with the Executive Customer Assistance Team here at McAfee. I am unable to locate an account associated with contact details provided. McAfee will only send alerts to your desktop if you have our software installed on the device. You can stop McAfee alerts by uninstalling the software. If our software is not installed on your device, it's likely the alerts you are receiving are not official McAfee alerts.
  
  Please see my email correspondence for more information. If you have any further questions, or would like to work with our technical support team, I can be reached using the contact details noted in that email.
  
  Thank you,
  Lauren *******
  Executive Customer Assistance Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/27/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  McAfee without my authorization renewed service on 4-20-2020 $79.99; again renewed without authorization on 4/20/2021 $79.99. I called to close & cancel subscription on 5-22-2021. However, McAfee again charged my account on 5-22-2021 $32.00. I called again to get refund, close & cancelled subscription. McAfee again on 5-22-2021 charged my credit card $47.99 after having called to cancel and close my account. McAfee continues to charge my credit card without authorization after closing & cancelled the subscription on 4-20-2020. McAfee again charged my credit card #**** on 4-20-2022 $84.99, again without my authorization and having previously closed & cancelled my subscription. Today 10-27-2022 I called again spoke with ****** ID#***** to close my account. He said my account is not set up for "renewals" & can't issue any refunds. McAfee has continuously charged my credit card Capital One #**** unlawfully, without authorization, and on a closed and cancelled McAfee subscription. I'm requesting a refund of $84.99 charged on 4-20-22; $47.99 on 5-22-21 and on 4-20-20 $79.99 for a total refund in the amount of $212.97
  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/02/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/11/14) */
  Dear *********,
  
  This is************** again, with McAfee's Executive Customer Assistance Team.
  
  Per our email correspondence, I am happy that we were able to meet your desired resolution to your complaint.
  
  If you have any additional questions or concerns regarding McAfee in the future, please feel free to contact me directly.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Chris Hallums
  Executive Customer Assistance Team
  McAfee

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/27/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a subscription from McAfee about a year or more ago. The subscription expired last year and I decided not to renew.
  In the last few weeks, I've been receiving text messages threatening to cut off my phone if I don't remove or delete some things on my phone. I have been cleaning out some old duplicate photos. I removed some emails that I didn't need anymore. These are threats to shut down my phone are still coming. I do not appreciate this kind of business.
  What I want McAfee to do is to fix my phone, at no cost and get out of my phone and system all together. I do not them to contact me or even send anymore ads or promotions. I have another outfit to do the work.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/23/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/11/10) */
  Dear Mr.*******,
  
  My name is *************. I am on the Executive Customer Assistance Team at McAfee. I was not able to reach you by phone or email to discuss your complaint.
  
  I've checked into your McAfee account, and I can confirm that you no longer have an active subscription with McAfee. Your email address has been removed from the McAfee marketing mailing list. We do not currently send marketing notices by text message, so the texts you describe in your complaint may be phishing attempts. You may want to block the number from contacting you. I verified that there have been no account related emails sent to you since February of 2022. If you receive emails that appear to be from McAfee, you can forward them to our team for investigation at ****************
  
  If you have any additional concerns in the future regarding your McAfee account, please feel free to contact me directly at **************** I am available Monday-Friday, from 7am to 4pm Central Time (US). If you would prefer to communicate by email, you may reach me at**************************
  
  Thank you for contacting McAfee.
  
  Sincerely,
  *************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/27/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Today (10/27/2022) at 8:22am, I received an email with the attached invoice for 3 (more) years of some computer security service, and I don't remember every using this service or giving them any credit card information. I called the number and got a person who, after asking for the invoice number, couldn't even tell me the first letter of my last name, and then he hung up on me. I want this subscription ended immediately and the money (if they indeed charged me, I have not yet seen and evidence of this charge) refunded to me. Supposedly, they are going to charge my account today (10/27/2022)
  
  This was the email address it came from : updates <********************
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/10/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/11/02) */
  Hello *********,
  
  My name is Lauren *******. I am on the Executive Customer Assistance Team at McAfee. I want to thank you for working with me regarding your concerns.
  
  To confirm, the email you received did not originate from McAfee, and we suspect it may have been crafted in a phishing attempt. Emails originating from McAfee will come from a sender with a "mcafee.com" domain, and our official support contact information can be found and verified at ****************************
  
  If you have any additional concerns in the future regarding McAfee, please feel free to contact me directly at*************. I am in the office Monday-Friday, from 10am to 7pm Central Time (US).
  
  Thank you,
  Lauren *******
  Executive Customer Assistance Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/24/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  They refuse to allow me to unsubscribe to their emails! It's insane how many emails I receive from them daily but cannot unsubscribe, that should be illegal. Each time you press the unsubscribe button it redirects you to their website to purchase items.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/21/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/11/09) */
  Dear ********,
  
  My name is *************; I am a supervisor on the Executive Customer Assistance Team at McAfee. We have received your complaint and I would like to get in touch with you regarding your issue. I have tried to contact you by phone, but I was not able to reach you.
  
  Please feel free to contact me directly at ************. I am in the office Monday-Friday, from 7am to 4pm Central Standard Time (US). I look forward to assisting you.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************
  Executive Customer Assistance Team
  McAfee