license / purchase questions

[Indy]

1) Are 'new' old lifetime lincenses still valid?  I've seen conflicting info.  if I purchase a legitimate lifetime license (from several years ago before the change) are they accepted?

 

2) I've seen several references to only purchase from the website or official resellers.  Where can I find a list of official resellers?

 

Thanks,

David

 

[daledoc1]

Hello and , @Indy:

 

 

1) Well, the answer depends.  A valid, legal, lifetime, consumer, 1-PC license that was purchased either directly from the Malwarebytes online store or from  a trusted reseller -- Yes, such a license will always be honored and valid, as a lifetime, 1-PC, consumer license. 

If you install MBAM and successfully activate it with such a license, with no errors, then it should be fine.

Licenses that were purchased elsewhere, especially online and AFTER Malwarebytes moved to a subscription licensing model in March 2014 -- It depends, as there were both legal licenses and illegal licenses sold.

 

It would help if you could tell us:

WHEN did you purchase the license(s)?

WHERE did you purchase the license(s)?

Do you have the documentation?

 

2) I'm not sure about that one.  I've never seen a formal list, so I don't know if there is such a list.  I always buy my software/licenses directly from the software publisher.  Newegg and Amazon are often mentioned as good sources; but there have been a few problems reported even with licenses purchased from Amazon (especially "Marketplace").  Rule of thumb: "caveat emptor" and, if the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  This is especially so for "lifetime" licenses sold after March 2014 (could be legit or not) or for ANY "multi-PC" lifetime license (definitely fake, no matter the source or the date of purchase).  Always keep a "paper trail".

 

>>If you have a question about any of your licenses, the best bet might be to log a ticket with Support HERE.  They can assist you with verifying the authenticity/validity of the licenses and with sorting out any problems.

 

Thanks,

[Porthos]

Where can I find a list of official resellers?

 

There is no actual list anywhere. If the price is too much lower than standard it will most likely be counterfeit.

 

 

https://store.malwarebytes.org/342/purl-consumer?x-source=website

 

Direct link to the MBAM store.

 

if I purchase a legitimate lifetime license (from several years ago before the change) are they accepted?

 

If it was purchased "back then" from a official source then yes it is good for only ONE Computer at a time.

 

 

DD beat me to it and wrote a book about as usual.

[Indy]

Thanks for the feedback - here is more information.

 

I haven't bought it yet.  (FYI, I already own 3 lifetime licenses purchased years ago, am trying to pick another one up.  I've heard/seen/understand the reasoning behind the new licensing scheme but it boils down to the fact that I won't do subscriptions - personal choice.)

 

I found a seller that has what appear to be 'new' legitimate licenses (based on feedback) from 2012/2013 but I've seen mentions in this forum of problems activating the licenses.

 

Regarding resellers - it seems a little disingenuous to chastise people to only use official resllers but then provide no way to find/verify them.

 

Thanks for your help.

David

[daledoc1]

Thanks for the feedback - here is more information.

 

I haven't bought it yet.  (FYI, I already own 3 lifetime licenses purchased years ago, am trying to pick another one up.  I've heard/seen/understand the reasoning behind the new licensing scheme but it boils down to the fact that I won't do subscriptions - personal choice.)

 

I found a seller that has what appear to be 'new' legitimate licenses (based on feedback) from 2012/2013 but I've seen mentions in this forum of problems activating the licenses.

If it's ebay, then the official recommendation is: NO. That has always been the case.  See here.

If it's elsewhere, then "buyer beware" -- most legitimate resellers sold out their remaining stock of "lifetime" licenses long ago.

Anything being offered on the internet these days would be suspect.

Historically and to this day, Malwarebytes Corporation has repeatedly gone "above and beyond" on behalf of their customers, especially during periods of licensing model transition.

However, subscription licensing began in March 2014 and there were many opportunities to purchase extra lifetime licenses back then.

I understand that circumstances change and one cannot always predict when one might buy a new computer.

But, at some point, there just aren't any valid, lifetime licenses left for purchase.

As nearly 20 months have passed since then, I would be very, very wary of any such offering now.

 

(Reminder: Any valid lifetime, 1-PC license can be easily transferred to another computer in the same household.)

 

Regarding resellers - it seems a little disingenuous to chastise people to only use official resllers but then provide no way to find/verify them.

Neither @Porthos nor I am a Malwarebytes employee.

So we have no control over official policies.

Having said that, I am not personally aware of any software publisher who could possibly maintain a current, accurate list of resellers.

It would not be feasible.

If the buyer wishes to purchase a software license (or any product or commodity) from a 3rd-party source, then the buyer needs to exercise due caution.

The safest bet is generally to buy a software license directly from the software publisher; and I say that as just another home user entirely unaffiliated with Malwarebytes or any other company.

 

Bottom line:

 

If you plan to buy a 1-PC lifetime license somewhere, I would be VERY skeptical and I would be sure to keep a robust paper trail.  If you have problems with the license, you may have trouble getting a refund and getting it sorted out, even though Malwarebytes is committed to making things "right" for their customers.

 

If you find an offer somewhere on the internet, you are welcome to post back here with the details.  Perhaps a Malwarebytes staff member can research it and determine its validity.

 

I would NOT buy any sort of "multi-PC" LIFETIME license, as there never was such a product and it is 100% guaranteed to be fake.

 

Thanks again,

[Porthos]

I found a seller that has what appear to be 'new' legitimate licenses (based on feedback) from 2012/2013 but I've seen mentions in this forum of problems activating the licenses.

 

Of course in 2012/2013 they had good feedback. Until the last major upgrade to mbam even the counterfeit ones worked till they were found and blacklisted. Malwarebytes has finally improved there license protection technology in the last version.

[daledoc1]

Of course in 2012/2013 they had good feedback. Until the last major upgrade to mbam even the counterfeit ones worked till they were found and blacklisted. Malwarebytes has finally improved there license protection technology in the last version.

 

Excellent point, @Porthos.

[Indy]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.   The feedback i mentioned was recent but am well aware it could be fake.

 

So I'll try a different approach - does anyone know of an official reseller with remaining old stock (that has the lifetime license).  I am willing to pay a premium price for one of them.

 

Thanks,

David

[Firefox]

Bottom line:

 

If you plan to buy a 1-PC lifetime license somewhere, I would be VERY skeptical and I would be sure to keep a robust paper trail.  If you have problems with the license, you may have trouble getting a refund and getting it sorted out, even though Malwarebytes is committed to making things "right" for their customers.

 

If you find an offer somewhere on the internet, you are welcome to post back here with the details.  Perhaps a Malwarebytes staff member can research it and determine its validity.

 

I would NOT buy any sort of "multi-PC" LIFETIME license, as there never was such a product and it is 100% guaranteed to be fake.

 

Thanks again,

I think that pretty much covers it...

I would have to say, that there are no longer any lifetime licenses left out there to buy. If you find one, more than likely its not legit.

[CWEric]

I had a bad experience buying a lifetime licence on Amazon that stop working even though I don't recall them mentioning the key was provided by a 3rd party, just sold by Malwarebytes distributed by Amazon. Amazon refunded the money 6 months later after purchase and Malwarebytes gave me an annual licence replacement. My lesson is no 3rd party is completely safe.

[Maurice Naggar]

Just so you know, Malwarebytes has never distributed nor sold thru Amazon.   period.