3AppBonus is a SCAM:
Okay get a load of this.
I purchased the HP Elite on 7/27/11. Now we all know that PC’s only come with a trial version of Microsoft office, not a problem at all. I was going to purchase Microsoft Professional (which was around the 400.00 range) however the staff member of Staples tried to save me some money and he said that I should purchase Home and Student 2010 for 149.99 and that Microsoft has a promotion in which you can logon to their site and enter some information and they will give you the additional application, that Home and Student do not have (Access, Outlook, and Publisher) for free. Sounds like a deal right, WRONG.


I purchased the Home and Student Version, installed and they work perfectly. Then I go to this 3 AppBonus site and proceed to input my information which includes providing my city and state to look up my school in order to be verified and receive the 3 bonus apps. Guess what, No Schools are listed to choose from. So I call and the representative said scan your school ID send it in and we will e-mail you back the promotion code in order for you to receive the 3AppBonus. That was done and the promotion code worked so I could download the 3AppBonus. Once the applications were installed I tried to open and use them but that failed. First – when you open the app it ask for the product key (which is the product key that came with my Home and student purchase) and the app accepted it. Next the app opens up and asks for the product key again, I enter it and the app accepts it however the app then displays a message that says “you will have to exit and restart the program”. So I do that except the app ask for the product key again, I go through all the steps just for the cycle to repeat itself.
So I call myphonesupport.com (A partner for Microsoft) for help and the representative tells me I need to call Microsoft directly because if it was a technical issue he could help but instead I was having an application issue. (This didn’t make sense, but I said Okay). He proceeds to give me this number 1-800-642-008. I said there is a number missing. He said in the United States there are six numbers that follow 800 (I did try the 10 digit number for S???? and giggles). I said no there are 7 numbers after the 800. This went back and forth - he was international - however he told me that I did not understand (needless to say outsourcing is a huge problem in our nation). So I Google for an actual and finally get through to Steve S (also international). HE says no problem I will do a remote desktop control and get into your computer to find the problem and correct it. As he randomly clicking on these on my desktop (only once did he click on a MS app –Access- to see that it did ask for the product key he proceeds to tell me that I have installed an app that does not allow my 3 free apps to run. I said okay, but I only installed Skype and a Cannon Scanner). He still says I have installed something that is blocking my apps from running. While he was still on my desktop I showed him that the apps that came with the Home and Student disk worked perfectly, it is only the 3 appbonus that doesn’t work. Long story short he says, “I can fix this for you but you will have to purchase a service plan, 1 year $150, 2 year $299, 3 year $399”. I laughed and told him that this appbonus was a scam to get customers to pay more money to a company who has already cornered the market in software apps. He said you are misunderstanding, I said no I understand completely:
Pay 799 for my PC, 149 for my Home and Student program (which has been used and cannot be returned so I am out of 149), and then pay more money for a service plan that will run out before I actually need to use it.
People this is a scam at its finest I am appealed that a company such as Microsoft would abuse customers, most of which have no choice but use their products, causing them shell out more and more money. I want everyone to know to stay away from the 3AppBonus as it is BOGUS. I am sure some Microsoft employees will reply (under fake names of course) to me saying that there bonus apps worked just fine. Don’t believe it folks, do not give this company more money then you have to, we all work hard for our income and should not be schemed out of money by a company that has more revenue than they need! I plan on sending /posting wherever I can in an attempt to stop customer abuse.
Very Disappointed Customer