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Bad Software is a book about getting your money's
worth when you buy computer software. We wrote it to help you
get a refund, support, or compensation for significant losses
caused by defective software. Bad Software will help you explore
your legal rights. We spend more time suggesting ways to negotiate
with publishers than sue them, but if they won't play fair, you
can make them wish that they had.
Computers outsold television sets in 1994, marking them as a true consumer product. By 1996, 35% of American households had computers. By the end of 1995, computers and software ranked #8 in the Top 10 list for complaints to the Better Business Bureau, outdoing used car dealers. As sales increased, complaints increased. In 1996, computer-related complaints rose to #7 on the list.
Software publishing is a business, a large, important industry in the United States. Like other businesses, software publishers make trade-offs between your satisfaction and their costs. Unfortunately, software is also mysterious to the non-expert. It's easy for a software seller or support technician to tell you that you've misused the program, or that the problem is that there's something wrong with your frammistan (a mythical device that unscrupulous car mechanics would charge customers hundreds of dollars to repair.) Some people are getting badly ripped off, and it's not doing the industry or the customers any good.
If you buy bad software, this book will help you get the support you need for it, or a refund, or additional money to repay you for losses that this product cost you (such as trashing your hard disk).