The scandal that is Microsoft’s Windows 7 pricing in the UK

Friday, July 31st, 2009

So, how much bad news can you take in one lump? Because we’ve just received news of Microsoft’s Anytime Upgrade pricing for Windows 7 in the UK, and it makes for about as much jolly reading as a Stephen King novel.

And just to make things even worse, we’ve now had confirmation there will be no Family Pack of Windows 7 until “at least” 2010. So, if the worst comes to the worst, that means it could be 2011. Or later.

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Bargain of the day: Windows Vista Home Basic for £137.01

Friday, June 26th, 2009

While Barry Collins was researching his free upgrades to Windows 7 news story, he stumbled across possibly the most ridiculous offer I’ve ever seen: you, my lucky, lucky friends, can download Windows Vista Home Basic from the Microsoft UK store for £137.01. Excluding VAT.

Now before everyone rushes off to bag this bargain, I should point out that you can also buy Home Premium for £166.37! Obviously excluding VAT again, Microsoft has to make a living you know.

A quick trawl online reveals the going rate for the full version of Vista Home Premium is around £130 inc VAT – and you can buy it for less than £90 inc VAT if you’re willing to opt for the more restricted OEM version, which is tied to the motherboard you first install it on (so if you build a new PC, you’ll have to buy a new copy of Windows).

So, taking away VAT, Microsoft is charging a premium of over £50 if you buy direct from its store. It would be amazing to discover just how many sales it’s made for these two excellent picks, but sadly I don’t think I’m going to get much joy out of Microsoft on that one. My guess? A princely zero.

Tell us your PC repair shop horror stories

Monday, April 6th, 2009

In partnership with Sky News, PC Pro is trying to find the worst PC repair shop in the UK.

For now, we just want to hear about your bad experiences, but please don’t name them for legal reasons – we’ll get in touch with you privately if we decide to follow up your lead.

In particular, we want to know:

- Were you charged for unnecessary repairs?

- Or were you horribly overcharged?

- Did your local repair shop misdiagnose a simple fault?

- Were files missing or deleted from your PC?

You can post a reply below, making sure not to name or identify the shop, and we’ll contact you via the email address you supply.

Alternatively, email me directly: editor at pcpro.co.uk.

Your details won’t be revealed and will be treated in strict confidence.

Standing up to UK rip-off prices

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended is one of the best pieces of software to be released in the past five years. It’s breathed new life into what we thought was a tired product, with excellent features such as embedded video and hassle-free collaboration.

But we’ve decided that it can’t get a PC Pro Recommended award for one simple reason: in the US, it costs $699. In the UK, it costs £619. With VAT, it actually costs £727 – more than the dollar price.

We’re well aware of the arguments given for prices being higher in the UK (and indeed the rest of Europe and Australia) than the US, and these might justify a 20% even 30% price hike. But almost 100%? (more…)