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I am sure that sellers of security software start out with good intentions, but according to the 11th-century Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, "Hell is full of good intentions". In which case I damn McAfee to go burn in hell.

Let me tell you why. It takes one click to get involved with the McAfee buying process, thanks to the simple 'buy now' button on the home page of the company's website. As soon as you sign up for its protection racket, you get a friendly confirmation email and a printable receipt that offers "a full refund if your request is within the first 30 days of purchase". Fair enough. But what it should also say is: "By the way, schmuck, we're going to filch 50 quid a year from you for the rest of your miserable life, because we've got your credit card details so you can't stop us."

All in the small print

McAfee began automatically renewing customer accounts as far back as 2001, and over the past year, rival bloodsuckers such as Symantec and Microsoft's new Windows Live OneCare package have joined in. There is small print tucked away on obscure webpages, but the security vendors are relying on the fact that buyers are too browbeaten or ignorant to question the sign-up process. And don't forget that a huge number of sign-ups are derived from the ubiquitous practice of pre-installing security software. In other words, the buyer

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has no choice over which security package they use.

I don't consider myself either browbeaten or ignorant, which is why I am particularly angry about McAfee. When I signed up, I was fully aware of its automatic renewal practice, and there's a little note on my wall-calendar reminding me to cancel my annual subscription before it runs out next month. But McAfee has not waited 12 months before sneaking into my bank account and stealing its blackmail renewal money. The bastards have fleeced me with 30 days still to run.

I check with my bank to confirm that there are no direct debits or standing orders in McAfee's favour. There's none. I demand that my bank refunds the unauthorised debit. It is powerless to do so. I consult Sharkey, my contract lawyer, who growls that McAfee sells a 'subscription', which must be cancelled in writing before it can cease.

Click and miss

So I go back to the McAfee website, with its one-click 'buy now' button, to cancel my subscription. There is no one-click button to cancel. There is nothing in any of the menus to suggest that cancellation is an option. In fact, there is nothing on the entire site that allows me even to think about cancelling.

I hit the bulletin boards, where armies of other victims are suffering the same experience. A completely different website is cited, called mcafeehelp.com, where Document ID:5213 will explain everything to me. Hey! This is where McAfee displays the small print about automatic renewals. Ho! Here's a link for cancellation. Ha! It directs me to a customer service page where I am asked to give my language and location. Hrumph! When I do this I am told I can email someone about something some time, but the estimated wait to join the queue is probably two days.

And that, dear reader, is why I am about to chalk a pentagram and light the black candles. Hell will soon receive some new guests - about 30 days early by my reckoning.