Computeractive Reviews 14

I paid for software and never received the software, so I decided to contact their customer service what a joke and a complete waste of time this so called customer service person called CHRIS it is like dealing with a brainless sponge totally and Ottery useless. God help anyone to fall's in the trap buying or think your buying for this store and having to deal with a so called customer service customer joke. I have being subscriber to the computer active magazine for many years and now I have cancelled it I shall never ever deal with them again. I shall also be writing to the editor of the computer active magazine whether that makes any difference remains to be seen.

I have a ComputerActive subscription. Downloaded this app for Android, and also for my Dell laptop. The Android one seems quite small, small on the screen. The laptop has much larger image. Larger, easier to read. Laptop is far better than Android app

I have purchased fortnightly, and subsequently subscribed to, this excellent magazine since the start of its publication.
In May of last year I switched subscription from hard copy to digital, confirmation of which arrived in two letters.
Having downloaded the app, and after having an initial problem, was able to view whatever issue I liked, in any order and at any time.
However, recently I was not able to access any issue beyond Issue 611, 28 July - 10 Aug 2021.
I checked my bank account and found that I had paid my subs up to approximately 21/5/24.
I contacted Magazines Direct (Future Publishing), the publishers of Computeractive, but was told that because my payments had stopped I could no longer access any issue that had not been downloaded, even though I had paid for the hard copy versions.
The stopping of payment of subs seems to have occurred when I switched from hard copy to digital and was because Magazines Direct had not requested payment through the direct debit system that was already set up.
I believe that their policy, of non access to already paid for copies, is in breach of Unfair Terms and Conditions regulations and I am looking to have the issues reinstated or the amount paid between 15/10/21 and 21/11/23 inclusive should be refunded.
Had numerous correspondence with Magazines Direct but keep getting the same old story. I understand that I can't expect to receive issues after a subscription has ceased, obviously, but to have paid for issues inaccessible is wrong.

I have a Digital subscription to Computeractive but cannot access the magazine through the Computeractive app. It states your digital subscription does not include app access. Buy this issue for £2.39.
How am I supposed to access the magazine without paying more than I can buy the magazine from a local supermarket?
Very poor!

I sort help from consumer active about problem TV set and was initially pleased to be contacted and promised help. After months of waiting and empty promises and excuses, I eventually took the company to court over the TV set and won. Then discovered that they had printed my story. To rub salt into the wound, a fortnight later they printed a letter praising the company. I emailed and asked for an apology and explanation, but it appears they have broken their keyboard, or maybe they are watching TV.

Sad to see the comments on here. For many years I have purchased my copy on a regular basis from the supermarket and always found it a great read. I also believe that its recommendations have saved me a lot of money and heartache over the years, hence my 5 star rating.

Purchased avast anti tracker in the dicrition said it worked with Firefox it does not when you click on protect browser in tack you to Firefox add-on page no add on available it can only tell you are being tracked not block on Firefox asked for refund told no. will not use computer active or magazine again gave 1 star because minus 1was not available very poor company do not buy from them the problem with Firefox goes back to 2021

We have been contacted by a representative of this company that claim they are looking to help a consumer. We are an independent business that has been around for over thirty years and does not need to be patronised about trading standards and our terms and conditions of sale.

I completed a digital subscription and paid for it in advance. I cannot login using my customer number via the ipad app to actually view the magazines. For weeks now I have been told that the technical team are fixing it by an overseas help desk and be patient. I had access to allow to a least view them online but this now asks for a customer number which doesn't work. I have again now tried to get in touch by email to find out what is going on which takes ages before any response. REALLY POOR!

20/11/22
Just to be fair I will give an update.
It turns out that a customer number given once I signed in at set up a password on the my magazines web page was not the one I should have been using to view magazines.

I noted another number on a previous email response titled subscription customer number did work. Surely the customer support helpline adviser should be checking what number I have been trying.

I was a regular subscriber of Computer Active magazine for long time. Then when covid hit I stopped. But recently I activated the subscription by seeing the advert of some freebies for new subscription. And since August 2022 I'm still waiting for my freebies. When I ring their customer service they said they lost the details of my freebie due to Computer fault ( lazy people's lame excuses) and asked me to sent the details of my subscription which says I'm entitled for this freebies. Got a reply for that saying 'they are still waiting for the update from relevant department'. So these people are doing misleading advertising in magazines and conning people to buy their magazine materials. I am waiting to forward this matter and these sorts of misleading behaviour to relevant govt departments.

Yet another due to increased costs we have to increase your subscription. Yet I now get each issue after it comes out in the shops, and it has sadly gone down hill. I cancelled my direct debit and phoned them, to say I was cancelling. They then tried to sell me a subscription to The Week and Pc Pro, sadly missing the point, that I am a very longterm customer of Computer Active and the price just keeps going up, so why would I want to pay even more for 2 magazines I have no interest in. It appears loyal customers are taken for granted. I do not like to be pestered to buy magazines that I hadn't enquired about. I wasn't impressed with the quite unfriendly phone staff. I had noticed a very good yearly subscription offer inside the last issue, with free headphones throw in. Only when I entered the offer code on Magazines Direct it wouldn't go any further and when I tried to find Computer Active later, it had vanished completely. So one non exsistant offer. Very disappointed. It was too good to be true. So I guess it's bye bye. 3 stars for the pc mag.

Poor (very poor) customer service. Been a subscriber for many a year but delivery of hard copy has been atrocious for last twelve months. They now no longer state 'get your copy days before publication date' in their marketing add. In fact you'll be lucky to get your copy at all.
Blaming Covid and Royal Mail is no longer an excuse, delivery is now worse than at the height of the pandemic. I wonder if change of publisher ownership has anything to do with it?!!

I recently purchased a win10 pro disc at a discounted price of £48.44 through Computer Active and recommended by the editor Daniel Booth. Computer Active had done a deal through a thoroughly disreputable company called Betterbridge whom I later discovered were given a 80 percent bad review by trust pilot. After loading the disc the alphanumeric code supplied with the disc would not work and I was unable to access my computer which has financial and other files worth many thousands of pounds as well as personal correspondence going back to 1993. When I tried to contact Daniel Booth I was told that he would be back at work on the 4th January 2021. However Mr Booth appears to have gone to ground and refuses to engage with me. I then contacted Betterbridge who claimed it had nothing to do with them because they say that their only part in the transaction was to take the money. They then put me on to the organisation who supplied the disc called Creative Mark . What a parcel of rogues. Creative Mark said it was my own fault because I had put this disc into a computer that already had win 10 installed. How could I have possibly known this to be the case with no instructions supplied. Eventually, after some correspondence has passed between us Chris the boss of Creative Mark announced that I couldn't touch them because his business is based in the USA. What a bunch of shysters and rogues. Does anyone know how to resolve this??? Incidentally, I have purchased copies of computer Active for 20 years since its inception and had no idea how poor their customer service is.

Richard Budniak

Issue 553.stream pc via. PLEX. Try and stream video.The guy who wrote this article does not use it to stream video,but does not say why,because it is a nightmare.Music & pictures stream o.k. but try &stream video!!!! Write an article & tell us how to do it .We have 500 videos and not one would play on this crap app.GO ON TELL US HOW TO DO IT, if not stop publishing rubbish that does not work.This app.has a pay for section,is this the secret ,C.A DO NOT SAY!!!!.GO ON TELL US HOW TO DOWNLOAD VIDEO,WITHOUT CODECS.This article is rubbish,but good for photos.