My antivirus restricts me to one PC – can I get a refund?

QI bought a Norton Internet Security licence for 3 Pcs from an ebay seller for £49.99 and was able to install it on my desktop PC. But a couple of weeks later when I tried to install it on my laptop I found the code wasn’t valid for any further installations. The seller first said the ebay listing should have stated it was for 1 PC. He then changed his tune, saying I couldn’t use it on any computer that wasn’t in my name. I’ve been refused a refund. Can he do this? Samuel Benson

AHe can certainly try, but he’s breaking the law. Samuel is due a refund under the Consumer Rights Act because the software has either been listed incorrectly (and is therefore ‘not as described’), or has a fault limiting it to just one computer (and is therefore ‘not fit for purpose’).

Samuel should use ebay’s Money Back Guarantee ( www.snipca.com/25751) to get a full refund. Alternatively, he could claim damages from the seller and asask for a refund that would be the difference betweebetween the cost of a singleandand trtriple-pc licence.

Ththe seller’s other reason to refuse a refund does raise questiquestions. The retailer told Samuel that “People often mistake ‘3-PC’ to mean they can install it on another person’s computer, but they can’t”. Some people may assume this. But it’s the responsibility of sellers to make this restriction clear by stating that the software is a ‘one-person licence for multiple PCS’, meaning it could be installed only on devices owned by the buyer. The seller in this case didn’t make this clear to Samuel.

It’s important to know which restrictions each antivirus product has, so we’ve contacted the major security companies to ask. We’ll tell you what they said in a forthcoming issue, helping you make a more informed choice when buying antivirus.