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Microsoft blunders, others suffer

The eligibilty requirements on Office 2007 retail boxes are wrong.

Microsoft blunders, others suffer

The upgrade information on Office 2007 retail boxes is wrong.

Before you buy an Office 2007 upgrade, you need to check your upgrade entitlement carefully because the information written on the side of the box is wrong!

On the side of an Office 2007 upgrade pack it says (according to Microsoft):

The enclosed program will search your hard disk to confirm your eligibility for this upgrade. The software will install only if you are a licensed user of one of the following products:

  Microsoft(R) Works 6.0 – 10

  Microsoft Works Suite 2000 – 2006 or later

  Any 2000 – 2007 Office program or suite

  Any Microsoft Office XP Suite

 

Unfortunately that information is wrong, the statement ‘All Office XP editions’ is incorrect.  The ‘Office XP Student and Teacher edition’ does not entitle the owner to upgrade pricing.  This has always been the case with the low-priced ‘Student and Teacher’ (now ‘Home and Student’) editions – one of the limitations is the restriction on upgrade price eligibility.

There’s also an incomplete comment in the Microsoft statement which we’ll cover a little later in this issue.

But the retail boxes are out there and Microsoft is basically washing their hands of their mistake and leaving it to retailers and customers to sort it out.

Aside from a Knowledge Base article, we’ve not seen any attempt by Microsoft to repair their error.  

It’s the same old story, Microsoft makes a mistake and instead of taking responsibility for their error, the company makes others, including customers, deal with the consequences. 

It’s also ironic that Microsoft itself is caught in their own tangled web of Office products.   If you ever feel confused about all the different permutations of Microsoft Office, reassure yourself that even the massed minds at Microsoft can’t keep a track of it all!

Office 2003 Student & Teacher is eligible

One interesting point is that the Office 2003 Student and Teachers edition CAN be used to qualify for upgrade pricing to any Office 2007 bundle (except the Office 2007 Home and Student edition which has no upgrade discount).

What about Office 2007 single programs?

Looking at the Microsoft list of Office 2007 upgrade requirements, the upgradeable programs have been amended for the applicable Office 2007 bundles:

Microsoft Works 6.0-10; Microsoft Works suite 2000-2006 or later; any 2000-2007 Microsoft Office program or suite; any Microsoft Office XP suite except Office XP Student and Teacher.

But the upgrade requirements for some single products still remain unchanged:

“Microsoft Word 2000-2002; Microsoft Office Word 2003; Microsoft Works 6.0-10; Microsoft Works Suite 2000-2006 or later; any 2000-2007 Microsoft Office suite; any Microsoft Office XP suite. 

Does this mean that ‘Office XP Student and Teacher edition’ can be used to qualify for upgrade pricing on some single Office 2007 products or just another oversight?

On the web

Amazon, BestBuy and Staples sell the update versions of Office 2007 on their web sites but, curiously, don’t list the eligible products for the upgrade discount.  That may be a deliberate omission or they are just wary about what Microsoft is saying.

In store

We’ve done an, admittedly informal, check of some major computer retailers in various countries to see what customers are told by sales staff.  When asked about upgrade entitlement, the staff invariably refers to the Office 2007 retail box.  When asked specifically about upgrade from Office XP Student and Teacher edition – all the sales staff use the information on the retail box to confirm that all Office XP editions are eligible for an upgrade.

Not that we blame retailers or their staff for this – they rely on the information provided by Microsoft, as do customers.   We’ve not seen any real effort by Microsoft to alleviate confusion.  If notices have been sent to retailers they have been well hidden.   There’s no talk of supplying, say, amendment stickers to apply to retail boxes.

What can you do?

If you purchase an Office 2007 upgrade and find it won’t install because of the presence of the Office XP Student and Teacher edition – you have some choices.

There’s the Microsoft suggestion – which is to get/buy a qualifying product, install it and then install Office 2007 upgrade again.

In other words, Microsoft’s fix for THEIR error is to suggest that the customer buy more Microsoft products.  Talk about a self-serving suggestion and a creative way to further boost Microsoft revenue.

Of course there are other possibilities:

  • It is quite possible that you have another qualifying upgrade product hiding on your shelves.  The most likely candidate is one we’ve mentioned many times before – Microsoft Works.  Works is often included with new computers and just as often ignored in favor of MS Office.  If you dig around in the stuff that came with past computers you may well find a copy.

  • Or check out garage/boot sales, markets etc for a copy of MS Works which may be available for a very small price.

Get a refund

The other possibility is not mentioned by Microsoft at all but certainly should be available to you – ask for a refund.   Print out a copy of the Microsoft Knowledge Base article, take that plus the complete Office 2007 package and receipt back to the retailer. 

Use the KB article to show that Microsoft has falsely promoted their product and you want a full refund on the basis of that misrepresentation. 

Keep in mind that the retailer is probably unaware of the problem and was relying on the same information from Microsoft as you did – in other words they are a victim of Microsoft’s action too.  Despite the common ‘no refund on software’ policy, we believe you are well within your rights to demand a full refund, since the product won’t install in accordance with the written advice from Microsoft on the product purchased.   Be prepared for some resistance, be polite but stand your ground.

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