Letting off Steam?

Published on June 7, 2011 by Marcus Tettmar in General

For the licensing mechanism for our ClipMagic product (ClipMagic is an easy to use Windows Clipboard Extender if you didn’t already know) we adopted a server based activation system. I know that some people have a passionate dislike for software that needs to be activated, but you can’t please everyone. And until now we’ve had no complaints.

Then yesterday we get a ticket with no name and an invalid made-up email address saying simply:

“Unfortunately I purchased your product without realizing it required web authorization. I’ll just use a competing product”.

Now, before I’d seen the email address my immediate reaction was to reply and offer a refund. Perhaps I’m too nice but I don’t see the point in having customers that don’t want to be customers. But then I noticed that if I did reply the email would simply bounce. The “customer” has provided no identifying information at all!

I don’t get it. He says he purchased but doesn’t want it – and won’t activate it. Yet doesn’t want me to know who he/she is and isn’t asking for a refund. So why bother emailing me? Letting off steam perhaps. But it seems odd that there was no request for a refund.

I’ll file it away in our “Strange Emails” category.