An Unexpected Discovery: My Late Grandfather’s Computer Experience

While clearing out my late grandfather’s possessions, I was confronted with a startling reality that many others may also face when dealing with aging technology. His computer, despite decent specifications, was an absolute snail. This prompted me to investigate further.

Upon opening the Task Manager, it quickly became apparent that AVG, an antivirus software, was monopolizing a significant amount of processing power without delivering any discernible benefits. Numerous processes were stubbornly running in the background, some of which I couldn’t terminate or prevent from starting up on boot. It felt as if AVG had taken it upon itself to cripple the system’s performance.

As I sifted through his emails in an effort to cancel unnecessary subscriptions, I found messages from AVG that were downright infuriating. They stated, “We’ve noticed your computer is very slow. Subscribe to AVG TuneUp for £45 a year, and we’ll optimize your computer’s performance.” To me, this was a transparent attempt to upsell a service, essentially suggesting that they would reduce the impact of their own resource-hogging software.

My grandfather was also subscribed to several AVG services: AVG Security, AVG TuneUp, AVG VPN (which he likely never utilized), and even AVG Driver Update. The latter caught me off guard—who charges extra for driver updates in this digital age? It’s baffling that users must pay additionally just to keep their hardware running smoothly.

To add insult to injury, he had been using the AVG Secure Browser, which was consuming an outrageous amount of resources. When I attempted to browse the internet via Chrome and Edge, both browsers redirected me to AVG’s messaging, warning that these alternatives were unsafe and urging a switch to their Secure Browser to avoid potential threats.

Honestly, it was infuriating. My grandfather, an elderly gentleman with limited computer skills, simply wanted to enjoy some sports and read about military history online. Instead, he fell victim to a labyrinth of subscriptions totaling over £120 (nearly $150 USD) for services that did little more than degrade his computer’s performance, all while pressuring him to purchase more products. If someone had knocked on his door and ripped him off for that amount, it would be considered fraud. Yet here we are, accepting it under the guise of a respectable brand.

This experience underscored the importance of scrutinizing digital subscriptions and understanding the technology we use. If we wouldn’t tolerate such treatment in person, we should certainly challenge