"Ordered by 800 number. Fast, efficient. Their Web site ordering system was having difficulties the day I ordered but got through right away via their toll-free number. Vio offers free UPS ground shipping on all orders placed through the Web site. I mentioned it was not working and they extended the free shipping to my phone order. Cool!!! And.... they upgraded the free ground shipping to free 2nd-day air UPS. Wow!!!! I'm impressed. This was my first order with this firm. Before using them I searched across the Web and found the vast majority of mentions were positive. Well, I'm adding to the positives. If I need software in the future I will check with Vio first to see if they have the product I need. Having been an on-line buyer since 1996 I have learned how to be a fairly-qualified judge of firms by how they conduct business. From what I have seen with this first transaction with Vio I feel confident in giving them a BIG thumbs up and feel no qualms in recommending them to others."
"PriceGrabber showed Vio with the best deal on Windows XP OEM ($82.99 with free shipping), so I ordered a copy from them. Product was shipped promptly and arrived sooner than expected. I had done business with them once before, four years ago, and they impressed me then. Nothing has changed, I still rate them as excellent.
JB, Washington state"
"I purchased Drive Image 2002 from VioSoftware. It came when it was supposed to, and was in excellent condition. I am very pleased."
"Ordered Norton Ghost 2003, Great price, fast shipping. Great online merchant."
"I purchased Windows XP Pro, OEM, and was impressed with how quickly my order arrived. After two clean reinstallations (and Microsoft.com's suggested patches failed to resolve error messages and shutdowns, I emailed Vio Software on a Saturday to ask if such problems could be related to the software. (I've never had faulty software, and doubted it, but didn't know what else to try.) The Monday following I received an email from Warren Do stating he doubted the software was faulty, but was forwarding a disk copy to rule out that possibility. I don't think I've ever received such quick support turn-around, nor such direct responsiveness to the problem.
I'd already decided VioSoftware would be my first stop for software shopping because of low prices and quick service. I'll even pay VioSoft a buck or two more than someone else is charging for this sort of support."
"They were a great place to do business with. I had got my order way before I thought it would be arriving. Everything was in tip-top condition."
"Purchased Microsoft Office XP Professional. Using multiple search engines, VioSoft had the lowest price & they have excellent packaging and delivery. This was my 2nd purchase from VioSoft and I highly recommend this dealer. Product was professionally packaged, arrived in 3 days and was exactly as advertised.
Highly recommended dealer. "
"excellent prices service and easy to use website. I found the products performed perfectly. This company actually lives up to it's promises and delivers. Can't ask for anything more"
"I really appreciated the professionalism of this reseller. I found service to be good, with prompt delivery of a quality product at a very competitive price. I rate this reseller as excellent. I am very satisfied!"
"VioSoftware is great! I got exactly what I ordered and the delivery was very fast. I will definitely order from them again!"
"Buying with Vio Software worked out very well. Everything went smooth and I was satisfied with the product."
"Ordered Windows 2000 Pro OEM version. Vio's price was competitive ($150), and they guaranteed that the product would be fully legal. It arrived a mere two days after I ordered via Airborne Express, which is the quickest delivery I've ever experienced without paying extra for shipping. The software is as advertised: factory-sealed and containing the hologram license sticker. I'd buy from them again."
"I was extremely disappointed in my VioSoftware purchasing experience.
I ordered Norton Ghost and MSDN Universal 7.0.
They screwed up 2 major things:
1) They never responded to any of my 3 e-mail requests for support, even though they advertise their ability to do e-mail support everywhere.
2) They re-typed my e-mail address wrong in 2 different spots, causing me no end of grief asking for e-mail to be resent to the proper e-mail address (which I typed in just fine when placing my order). I have no idea why they couldn’t cut and paste the e-mail address I sent, therefore avoiding the potential for human error in reading and retyping the address.
Here is my order process in detail:
November 15th:
1) Placed order for Norton Ghost and MSDN Universal 7.0
2) Immediately received confirmation e-mail that my order had been placed (note that at this point they have my correct e-mail address, I never typed the e-mail address in wrong). This e-mail includes the following relevant text:
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*****MSDN Customers: You will receive an email from Vio Software explaining order fulfillment and tracking information within 24-48 hrs.
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November 18th:
I receive Norton Ghost. I never received a tracking number or a notification that it shipped.
November 24th:
I have not heard anything.
I sent a very nice e-mail to ****@**** asking what the heck is going on with my MSDN order.
November 25th:
I have not heard anything.
I sent a very nice e-mail to ****@****.
No response. Ever.
November 27th:
It’s been 12 days. I have not heard anything from VioSoftware since that first e-mail on November 15th.
At this point I’m truly getting worried about what happened to my >$1000 order. I reread the initial e-mail response and realize I should have heard from them within 48 hours of my MSDN order.
I call VioSoftware and they transfer me to Stuart Robertson (apparently, the MSDN guy). He tells me he typed my e-mail address in wrong and that is why I didn’t hear from them within 48 hours. He says Microsoft is really backlogged on getting the MSDN subscriptions out right now. It’s taking up to 10 days. It’s only been 8 business days since my order and Thanksgiving is tomorrow, so I should hear from Microsoft by the middle of next week. I insist that he send the e-mail I should have gotten within 48 hours to my correct e-mail address. That e-mail contains the following relevant text:
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- Timeline: It takes Microsoft up to 10 business days to supply you with confirmation and subscription ID numbers- this comes via e-mail!!!
+ You will need these numbers to log in to the subscriber's website.
- Timeline: It takes Microsoft 10-14 business days to send you the initial media set.
+ Note: It may take longer if Microsoft is backed up with MSDN subscription requests.
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December 4th:
Now that Stuart has my correct e-mail address, I actually get a (mass sent) status e-mail from him regarding the MSDN backorder. I don’t have enough space to list the whole e-mail, so here is a paraphrase:
0) We apologize for Microsoft’s delay.
1) Thanksgiving is part of the reason.
2) The DVD rebate expiring end of December is part of the reason.
3) Microsoft is having significant activation problems right now.
4) We pride ourselves on first-rate service… … “I will release all the activation numbers, subscription ID #'s and shipping confirmations the minute that I get them.”
December 9th:
My MSDN DVDs arrive in the mail as well as my subscription ID.
I send an e-mail directly to Stuart stating the following:
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I have not however received the following:
. A confirmation number and subscription ID numbers via e-mail from Microsoft. Can you verify that they have my correct e-mail address (you have mistyped it at least once in the past)?
. A DVD Rebate form of any type. How do I receive my $300 rebate?
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Stuart never responds to my e-mail.
December 10th:
I get the DVD Rebate form in the mail from Microsoft.
December 15th:
I give up on VioSoftware ever responding to my requests for e-mail support. I think phone support is too inconvenient. I decide to try and use Microsoft’s e-mail support since hopefully the ordering process is far enough along that they can help me now.
Since this reseller ratings entry isn’t relevant to Microsoft, I won’t go into the gory details. Microsoft always responded to my e-mail queries within ~6 hours. They helped me change my e-mail address (Stuart had apparently given them the incorrect e-mail address as well).
Now that I can finally check my MSDN order status from Microsoft, they list the following ship dates:
11/27: Subscription ID
11/28: DVD Roms (~16)
December 17th:
Microsoft support has made everything right, I am now happy that my order is complete.
"
"This is my second order from Vio and I plan to use them in the future. This is one of the few companies that explain the difference between 'retail and OEM' versions of software. Unlike other companies on the web, they follow the rules for OEM purchases. I order a full version of Window XP Home. The first copy came with a small screw. The second came with with a three percent discount and four blank CDs. Shipping is always free and fast. In addition, this is a minority and female owned company. I try to support these types pf companies when I can. The service is great and their prices a low. Perfect success combination."
"My order was handled very promptly. I received Win 2000 Advanced Server with free shipping within a few days. I was very pleased with the service Vio provided. I will defintely purchase from them again."