‘People who have bought during Venezuela window crisis, are you still using well? I am still using well’. This post has recently been uploaded to a local internet community.

According to industry sources on February 20, Microsoft (MS) purchase crisis in Venezuela, which has happened on Christmas Eve day last year, ended with a forced refund of all purchased products, but controversy is heating up as there are still some local purchasers, who still could not receive refund.

Information about purchasing Windows 10 operating system (OS) and Microsoft Office for several thousand won was rapidly shared among various internet communities in Korea on December 24, last year. This was because sales system error of MS, which showed wrong price by applying low value Venezuelan money. At the time, ``MS Venezuela`` was on the top of the real-time search query on Korean portal sites. Users, who bought dozens of Windows and Office software (SW) in cheap price, intended to resell them for more expensive price in second hand internet communities.

After Venezuela Microsoft issue, Microsoft said that they would issue a refund within a few days of the onset, sent an email to product buyers saying that they would cancel the license key for that product within 72 hours and customers would be refunded within one week. MS explained that Product sales were for customers residing in the country or region where the service is offered, and if the terms are not followed, the terms of the MS Store will be refused and refunded. At that time, Microsoft Korea also said that all Windows and Office SW purchases of Windows 10 in the MS Store in Venezuela would refunded by invalidating purchased products.

However, some people posted on several Internet communities in Korea, such as Ppomppu and MLB Park that are still using Windows 10 Pro and Office SW purchased from Microsoft Store in Venezuela. One user said, ‘Even though the license key has been invalidated, and recently I erased the program and re-install it again, and now the program operation has no problem. Not only Windows but also MS office has not been refunded’. The other user said that he has received a refund, but the product key is not blocked and he is using it well.

Controversy is expected on unprofessional solution of MS as some users got refunded while others are still using the program even though they bought the program in the same method.

Yoo In Ho-a lawyer of law firm ‘Yooinro’ has filed a civil lawsuit last January on behalf of consumers who bought products at the MS store in Venezuela for personal use. Yoo``s argument is that Microsoft``s terms apply only to purchases of CD packages in the past and cannot be applied to downloading (ESD), so users who purchased the program for personal use should be able to use the product.


A representative of MS Korea stated that ‘As far as we know there are were no special updates regarding lawsuits, and we know that we have refunded the accounts so that it cannot be used at that time. We need additional confirmation regarding the continued use of programs by some users.’


By Lee Gyung Tak kt87@


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