I started using PlayOn Desktop in fall of 2017. I like the program, when it's working. I realize that the services we are recording from make changes that makes the PlayOn developers play a game of whack-a-mole. That is not my complaint. My complaint is:
When there is an issue, they tend to blame the end user. "It's your fault," then they release an update that fixes the problem, but don't have the spine to admit it was their fault.
Recently, as far back of June of this year [2020], a new issue started. I saw an error message after starting PlayOn that said auto-updates failed, then it crashed. Auto-updates? In the nearly three years I have been using it, I never saw anything about auto-updates. I certainly don't remember allowing them when installing the application. So, I tried to restart the app but the service failed to start. I then checked the PlayOn release notes webpage, and conveniently, an update had just been released that day. I installed it, problem solved. I then checked the settings, no mention of auto-updates. One month later it happened again. This time when I tried to restart the service I noticed it said the MediaMallServer.exe file was missing. Missing? How can that be? I checked, and sure enough, it was GONE. PlayOn deleted the file. I checked and again, conveniently, an update had just been released that day. I installed it. Nearly a month later it happened again. So I contacted support and was told "It's your fault." Specifically Bill said, "It's likely this issue is being caused by this PC's security software blocking PlayOn." Naturally. It's always the end users problem. However, I don't have any security software installed. I use the firewall that comes with Windows, and it wasn't blocking anything to do with PlayOn. I had also made a post at Reddit about it [https://www.reddit.com/r/PlayOn/comments/i3s9ga/disappearing_mediamallserverexe...⇄ and Thesandman21 PlayOn Support Tech decided it wasn't any security software, it was the anti-virus software I DO NOT have installed. It's clear the PlayOn mantra is, Always. Blame. The. End. User.
I ended up locking the MediaMallServer.exe file. Twice since 8/9/2020, this happened again, but they were unable to delete the file so I was able to restart the server and use the software I paid for. Today, 8/14/2020, it happened again but this time, since the MediaMallServer.exe file is locked, they deleted the PlayOn.exe file. Fortunately, I had just made a backup of all the files the day before and I just copied the file into the MediaMall directory.
I told Bill, Trevor, as well as PlayOn's CEO Jeff Lawrence, and it's COO Tracy Burman, that as I have explained, PlayOn is deleting files and causing the program to become inoperable. If it continues, I'll contact an attorney and file complaints with the attorney general offices in my state, the states of NY and WA, the FBI's cyber division, the FTC and whatever legal authority necessary in Denmark and/or European Union. Perhaps what is needed is a class action.
Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted] , and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because: [Your Answer Here] I have an email where I went on the site to reset tge the password the day after I purchased itThen I tried several times myself to fix itIt was hard to find how to contact tgemI eventually found out how to contact them from the siteLike I mentioned before there is not a telephone number of which people can call themI feel also th that if a customer has proof to which they have been responding with a company and cannot get a product that was bought to work, that company should do all they can to resolve the issueLike now, I have tried everything that this company has stated to get their software to work and the software still will not workSo my next suggestion would be for that company since they now have my contact number to your site to go ahead and call the customer personally says that customer cannot call them because there is no contact number for customer service representative to be reached from their site or logging on to play on through their little screen to contact them at a phone numberan .like I mentioned before every time I have contacted this company, I have to wait to get a response back from them or the next daya I am too busy to sit at my computer and wait on an email response and this is the only form of communication that the company has In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above Sincerely, [redacted] ***
Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved Sincerely, [redacted] ***
Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted] , and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because: [Your Answer Here] [redacted] , On [redacted] March 2014, your company and I entered into a verbal contractYour company stated that if I purchased an updated license, I would be reimbursed for my original license purchase on ** January “I am happy to assist you todayYou purchased a lifetime PlayOn plan with HDThe only way to take advantage of bundled discounts is to purchase PlayOn and PlayLater togetherWe have processed a full refund for your purchaseThis refund should post to your account in a few business daysYoucan now purchase a new bundled plan.” (Email message from Playon Support (Skip) dated [redacted] March 2014) I fulfilled my part by purchasing the updated licenses as agreed on ** March “Thank you for your order of PlayOn and PlayLater with HDYour account has been billed $The details of your purchase are shown below....” (Email message from Playon Support dated [redacted] March 2014) I have asked for and received a complete refund for my second purchase, as I am not happy with the way your company is handling this issue, first by not providing adequate support in getting this issued solved, and second because your company refused to provide any contact information for anyone outside of your tech support department The lack of support I received from your company was a major factor in my choice to no longer do business with you If I purchased your software, and while mailing you a check, that payment got lost in the mail, would you be fighting with the post office to locate your payment, or would you hold me responsible for the money I owe for your services? You would hold me liable for the money and you should because the fight would be between the post office and myself, just as this fight is between you and Bank of America As of today I have not received the reimbursement to fulfill your end of our verbal contractAs far as I am concerned, until the reimbursed amount is in my hands, you are in breach of contractYou can blame Bank of America all you want, but it is not their responsibility to ensure I receive my reimbursement; it is your responsibility I have talked to several managers at Bank of America, all of who I gave this ARN number to and they all state this transaction is not in their systemIf you feel Bank of America is wrong, then you should agree the the conference call with them and prove your pointI don't know how the system works, I can only go off of what Bank of America is telling me This is no different than if I were to provide you a UPS tracking number for my lost payment for you to track, only to have the post office tell you they have no record of this number in their systemThen repeatedly tell you to call the post office every time you contact me to seek helpThis is what your company is doing to me and this is why I am holding your company liable for the reimbursement Once again, I am not asking you for more money; I'm not trying to con you out of money; I'm simply asking that you fulfill your end of our contract by participating in tracking down this missing moneyHowever if you don’t want to provide this level of professional service for your client, then maybe you should just send another refund, but this time to an account that is not closed, or mail a check to my home addressBecause I am not going to forget and just go away In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above Sincerely, [redacted]
The customer's refund request is in our refund processing escalation queue, as we already informed him via our support desk He requested the refund just days ago This was a remarkably premature Revdex.com filing We always process our refunds I have no idea why he felt it was necessary to report this to the Revdex.com He should exercise just a modicum of patience before making threats
This customer has shown a pattern of abusive and insulting language and therefore has dropped in the queue to respond to Additionally, her diagnostic logs show that her PC CPU is maxed out at 100%, leaving little or no processing power for our product, PlayOn, to perform it's necessary functions As we indicated on previous responses to her previous complaints, her [redacted] feed/history speak quite well to her behavior and tone We don't support customers who use abusive and insulting languageAs can be seen here: [redacted]
Revdex.com: It appears that I have misunderstood the email from them on so I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved Sincerely, [redacted] ***
Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted] , and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because: [Your Answer Here] 1) Your original claim stated the following: "the developer...now wants me to pay more money...to provide the same content that it was before." I again ask you...what content did we provide before that you now claim we want to charge you more for? It is a completely statement.SD and HD CONTENT are the same, their only difference is bitrateNetflix provides me with varying bitrates of HD content based on my network connection, the CONTENT is the sameThis is NOT a statement, sorry 2) According to the Web Archive, on the date you purchased (July [redacted] 2011), the PlayOn purchase page stated the following description for the lifetime/one-time purchase It clearly states that patches and bug fixes are included for the life of the product It says nothing about new products we sell in the future You are entitled to, and have been provided with these patches and bug fixes This does not include the PlayOn HD addon product The fact of the matter is that choosing the lifetime/one-time option just means you pay once (versus monthly or annualy) to access the product It speaks nothing of future products or features "Fixed one-time costNo annual feesYour license is valid for the life of the product While your license is valid, you will receive all patches and bug fixes for PlayOn Premium." I have no doubt that the fine print is and was worded carefully to absolve yourselves of these complaints, that's what companies doI maintain that images, verbage throughout the site and other web elements that were designed to sell the product were vague on purpose, largely to deceive people into buying the product only to switch them and/or bait them into more 'products' from MediamallI was and will continue to contend that I and others were led to believe that things like updating code to handle HD content are not NEW PRODUCTS, but rather fixes/updates to handle the SAME CONTENT on the SAME PRODUCT we purchased a lifetime license for In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above Sincerely, [redacted]
1) Your original claim stated the following: "the developer...now wants me to pay more money...to provide the same content that it was before." I again ask you...what content did we provide before that you now claim we want to charge you more for? It is a completely false statement. 2) According to the Web Archive, on the date you purchased (July ***2011), the PlayOn purchase page stated the following description for the lifetime/one-time purchase. It clearly states that patches and bug fixes are included for the life of the product. It says nothing about new products we sell in the future. You are entitled to, and have been provided with these patches and bug fixes. This does not include the PlayOn HD addon product. The fact of the matter is that choosing the lifetime/one-time option just means you pay once (versus monthly or annualy) to access the product. It speaks nothing of future products or features. "Fixed one-time cost. No annual fees. Your license is valid for the life of the product. While your license is valid, you will receive all patches and bug fixes for PlayOn Premium."
Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted] , and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because: The response from (no name provided) still has not addressed all of my complaintNone of my questions on twitter were ever replied to (even though they claim they were) but worse is that they still have not answered my questions about why hulu and showtime still do not work properlyThere are also MULTIPLE issues with several other channels and they still have my money! They claim they've answered all my emails and even attached ONE that they replied to but are deliberately ignoring the rest of my questionsI PAID for their service and I expect ALL of my questions answered within hoursThey may have an A rating with the Revdex.com but repeatedly ignoring my questions after happily accepting my money is NOT acceptable customer serviceNot even providing their name to this complaint is also unacceptable! Why are they hiding behind my money?? The leadership of this business does not even bother to provide customer service either because apparently they also do not appreciate their customers In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above Sincerely, [redacted] ***
When there is an issue, they tend to blame the end user. "It's your fault," then they release an update that fixes the problem, but don't have the spine to admit it was their fault.
Recently, as far back of June of this year [2020], a new issue started. I saw an error message after starting PlayOn that said auto-updates failed, then it crashed. Auto-updates? In the nearly three years I have been using it, I never saw anything about auto-updates. I certainly don't remember allowing them when installing the application. So, I tried to restart the app but the service failed to start. I then checked the PlayOn release notes webpage, and conveniently, an update had just been released that day. I installed it, problem solved. I then checked the settings, no mention of auto-updates. One month later it happened again. This time when I tried to restart the service I noticed it said the MediaMallServer.exe file was missing. Missing? How can that be? I checked, and sure enough, it was GONE. PlayOn deleted the file. I checked and again, conveniently, an update had just been released that day. I installed it. Nearly a month later it happened again. So I contacted support and was told "It's your fault." Specifically Bill said, "It's likely this issue is being caused by this PC's security software blocking PlayOn." Naturally. It's always the end users problem. However, I don't have any security software installed. I use the firewall that comes with Windows, and it wasn't blocking anything to do with PlayOn. I had also made a post at Reddit about it [https://www.reddit.com/r/PlayOn/comments/i3s9ga/disappearing_mediamallserverexe...⇄ and Thesandman21 PlayOn Support Tech decided it wasn't any security software, it was the anti-virus software I DO NOT have installed. It's clear the PlayOn mantra is, Always. Blame. The. End. User.
I ended up locking the MediaMallServer.exe file. Twice since 8/9/2020, this happened again, but they were unable to delete the file so I was able to restart the server and use the software I paid for. Today, 8/14/2020, it happened again but this time, since the MediaMallServer.exe file is locked, they deleted the PlayOn.exe file. Fortunately, I had just made a backup of all the files the day before and I just copied the file into the MediaMall directory.
I told Bill, Trevor, as well as PlayOn's CEO Jeff Lawrence, and it's COO Tracy Burman, that as I have explained, PlayOn is deleting files and causing the program to become inoperable. If it continues, I'll contact an attorney and file complaints with the attorney general offices in my state, the states of NY and WA, the FBI's cyber division, the FTC and whatever legal authority necessary in Denmark and/or European Union. Perhaps what is needed is a class action.
Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted] , and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because: [Your Answer Here] I have an email where I went on the site to reset tge the password the day after I purchased itThen I tried several times myself to fix itIt was hard to find how to contact tgemI eventually found out how to contact them from the siteLike I mentioned before there is not a telephone number of which people can call themI feel also th that if a customer has proof to which they have been responding with a company and cannot get a product that was bought to work, that company should do all they can to resolve the issueLike now, I have tried everything that this company has stated to get their software to work and the software still will not workSo my next suggestion would be for that company since they now have my contact number to your site to go ahead and call the customer personally says that customer cannot call them because there is no contact number for customer service representative to be reached from their site or logging on to play on through their little screen to contact them at a phone numberan .like I mentioned before every time I have contacted this company, I have to wait to get a response back from them or the next daya I am too busy to sit at my computer and wait on an email response and this is the only form of communication that the company has In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above Sincerely, [redacted] ***
Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved Sincerely, [redacted] ***
Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted] , and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because: [Your Answer Here] [redacted] , On [redacted] March 2014, your company and I entered into a verbal contractYour company stated that if I purchased an updated license, I would be reimbursed for my original license purchase on ** January “I am happy to assist you todayYou purchased a lifetime PlayOn plan with HDThe only way to take advantage of bundled discounts is to purchase PlayOn and PlayLater togetherWe have processed a full refund for your purchaseThis refund should post to your account in a few business daysYoucan now purchase a new bundled plan.” (Email message from Playon Support (Skip) dated [redacted] March 2014) I fulfilled my part by purchasing the updated licenses as agreed on ** March “Thank you for your order of PlayOn and PlayLater with HDYour account has been billed $The details of your purchase are shown below....” (Email message from Playon Support dated [redacted] March 2014) I have asked for and received a complete refund for my second purchase, as I am not happy with the way your company is handling this issue, first by not providing adequate support in getting this issued solved, and second because your company refused to provide any contact information for anyone outside of your tech support department The lack of support I received from your company was a major factor in my choice to no longer do business with you If I purchased your software, and while mailing you a check, that payment got lost in the mail, would you be fighting with the post office to locate your payment, or would you hold me responsible for the money I owe for your services? You would hold me liable for the money and you should because the fight would be between the post office and myself, just as this fight is between you and Bank of America As of today I have not received the reimbursement to fulfill your end of our verbal contractAs far as I am concerned, until the reimbursed amount is in my hands, you are in breach of contractYou can blame Bank of America all you want, but it is not their responsibility to ensure I receive my reimbursement; it is your responsibility I have talked to several managers at Bank of America, all of who I gave this ARN number to and they all state this transaction is not in their systemIf you feel Bank of America is wrong, then you should agree the the conference call with them and prove your pointI don't know how the system works, I can only go off of what Bank of America is telling me This is no different than if I were to provide you a UPS tracking number for my lost payment for you to track, only to have the post office tell you they have no record of this number in their systemThen repeatedly tell you to call the post office every time you contact me to seek helpThis is what your company is doing to me and this is why I am holding your company liable for the reimbursement Once again, I am not asking you for more money; I'm not trying to con you out of money; I'm simply asking that you fulfill your end of our contract by participating in tracking down this missing moneyHowever if you don’t want to provide this level of professional service for your client, then maybe you should just send another refund, but this time to an account that is not closed, or mail a check to my home addressBecause I am not going to forget and just go away In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above Sincerely, [redacted]
The customer's refund request is in our refund processing escalation queue, as we already informed him via our support desk He requested the refund just days ago This was a remarkably premature Revdex.com filing We always process our refunds I have no idea why he felt it was necessary to report this to the Revdex.com He should exercise just a modicum of patience before making threats
This customer has shown a pattern of abusive and insulting language and therefore has dropped in the queue to respond to Additionally, her diagnostic logs show that her PC CPU is maxed out at 100%, leaving little or no processing power for our product, PlayOn, to perform it's necessary functions As we indicated on previous responses to her previous complaints, her [redacted] feed/history speak quite well to her behavior and tone We don't support customers who use abusive and insulting languageAs can be seen here: [redacted]
Revdex.com: It appears that I have misunderstood the email from them on so I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved Sincerely, [redacted] ***
Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted] , and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because: [Your Answer Here] 1) Your original claim stated the following: "the developer...now wants me to pay more money...to provide the same content that it was before." I again ask you...what content did we provide before that you now claim we want to charge you more for? It is a completely statement.SD and HD CONTENT are the same, their only difference is bitrateNetflix provides me with varying bitrates of HD content based on my network connection, the CONTENT is the sameThis is NOT a statement, sorry 2) According to the Web Archive, on the date you purchased (July [redacted] 2011), the PlayOn purchase page stated the following description for the lifetime/one-time purchase It clearly states that patches and bug fixes are included for the life of the product It says nothing about new products we sell in the future You are entitled to, and have been provided with these patches and bug fixes This does not include the PlayOn HD addon product The fact of the matter is that choosing the lifetime/one-time option just means you pay once (versus monthly or annualy) to access the product It speaks nothing of future products or features "Fixed one-time costNo annual feesYour license is valid for the life of the product While your license is valid, you will receive all patches and bug fixes for PlayOn Premium." I have no doubt that the fine print is and was worded carefully to absolve yourselves of these complaints, that's what companies doI maintain that images, verbage throughout the site and other web elements that were designed to sell the product were vague on purpose, largely to deceive people into buying the product only to switch them and/or bait them into more 'products' from MediamallI was and will continue to contend that I and others were led to believe that things like updating code to handle HD content are not NEW PRODUCTS, but rather fixes/updates to handle the SAME CONTENT on the SAME PRODUCT we purchased a lifetime license for In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above Sincerely, [redacted]
1) Your original claim stated the following: "the developer...now wants me to pay more money...to provide the same content that it was before." I again ask you...what content did we provide before that you now claim we want to charge you more for? It is a completely false statement. 2) According to the Web Archive, on the date you purchased (July ***2011), the PlayOn purchase page stated the following description for the lifetime/one-time purchase. It clearly states that patches and bug fixes are included for the life of the product. It says nothing about new products we sell in the future. You are entitled to, and have been provided with these patches and bug fixes. This does not include the PlayOn HD addon product. The fact of the matter is that choosing the lifetime/one-time option just means you pay once (versus monthly or annualy) to access the product. It speaks nothing of future products or features. "Fixed one-time cost. No annual fees. Your license is valid for the life of the product. While your license is valid, you will receive all patches and bug fixes for PlayOn Premium."
Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted] , and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because: The response from (no name provided) still has not addressed all of my complaintNone of my questions on twitter were ever replied to (even though they claim they were) but worse is that they still have not answered my questions about why hulu and showtime still do not work properlyThere are also MULTIPLE issues with several other channels and they still have my money! They claim they've answered all my emails and even attached ONE that they replied to but are deliberately ignoring the rest of my questionsI PAID for their service and I expect ALL of my questions answered within hoursThey may have an A rating with the Revdex.com but repeatedly ignoring my questions after happily accepting my money is NOT acceptable customer serviceNot even providing their name to this complaint is also unacceptable! Why are they hiding behind my money?? The leadership of this business does not even bother to provide customer service either because apparently they also do not appreciate their customers In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above Sincerely, [redacted] ***