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General discussion

_Free_ Upgrade To Vista they said... now ~$30!!!

Feb 9, 2007 9:42AM PST

Please ignore if this has been brought up before and you don't wish to read.

I purchased a Fujitsu laptop with XP in Dec 2006 and recently tried to redeem my promised "FREE" upgrade to (the corresponding version of) Vista through Microsoft... and I find out that they want me to pay around US $30!

I have some contacts inside Fujitsu and they said Microsoft is screwing everyone over with their legal agreements and garbage. At least in the Asia-Pacific region (I'm in Australia).

Has anyone else experienced this anywhere?

Discussion is locked

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Microsoft has been up front with charges
Feb 9, 2007 10:32AM PST
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The fine print...
Feb 9, 2007 1:15PM PST

Microsoft has gone further with the legal restrictions in Vista, but the cost is up to each individual manufacturer. Some are offering the upgrade to qualifying users completely free of charge, some for just the cost of shipping and handling, and some for a nominal fee. I know at least one company here in the US is charging in excess of $70 if you want to get the Home Premium edition instead of the 'standard' Home Basic they're offering, whereas most other companies consider Home Premium to be the standard version. This is one of those cases where "FREE" is a relative term, defined by the fine print they hope you don't initially stop to read. If it's any consolation, you're not alone.

John

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Thanks!
Feb 9, 2007 7:10PM PST

It's around AUD 37 the last time I checked. Fujitsu's saying that it's because Microsoft is supplying drivers for the new hardware or something.

Anyway, around USD 30 for Vista Business is reasonable I suppose. However, the retailer and the manufacturer both said it'd be a free upgrade to Vista once it comes. Now the retailer is silent, the manufacturer's blaming Microsoft and I guess it doesn't make a difference really because I'm the one getting screwed over at the end of the day.

Thanks all for the replies!