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Hello:
I recently saw an ad from Bleeping Computer for MS Office Professional for $40. at
https://deals.bleepingcomputer.com/sales/microsoft-office-professional-plus-2021-for-windows
I think these offers are usually fake or pirated copies, but I also thought Bleeping Computer is a reliable source. What’s the catch here, and does anybody know anything about this offer?
Thanks for any info !
These MS Office offers frequently show up on the deals site that I follow. They appear to be unused or ‘misappropriated’ licenses from large volume enterprise purchases that have been sold to various resellers for re-sale at these cheap prices.
Some people who have bought these licenses say they have had no problems with the purchase transaction, the downloading, the installation, and the activation of the software, and are continuing to use the software without problems.
Others have had a similar experience except that after some period of time their activation is terminated by Microsoft as an invalid license. Ironically, some of these folks are irate that Microsoft would do such a thing.
Others have had all sorts of problems from never being able to successfully complete the purchase transaction, or download the software, or activate the software, or get a refund.
Caveat emptor.
I immediately thought it looked “sketchy”, but when clicked the link, it took me to a site powered by “StackCommerce” (scroll to the very bottom of the page).
I have bought items in the past from Ghacks Deals, and another “StackCommerce” affiliate, and they were legit. https://www.stackcommerce.com/
But this deal somehow looks “too-good-to-be-true”. Caveat emptor… 🙂
Windows 10 Pro 22H2
Usually, the license is valid, but only for the region/use for which it was intended. Microsoft can, at it’s discretion, invalidate the license. The seller isn’t supposed to offer those licenses for sale in the US consumer market, for example.
Sort of a gray area that MS seems to tolerate for the most part although every now and then they do stomp on one of those sellers. Talk to any legitimate retailer or computer reseller and they’ll have very strong opinions.
If MS is making a product available at a discount, they generally let you know about it through press releases or retailers. Otherwise, buyer beware especially if the seller is outside your country. On the other hand, you may never have a problem with activation, but I wouldn’t bet on it unless told otherwise by a MS employee.
Does it pass the sniff test? If you think it smells off, it’s probably gone bad.
The fact that you asked here was an indicator.
Just FYI:
Found a thread on the MS Office Forum regarding a somewhat similar offer for a “discounted” MS Office Professional 2021, with a response from a Microsoft Agent/Moderator. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/legit-microsoft-office-professional-2021-for/9e0483f1-c45d-4460-9dff-2bd5f760024d
“Thanks for posting in the community.
For now, it seems I can’t access the link you provided, it displays the error 403 Forbidden on my side. I assume they sell a Microsoft Office product with a very cheap price and I found some similar threads. If so, I don’t suggest you buy it. It should be a volume licence version and should not sell for a personal user. Also, even you can use it to activate Office, it may be disabled afterwards.”
Windows 10 Pro 22H2
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