Windows Live OneCare Cancelling Itself?

How many times have I told you readers: stay away from Microsoft's security product, Windows Live OneCare? Not only has it had poor results in various antivirus comparisons, it's also responsible for changing Windows Update settings upon install, no matter what the user had previously set.

Now it seems like it really doesn't want users anyway. As the opening salvo in one thread in the Microsoft forums said:

I just received an email advising that my account was cancelled ... yet I made no request, and had just renewed it in September ...

Paid for it, but canceled. Right. Most subscription-based products like this, a cancellation would mean no more virus definition updates. Not a good thing for a security product.

Naturally it wasn't just the one user. There are plenty of other users seeing the issue. Besides the moderator trying to calm people down, one of the posts in the thread (toward the end) said:

We are in the process of reaching out to the limited number of subscribers whose accounts have been canceled due to a temporary glitch in our billing system, and will work directly with those effected to correct their account status and address any interruptions in the OneCare service they may have experienced.

Thanks

Kapil Rastogi
Program Manager, Microsoft

As of the end of the thread (at the time of this writing), the issue had not been resolved. And despite assertions the problem was on the server side, many users indicated their OneCare icon in the System Tray had gone red --- if you know anything about OneCare, you know that means you are unprotected.

Once again, why are any of you using OneCare? The results of comparative tests alone should make you want to change. If you aren't tied into a long subscription, I'd recommend you look into a different security solution.

Update: it appears they are looking into "compensation" (meaning likely a token refund). The solution is not finalized but should be soon, so keep checking the thread above.