While I was writing the previous post recommending Registry Mechanic from PC Tools as a way of fixing laptop boot problems I went to the PC Tools website to check the price. I was surprised to find that it was £29.95 whereas I had paid $29.95 for my copy.
After some investigation I discovered that PC Tools had determined that I was in Britain from my IP address and was therefore quoting me the price in pounds rather than in dollars. This would be ok but they don’t convert the dollar price to pounds at any normal exchange rate, they just change the currency code. At current exchange rates PC Tools are charging British customers twice as much as they charge US customers.
Fortunately there is a way around this. If you go through a proxy server like proxify then the PC tools website can’t tell from your IP address that you are in Britain and quotes you the US dollar price of $29.95 instead.
I am happy to pay a fair price for software but I see no reason why I should pay twice as much just because I live in the UK.