Don't get scammed!

Stolen credit card scams are the rip-off du jour among swindlers at eBay these days, and Rosetta Stone shoppers seem to be a favorite target.  Since most of the victims we’ve spoken with had no idea how to spot the warning signs, we felt it was time to add a quick tutorial to our Buying Guide.  What looks like a steal of a deal to many shoppers literally is exactly that .  So how can you protect yourself? Check the seller’s feedback.  We mean really scrutinize it.  (They’re counting on the fact that you won’t investigate thoroughly.)  How long have they been a member?  Did they get their feedback as buyers or sellers?  Now look at the items for which the feedback was left. Did the seller buy a bunch of low-value or "private" items in a short period of time to boost his numbers? Check the feedback of the people who left feedback.  Were they all recently registered? Do they all have little or no feedback themselves?  Are the items for which feedback was left all low value or "private" listings?  If so, you’re probably looking at a ring of User IDs set up exclusively for the purpose of fooling shoppers by artificially inflating feedback. Check the seller’s registration location.  Do you really think some guy in Estonia has found an amazingly inexpensive source for legitimate Rosetta Stone software? Beware of sellers who can’t disclose their whereabouts for “security reasons”. Don’t rely on scanned packing slips to confirm legitimacy.  They’re easy to come by, and the same scan can be used for bogus transactions all over the world since the personal information is blacked out. Watch out for short duration listings.  Scammers rely on speed and stealth to close the deal before they’re discovered. 24 hour listings are not permitted in the software category on eBay, so they'll often list their sets in the Audio Books or Textbooks categories for a quick getaway. Make note of listings that have peculiar phrases or broken English.  Many of these thieves are located in other countries. Be cautious about older User IDs that have been inactive for a long time and suddenly have brand new, unopened Rosetta Stone sets for sale. Dormant User IDs are a favorite (and easy) target for account takeovers by scammers. Most importantly, don’t ignore that inner voice that’s telling you if something seems too good to be true, it probably is! Now back to our regularly scheduled Buying Guide...

So you want to buy the Rosetta Stone^®? 

Great!  This program’s effective, engaging approach has led people all over the world down the path to language learning success.  Naturally you want to find the best deal, and there are some genuine bargains to be had.  Unfortunately, the phenomenal popularity of this software has tempted some less than ethical folks to try to get a piece of the action. Over the past couple of years, we’ve received countless phone calls and e-mails from customers who have either completed transactions or have been involved with “near misses” on deals that turned out to be too good to be true.  Because we openly invite customer contact in all of our listings, they call us to help them figure out what they actually got versus what they thought they were buying, or to find out how to purchase missing pieces, acquire software updates, report piracy, access tech support, and so forth.  We are happy to help in these situations, but it is sad to hear tales of hard earned dollars going down the drain.

We’ve put together the following guidelines as a quick tutorial on shopping for the Rosetta Stone^®.  It is not meant to scare anyone away from purchasing this product from the seller of their choice.  Rather, it is intended to provide customers with the information they need to shop safely and confidently. If you have any lingering questions after reading this, please feel free to call us at 1-800-525-7252, and we’ll be happy to answer them. 

Questions to Ask

Authorized Retailer:  Yes?  No?  Does it matter? 

Buying the Rosetta Stone from an authorized retailer does have its advantages.   But be advised:  Not everyone who claims to be an “authorized” Rosetta Stone dealer really is.  The good news is that this is incredibly easy to check on.  Simply click here and press "send", and we will give you the name, phone number, and extension for the appropriate person to speak with at Rosetta Stone regarding their retailers.  You just call the toll free number, say, “Is so-and-so an authorized Rosetta Stone retailer?” and they can tell you yes or no.  (We will not initiate further contact, and your e-mail address will not be shared with anyone.) 

Here’s another clue:  Authorized retailers must abide by the publisher’s pricing and marketing standards. Those who don’t are cast into outer darkness.  Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but they do have their reseller contracts pulled and all pending orders are cancelled. The promotional pricing you see in our listings are the lowest prices allowed.  The only other incentive authorized retailers are free to offer is free shipping.  If you see other enticements, you’re probably not dealing with an authorized retailer.

Is it the latest release?   

If you purchase the Rosetta Stone from an authorized dealer who has the product shipped to you directly from the publisher’s warehouse, you can be absolutely certain that you will receive a brand new copy of the latest edition.  Micro-revisions are a common occurrence in software development, so this can be an important consideration.

That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with purchasing older versions.  Even early generations of this software were wonderful. But consumers should be informed about where a product fits into the release timeline so they can bid or buy accordingly. 

Is it the Homeschool edition? 

The Homeschool edition is wildly popular among adult non-homeschoolers because you can get more stuff for less money (versus the Personal edition).  The core content is the same in both editions.  There’s nothing juvenile or educratic about the Homeschool edition, so there’s really no drawback to purchasing it for use by an adult.  The Homeschool edition will be identified as such right on the retail box. 

Is the Audio Companion^TM included?  

As of January 1, 2009, all new Rosetta Stone Version 3 sets include the Audio Companion^TM CDs. Older packages that don't include the Audio Companion will probably continue to surface and circulate for some time, so this is an especially important question to ask when comparison shopping.

Is it the new Version 3?  

Version 3 represents a technological breakthrough in language learning.  While updates on previous versions reflected marginal improvements to the software, Version 3 has been completely revamped, and the improvements over Version 2 (Rosetta Stone “Classic”) are phenomenal.  The actual content has also been changed, so the levels are not directly equivalent.

At this time, only Rosetta Stone’s most popular languages are available in Version 3.  The remaining languages are still current in Version 2.  However, some dealers do still have new “old stock” copies of previous versions.  So the fact that it’s new doesn’t mean that it’s current.

If there is any doubt as to which version is being offered, the best way to figure it out is to ask the seller outright.  If they “aren’t sure” they can look at the version number shown on the Application CD.  Obviously, the first number on a Version 3 disc will be “3”, and the first number on a Version 2 disc will be “2”.

We’ve been selling Rosetta Stone for many years, and we’ve seen packaging variations come and go.  If you’re trying to identify a Rosetta Stone product with limited information, give us a call at 1-800-525-7252 and we’ll do what we can to help you out.

Where did you get it?

Product sourcing is naturally a concern in the software market.  Legitimate sellers should be able to give you a straight answer about this without acting like you’re asking them to give away trade secrets.

Does it come in the original, unopened box, and are all the components included?  Has it ever been activated?

Nobody wants to purchase a “new” customer return without understanding what they’re getting.

Will you guarantee this product’s authenticity?

As far as we’re concerned the only acceptable answer to this question is a resounding “Yes!”  Bootlegging is stealing. Do you really want to do business with a thief? Furthermore, do you really want to expose your computer system and sensitive personal information to the viruses, malware, spyware, and corrupt code that can come along with bootlegged software?

If you've already been burned by a bootleg purchase, please consider reporting your experience to Rosetta Stone.  Doing so will help put the bad guys out of business, and submitting the information is very easy.  Simply click on the "Report Piracy" link on Rosetta Stone's Anti-Piracy Page.

How can you sell this "new" software so cheaply?

We sometimes see "new" and supposedly freshly acquired (latest release) Rosetta Stone sets being offered at prices well below dealer cost. Since Rosetta Stone sets can be returned to authorized retailers for a full refund, we can't understand why anyone would go through the hassle of marketing a legitimate recent purchase only to take a substantial loss.  Many of these sets are offered as a third party scam, others may be stolen, as a few of our own customers have had their sets swiped.  Please make sure the product you're purchasing was acquired honestly.  If the listing includes a tale about it being a gift or personal purchase that was never used, check to see if this is the only Rosetta Stone set the seller has offered.  For current listings, just click the "View Seller's Other Items" link next to the User ID.  To search for the seller's completed listings, click the small "Advanced Search" link beside the main eBay search field, then click "By Seller" in the left-hand column, check the box to show completed items, and paste in the User ID.

General Shopping Considerations

Be cautious of listings that come with only the CDs. 

Ask lots of questions.  It is theoretically possible that a seller has lost the packaging and all of the printed materials.  If the seller has sold more than one set of just CDs a little extra investigation is warranted. (Check the seller's completed item sales.)  He should be able to offer a viable and verifiable explanation for how he came to own these stragglers.

Is good feedback enough? 

The eBay feedback system is an excellent means of gauging the integrity of sellers.  We certainly rely on ours to give customers confidence in dealing with us.  But it must be coupled with common sense.  According to the folks we’ve spoken with, many of the problems with their purchases didn’t come to light until weeks or sometimes months after the transaction was completed.  Positive feedback was left for the seller in the first flush of excitement, and only later when they got down to the nitty gritty of trying to activate and use the program, contacting tech support, etc., did they realize that all was not right.

What is the Explorer?

We are shocked at what the Rosetta Stone Explorer has been selling for on eBay lately.  We are even more surprised by what some sellers have claimed as the original retail price on this product.  We carried the Explorer until it was discontinued a several years back.  The retail price was twenty-something dollars (it’s been a long time), and we sold it new for $19.

We have always thought of the Explorer as an extended demo version.  The full Level 1 Version 2 program of Rosetta Stone included 92 chapters of material.  An Explorer edition used to be available for each language that Rosetta Stone offered.  These included the first 22 chapters (approximately 25%) of Level 1, Version 2.  The software was identical as far as function was concerned, but it didn’t come with any of the printed materials.  It was an economical option for users who needed to test the waters before making a long term commitment to language learning.  Obviously, all Explorers are old versions.

What is the PowerPac? 

The Rosetta Stone PowerPac was a combination of seven Explorers (Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese) on a single disc.  It was discontinued at the same time as the Explorer.  The retail price was around $48, and we sold it new for $39

Can the competition be trusted? 

Make no mistake about it. Finders-Keepers is not the only authorized retailer selling Rosetta Stone on eBay.  We enjoy fair, friendly competition with other Rosetta Stone sellers, and feel that the pie is big enough for all the good guys to get a slice.  We just want to make sure customers aren’t left with a bad taste in their mouths.