CRAZY: Anyone can get $100 from Microsoft without receipts

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Microsoft settlement pays out to U.S. buyers

By Peter Ahern
RAW STORY CONTRIBUTOR

Anyone willing to state that they purchased Microsoft products in California between1995 and 2001 is eligible for up to $100 in refunds, under a $1.1 billion settlement reached with California.

Given that most users will no longer have proof of purchase of a product they bought eight years ago, or may have moved out of state, Microsoft requires neither receipts nor proof of residency.

Last fall, Microsoft mailed 17 million settlement notices to consumers and businesses. So far fewer than one million have filed claims.

Under terms of the settlement, two thirds of the amount of the settlement left unclaimed will be donated to 4,700 of California's neediest schools, according to Eugene Crew, lead counsel for Townsend and Townsend and Crew LLP, the San Francisco firm that brought the suit nearly four years ago.

The settlement spans the period beginning February 18, 1995 and ending December 15, 2001.The settlement covers Windows and certain Microsoft applications purchased within this time period.

Any end-user claiming up to five copies of qualified Microsoft products and having up to $100.00 in total claims can use a simple one page Standard Claim Form to claim their benefits, and they do not need to provide any additional documents or proof about their software. If the end-user does not live in California, but is willing to state that they did live in California and purchased qualified products in California during the settlements' time frame (listed above), no proof of previous residency is required for claims meeting the above criteria. For any claim of over five products and/or over $100.00, some proof of purchase will be required.

The settlement will be paid in vouchers ranging in value from $5.00 to $29.00 per qualified Microsoft product claimed. Products have been assigned the following values per copy:

Microsoft operating system software (MS-DOS or Windows) $16.00
Microsoft Office $29.00
Microsoft Excel (If purchased separately from office) $26.00
Microsoft Word (If purchased separately from office) $ 5.00
Microsoft Works Suite and/or Home Essentials 97 or 98 $ 5.00