Happy Days

Shekhar Kammula’s Happy Days videos are now available. Check out some of them below

Andhravilas returned my money

If you scroll down and read my earlier post, you will realize that I talked about a scam called Andhravilas. I paid a very small sum of $4 to watch their movies but had to face a lot of frustration since they never replied to my emails. I was facing technical difficulties on the site and my computer is no dinosaur.

I opened a case with Paypal (since I made the payment through them), and asked Andhravilas if they had permission from the movie producers to broadcast their movies on the website. I also told them very frankly that I won’t hesitate to file a claim with the Federal Trade Commission. I would have actually contacted the FBI’s computer crime cell and the Anti-piracy cell in Hyderabd and reported them for unauthorized broadcasting of movies but they decided that it was smarter to return my money. I’m not going to have a big party with that money but when I have the time, I will surely follow up on this issue and see what I can do to stop their shady affairs.

Andhravilas is a sham

For a lot of NRI’s living outside the country, its a boon to have websites that offer music, videos and bunch of other stuff that bring back memories of their homeland. Andhravilas-dot-com started as one such site. Catering to the needs of Andhrites, they started playing movies for ‘Donated Members’. Basically, they tell you that they are offering a Paypal donation link ‘based on popular demand’. They accept donations of $4 (175 rupees approx) and above. Once you donate, your account is automatically upgraded and you can view the movies as long as you have Real Player installed on your computer.

The problem starts if you begin seeing error messages. Don’t expect a reply from them even if you send a hundred emails to customer support. Since the payment through Paypal was not a payment but a donation link, I’m not sure if they will return the money. Anyway, the summary of this experience is that Andhravilas is a sham. Don’t lose your money to them. Also, I doubt if they have permission from the movie producers to broadcast the movies on their site.