Concept
Costly Patches
InfoTech Governance, Policy, Ethics & Law / Appendix C: Common scenarios
"It is common practice by some software development companies to release defective software to their clients and then charge them to fix the defects that should not be there in the first place. In some cases, the developer becomes aware that all their customers have a potential problem, yet instead of proactively sending out a patch to their customers, they wait for a customer to complain, and then charge them to fix the problem. It is understandable why a developer might want to use a strategy like this, but it is clearly unethical if the software has been sold on the understanding that it is defect free. It is most unlikely that the customer agreed to accept faulty goods that they would be required to pay twice for, or three times if there is a maintenance/support agreement in place."
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