Hey Pamela,
There is no pro version for CMC. There is just 1 version that is distributed for free. If someone is asking money for the extension, then you have request your money back...
As far the syncing is concerned - how did you came to the conclusion that nothing is synced? The description of the sync feature should say that users will get an email from mailchimp asking them to confirm their subscription. Once they click it, they will be added to the list.
If you want to force your users to join the list (and that is not recommended), you'll need to make a code change that I've described in another forum post.
Cheers,
Daniel