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Get a gift--and a tech support headache
December 23, 2004 -
Growing pains hit Dell's customer service
February 20, 2004
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subscription plans are available that include unlimited online support as well as antivirus and antispyware software.
Services such as Plumchoice and Geek Squad are thriving as PC vendors scale down their warranties. This gives the vendors and their retail partners an opportunity to lower the overall cost of a PC and sell profitable extended warranties, said Sam Bhavnani, principal analyst with Current Analysis.
Savvy customers know from their television and vacuum cleaner purchases that extended warranties are usually not worth the extra expense. But PCs are far more complicated beasts that can be rendered inoperable by a virus even if the hardware covered under those warranties works as designed.
The warranty "opportunity"
Vendors are realizing they can make money offering premium services through their own programs. Dell, which has been knocked over the past few years for its customer service, now offers extended at-home and online services through its Dell On-Call services, said Lou Mabley, senior manager for Dell On-Call services.
Dell launched Dell On-Call last November to help customers with problems such as virus removal and networking for $49 in the first 30 days with a new PC. The service can be extended beyond 30 days for an additional fee.
Dell is also experimenting with a remote service called Tech Connect, which it rolled out to its Dell On-Call technicians, Mabley said. Consumers have access to in-home support through the service, as well as under certain warranties.
Hewlett-Packard offers a metered calling card service called Smart Friend, which allows customers to call with security or networking questions, said Brent Potts, director of support planning and infrastructure. Smart Friend is similar to Dell On-Call in that it is designed to handle inquires beyond basic troubleshooting such as how to hook up peripheral devices to a PC, he said.
HP also unveiled its PC Tuneup service at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show along with Smart Friend. PC Tuneup involves having a technician talk the customer through a series of tasks such as antivirus updates and the clean-up of temporary Internet files.
The need for PC support services is expected to grow as consumers hook up more devices to the PC and software takes on more roles, Geek Squad's Stephens said. Even though PC vendors are working to make business PCs more manageable, complexity in the home PC means more business for services like the Geek Squad.
But for many people, local service technicians remain the most accessible means of PC support. Timothy Lugosi has been running Pasadena Computer Works for more than five years, providing support services to Southern California residents. Most of his business involves repairing the damage caused by viruses, or setting up home wireless networks, he said. He charges about $75 an hour or flat rates for certain common jobs, depending on the customer's needs.
When services such as Geek Squad started moving into Southern California, Lugosi was nervous at first. But many of his customers have been turned off by the "big box" approach that he says Geek Squad and other large vendors take to PC support, and are looking for a more personal touch.
However, those big companies have their sights locked on the premium services market, since hardware margins show no signs of expanding, IDC analyst Healey said. As the technology behind remote services improves, PC vendors are likely to find services just as important as, and far more profitable than, their main business, he said.
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technician, Best Buy Co. Inc., antivirus software, agent, house
How do you "re-stock" a defective machine? And if they are restocking defective machines, are those problems now becoming the burden of the new owners?
Before things get bad enough for a "law" to be created, the industry should come up with a minimum ethical code of conduct. Sager's present "warrenty" allows them to take up to 1 year and 72 hours before they are required to return a "fixed" defective machine to the owner. It is a very one sided contract, leaving the owner with virtually no rights at all.
Maybe a solution is for manufacturers to sell all products "as-is" and let the new third party service companies take on the task of all their support. That way the burden of warrenty work would be removed from companies that OEM their product line and sell them with very misleading "warrenties".
You could "buy" a warrenty from any of several companies as an option, just like the option of a 60 gig drive or an 80 gig. Allowing a company like Sager to legally take up to one year and seventy two hours to fix a defective computer leaves the owner of said machine with no other options.
However, many big box retailers have moved to restocking fees for high-end consumer electronics that are non-defective and not in the original, SEALED packaging. Examples include most computers, digital cameras, and high-end TV's like Plasmas, LCDs, and large projection models. The reasoning for this is that under law they can't sell the product as new, and they have to sell the item as an open box item or a refurbished item. The markdowns for these range anywhere from 10-30% generally, and makes the company lose money because the markup on many of these items are kept low to compete with the dotcoms or rival local retailers. Big ticket items usually are sold at insanely low prices in the hopes that the consumer will not shop around for the accessories to go along with that big item, leaving the opportunity for tacking on those expensive, high-margin add-ons such as extended warranties, cables, and installation services. The consumer electronics industry is not the only marketplace guilty of this practice as this mode of business is capitalism at its finest.
My suggestion, don't shop with price as the only guide to your purchase. Make sure to read all of the fine print (by law they have to provide it to you, but only by request) before you make your purchase. Do not (and I stress this emphatically) go off of what the salesperson may tell you about a warranty or return policy as their interpretation may be skewed to the point to where their statement is untrue. In the high-turnover retail market, an "honest mistake" by the sales staff at the time of sale will be usurped by what is in writing, especially if he won't fess up to his mistake (or is no longer there to do so).
If you did read it then why did you accept it?
Of course your lame argument does not take into consideration that joe user cant use Linux because its for computer geeks....and if he/she can they cant run half the software that Windows can.
That being said, Windows still has a number of fundamental design problems which add the maintainence complexity of PC's for home users, they seem to have made an effort to alleviate some of this in the recent versions of the product (Adding easy to use security, backup, monitoring and maintainence tools) they still have a ways to go (probably a brand spanking new from scratch code base at some point in the future), there's also a lot of blame to be laid at the feet of the Windows ISV community since poor quality application software also causes a ton of support headaches.
For myself I'd take a BSD or Linux box for my use over a Windows box 7 days of the week, however for the "average" home user this really hasn't become a viable option *yet*, just too steep a learning curve (That many users don't want to bother with, they just want their PC to do what they want/need it to with as little *hassle* as possible and in most cases the solution for that is going to be Windows).
But the stock answer is "but it shouldn't be this hard, it should be simple"! Well, sorry, this is life. Fixing my transmission shouldn't be that expensive but it is and I can't do it myself, so I need to pay a professional.
The sad fact is that by the time I am called, it is too late and only a complete reinstall will do. Not only is this the best way to fix the problem(s), but is also the most efficient use of my time. Hey, you're paying by the hour...
So can the average user simply buy another computer cheaper then repairing it? Sometimes. Can the average user reinstall the OS? For the most part yes, and quite easily. Most modern machines come with a reinstall disk; drop it in, come back in a while, and it is exactly like when you bought it.
Are they getting what they pay a repair tech for?
I usually charge 20 - 25 on top of the hardware for upgrades or repairs. since It doesn't take a long time for me to do it.
But considering I can get a knowledgeable "English is my first language" technician on the line quickly, it's a bargain compaired to the service I get these days from my "major PC manufacturer".
Their once upon a time "award winning" customer service sucks by comparison. By the time their techs answer the phone, I've forgotten why I called, and I can't understand a word they say in any event.
I work for a university and support faculty from 150 countries across the globe. I've probably heard English speech with an accent from everywhere on the damn planet. And guess what? I can understand every last one of them. The difference? I'm open-minded and "I try to understand them". I don't pre-judge them, their competancy or their skills, simply because they don't sound like I do when I speak.
Some Americans roll their "Rs" or speak with a Southern drawl. Some Europeans talk with a Scottish accent. I don't hear people complaining about that.
Stop taking cheap shots at people who don't speak English. Try opening up your mind, slowing down and thinking about what people are saying. You'd be surprised how easy it is to understand someone who's trying to help you out.
purchased even a PDA that low. But, if I did, I would consider that
com (it does not deserve the second and third syllables) disposable.
This article reminds me that I need to buy Apple Care for my
current PowerBook G4 in July. If I don't have a MacBook Pro by
then. And, yes, an Apple warranty is worth the cost.
With a blatant plug for the "geek squad", this article is more about how costs have increased (though ownership of PCs has also increased) than the decrease in quality and reliability of computers and their OS in general. Whether Xp (home) or OS X, the operating systems are now more problematic and bloated. Computing companies have become control freaks.
I'll fessup and stae that I consult and support a number of computer owners that don't have time for the issues at hand. I drive to their site (or home) and limit their downtime to a few hours (not days or weeks). I was charging a modest fee until I saw how places like BB (Geeksquad) were charging $250 to remove a virus (and plug their wares, contract and other BB material). Sorry, but anyone that works for BB as a GeekSquad is not that bright. If they were, they would be independent and not a tool for a big box like Best Buy (Gee, if I am charging you $250/hr...and I am like, getting only $12 of that...do the math!)
And this is not just with MS software/hardware but also with macs. The latest crop of ibooks, powerbooks, G5s, emacs, imacs are far cheaper made, yet still priced more than they should be. And their failure rates are up 100% over the last 4 years. Check the mac news sites. For such a small percentage of the market, Apple does well to protect their "problems" with buy a new one. Makes more cost effectiveness. Why spend more than what a new system is worth? (chahing, we got ya)
And the Applestore pushes Applecare, .mac and ProCare...rather than fixing the problem: poor quality control and "looks over function" design.
And Why do you have to buy an extended warranty on something that is costing you a $1000 already (sorry buy a new mac mini $599, plus display, keyboard, mouse, UPS, software upgrades...is around a grand). Because they want you to and they know that n percent of customers will NEVER need it. So fork over another $170-300 for 3 years (really 3 years of phone support and only 2 more years of hardware support...and you better have backups of you important files because they aren't liable).
Pleas don't take this as a slap at Apple or MS. instead, take it as a wakeup notice that computers are in themselves, a market. And a money pit, by design.
never heard of the paragraph to repair my computer. I think the
absence of basic skills is evidence a person has not acquired more
advanced skills.
haven't a clue about the functions inside the box. Notonly do they
not have a clue, they don't really want a clue. They want the Geek
Squad, in one form or another, to solve their problems for them.
For people like this, service plans are the only answer. Expensive?
Sure, but still worth it.
The more tasks something can do, the more complex the item becomes. With a PC, which can do almost a limitness number of things, there is an equally limitness number of things that can go wrong.
If you want simple, reliable PCs, use a specialized appliance for each of the PC functions you use. There are pieces of software which dedicate a PC to one task (such as browing the web), if you so prefer.
If you want one PC to do all of these computing tasks, it just won't be as easy to use or as reliable as a typical appliance.
Heck, even cell phones have become vastly more complicated, as they incorporate song playing, photo taking, message sending, and other capabilities. And the more complex models are far less reliable than the simpler models.
So, versitility breeds some measure of unreliability. It's a fact of life. I think PCs are amazingly reliable, given the incredible number of things they do.
I agree they aren't anywhere near as reliable as, say, a TV. I also agree there are many ways the simplicity and reliability can be improved, but PCs work quite well 99% of the time.
When PC's first came out, the "geeks" fixed their own PC's. Now the general population has PC's, and the "geeks" opened PC-repair shops.
Same ole deal. What's so revolutionary or newsie about it?
No, I place the blame squarely where it belongs: DELL, for going cheap on support. DELL IS ROTTEN.
If a person whose second language is English is taught how to bypass a culture gap and can learn the language good enough that his accent is better understood (Dell giving thier employees free lessons or support material for this would help) then the understanding issue would be easier to resolve.
Think about it people, the more you practice something, the better you get at it and the easier it is to do.
Blame Dell for giving their tech support keyword systems to follow in order to help a customer.
Independent consultants have the knowledge and experience to fix the problem without wiping your drive. And if it does need wiped, we'll backup your files and settings and restore those at no additional cost. Don't take it to the big name places, use the little guy and you'll get a quality job.
* install a software backup agent on your home machine(s)
* backup agent makes an initial full backup of your system (which is stores in a secure data center), and walks the user thru creating a bare metal restore CD Image
* backup agent then makes scheduled incremental backups
If you ever need to restore your system from scratch, pop the CD in, choose what date you want to restore the system state to (and which user data you want restored), walk away and come back later and voila, PC restored. Seems to me if you could have the backup agent check & clean for virus and spyware prior to backing stuff up it would end up saving end users a ton of money in support costs.
When we do back up their drive, we do a complete image and keep it for no less than 14 days, but generally a month.
Many of the big box stores as well as Dell, HP and others take the approach of "get er' done" ASAP and move on to the next one. We spend time with the customer to find out what their needs are and how they use their computer so we can provide a custom solution.
It is the same for tech support. Most people know how to use a computer. Just like most of us know how to drive. Some users of computers can install a program. Or install memory. Just like some of us can change our own oil. Or change our own alternator. But when it comes to the real work, reloading an operating system (not from those lame CDs which just pack all the useless junk back on the computer) or replacing a primary hard drive, they should leave it to the pros. Just like you would leave changing an engine or transmission in your car to a pro. Kudos to those that can put up with users of that caliber. I was never good at it. I always used to get complaints from users because I made them feel stupid. My response was, "Well, if the shoe fits..." So, you want help? Pay for it.
Now, as far as being able to understand them, I am in full agreement with many. Most people from India cannot speak english to save their lives. Their accents make a technical problem far worse. Not only is the user already frustrated, but not being able to understand the person on the other end of the phone makes the problem worse. Dell, for example, has a service where you can pay just a little more and actually get a person on the phone that not only lives in the USA, but has actually spoken english since birth. Many liberal silly people on these boards like to claim that it shouldn't matter whether english is their first or second language. And my reason for saying that is a load of hogwash is not racially motivated. It is a simple matter of psychology. When a person is already frustrated (as many non-technical people are when their mystery toy/tool lets them down), the last thing they want to do is repeat themselves or have to ask the person on the phone to repeat themselves over and over again as is often the case. Until those in India undergo language naturalization training, they shouldn't be allowed near the phone. If you want to avoid it, pay the little extra and speak to a real english speaker in the good old US of A. You won't be sorry.
The average consumer is responsible for many of their own tech support issues, simply because they refuse to practice some simple and well publicized best practices for it's use and maintenance.
We now return to our regularly scheduled session of drive by malware downloads (just make sure and click right on thru all those warning dialogs without reading 'em K?) :)
99% of all computer problems are not hardware anyway, and if users really knew that the insides of their computer were color coded and had picture how to's on the inner cover, they wouldnt pay for some other monkey with a tie to reconnect thier mouse.
My biggest beef with retail is the prepackaged OS. Everyday users pay for something, which they probably don't even know drives up the price of thier new cpu. Most every day users don't even know they have a choice. I would like to see the Best Buy's (mainstream retailers) of the world offer alternatives, such as hardware systems only. Purchase everything Al'carte, and stop waisting money on things that average consumers don't even know they don't need (such as the 300$ extended warranty no part of a PC costs more than 150$ to replace)
- FIXING Computers Remotely.???
- by rjward22 November 1, 2006 5:13 AM PST
- Speaking of all this, what is some of the most popular 'Remote Access' software available? Simple...Ease of use..No download to remote needed..PcAnywhere? Ultra-VNC? Radmin? Go To Assist?
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