Remote support comes to consumers' aid

(continued from previous page)

Hewlett-Packard, the leading PC maker, began offering remote technical help in September. The application HP now uses to diagnose consumer PC problems was developed and used internally within the company for several years before it was tweaked to help customers, according to Mark Notarainni, HP's director of contract vendor operations for consumer business.

For remote diagnosis, a broadband connection is necessary. HP says 55 percent of its customers have broadband, meaning just more than half of its customers are eligible for remote services.

But there are still some who will be left out in the cold. To ameliorate that situation, Dell plans to offer remote help for dial-up customers next month, said the company's Deering.

While it might seem a natural choice to turn to one's PC maker for assistance, particularly when machines are still under warranty, doing so is not always without its troubles. A recent consumer fraud lawsuit against Dell by the New York attorney general's office, for example, accused the company of forcing customers with paid warranties to navigate "a nightmarish array of obstacles in their quest for service."

Consumers, it seems, have taken note of service options outside their computer's maker. According to NPD, consumer response to its survey about tech support choices shows a preference for personalized attention from neighborhood service providers. Third-party online offerings are a cheaper alternative. Support.com charges between $30 and $100 for tech help for PCs. SupportMinds charges from $15 per service call to $90 for a yearlong service contract. Other online service help desks include PlumChoice and Peak8.

Support.com, which debuted as a direct-to-consumer support service at the beginning of 2006, is owned by SupportSoft, a decade-old company that makes its money selling software tools to the IT departments of large businesses. It recently moved into the lucrative consumer support market with an eye on undercutting prices of the in-home and in-store tech help services.

Of course, privacy and security are obvious concerns for consumers when it comes to allowing a stranger to access a computer desktop. Remote technicians are instructed not to access personal files or documents, and customers are told to close e-mail programs, browser windows and anything they consider private before allowing access. HP, Dell and Support.com all say their services give PC owners complete control to end the remote session at any time while the service is being performed.

But for computer users who want their machine fixed fast, privacy is generally not a primary concern, according to the NPD's Baker.

"First and foremost, the problem people want solved is getting (their PC) up and running again," he said. "If that means giving PC control to someone to fix it, most people are willing to do that."

[tgrenier]

Broken

I just object to that word a bit. How broken can a computer really be if it can be accessed remotely? The word educatioon was not used in the article at all.

Power comes with complexity.

[jevenew]

Remote Support, etc

I agree with the first comment. Consumer education in this era of advancing technology should not end when one learns how to operate the remote or text his buddy.