Consumer 10.0: A crash course in finding computer help

Last week, I told you about Jim Wellen, a Voorhees consultant with a computer problem - persistent crashes of Internet Explorer - that he took to Office Depot for repair.

Several weeks and $170 later, Wellen still had the same computer problem. But when he demanded his money back, Office Depot insisted on keeping $49 as a "nonrefundable diagnostic charge," despite the ineffective diagnosis and nonexistent fix.

The situation raised other issues for Wellen, who was especially irked that he'd been lured to Office Depot by its offer of a "free PC checkup." Wellen says it seemed like a classic bait-and-switch - an allegation disputed by Office Depot, which says a computer checkup and diagnosis are two entirely different things.

But Wellen's problems with his computer - and difficulties getting them fixed - are hardly unusual. Joel Entler of West Chester called last week to tell a similar tale of frustration with Staples, albeit with a happier ending. After $250 in fees and several tries, Staples' techs rid his computer of the viruses that had infected it.

Experiences such as Wellen's and Entler's raise a broader question: Once a computer's warranty has expired, where should you turn to solve a problem? Here are some basic tips and caveats.

Find your inner geek. A vast amount of information is available online for those confident enough to dig in and address problems themselves. A typical search may lead you to a site such as www.answers.microsoft.com, where you'll find suggestions from others who have conquered a problem before you.

Independent websites abound, too, as well as those centered on particular kinds of software or shareware.

Return to the source. If you want help or hand-holding, one place to start is your computer or software manufacturer. Even past warranty, it may be possible to get free help, or at least affordable support, from these companies - the folks who, frankly, should know the most about your problem and might even be partly to blame.

Mac users often swear by Apple's Genius Bar, where an in-store appointment can get you 10 or 15 minutes' free attention, which is often plenty to address a simple problem.

If you use a PC that runs with one of Microsoft's operating systems, such as XP or Vista, one of your first stops should be http://support.microsoft.com/.

Many visitors will find solace there in the discovery that their problems are among the "top issues." Wellen, for instance, would have found "Internet Explorer freezes or crashes" listed prominently on the site's menus.

So how would Microsoft have solved his problem?

One way would have been via a free Microsoft Fix-It download, which the site says will "automatically diagnose and identify browser add-ons that may cause Internet Explorer to become unstable, to crash, or to stop responding." Add-ons such as "toolbars" and "assistants," sometimes little more than spyware, are the source of many malfunctions.

"With one click of a button, a Fix-It can diagnose and repair your problems," says Microsoft's Frank Fellows

Still too hands-on? Microsoft also would have offered remote tech support for $59.

Fellows says that price is problem-specific and that other issues may cost more to address. But he says customers get a price before service begins and won't be charged till the problem is solved and the case is closed.

Watch the fine print. Services from Office Depot or Staples, or similar support from Best Buy's Geek Squad, offer familiarity and a comforting mix of in-store, at-home, and Internet-based technical support. Geek Squad recently won top marks in a small comparison by Laptop magazine, tested against iYogi and Support.com.

But, as Wellen learned, pricing for these services can be tricky.

Geek Squad, owned by Best Buy, says prices for an online "live agent" start at $49.99. For virus and spyware removal, prices start at $150 online and rise to $300 for at-home services.

And if it doesn't work?

"If there's any problem with the service, they'll work with you to remedy the problem at no additional cost, within a 30-day period," says Best Buy spokeswoman Christina Graham.

Another approach, taken by companies such as India's iYogi, is to charge a flat fee for unlimited online support. Promoted by Amazon and Wal-Mart, iYogi costs $169 for a yearlong subscription.

Want a better deal? Subscribe to the magazine Smart Computing for $29 a year and you'll get online tech support for just $29 per incident. It's not 24/7, so it's not a solution to every problem. But editor Joshua Gulick says the magazine "takes the money only after it's solved."

Go local. Even when most computers are assembled in Asia and sold at cut-rate prices online or at big-box stores, it's good to recall that some old-fashioned geeks are still in business and thriving.

Chestnut Hill's Chapline Computers has been assembling custom computers from high-quality, interchangeable parts since the mid-1980s. Now, much of its business comes from service work, performed on-site or at its Germantown Avenue store and occasionally by remote control, says owner Philip Chapline.

Many neighborhoods still have similar stores, which have survived because they help bridge the huge gap between computer users' needs and their knowledge.

A recent comparison by Consumers Checkbook (www.checkbook.org) gave top marks to Chapline and five other stores in the area: A&A Computers in Trevose; Comp Solutions in Clayton; Jem Computers in Elkins Park; Mindy International Computers in Abington; and Motto Computer in Wilmington. Eight more won high ratings for quality but not price.

Maybe it's time to give old geeks a chance.