Tech Support For Dummies: Worth the Cost?

As a writer and editor for GeekMom, I receive a number of offers to try out different tech support products. I tend to accept many of the anti-virus protection products because my four children are murder on computer operating systems.

So when I received an offer to try out Tech Support For Dummies, I decided it was worth reviewing.

It's not an anti-virus program. Instead, it's an all-over tech support service for what seems to be nearly every electronic device you might have in your home, from computers to televisions to iPods, eReaders and other tech-based products. It includes both hardware and software support.

As a test trial, the company sent me a refurbished Eee PC 1005/1001 Series loaded with Windows 7. The Eee came with a serious glitch that would have to be fixed by calling Tech Support for Dummies.

The problem turned out to be the sound. It worked but not the way it should. When headphones were plugged in, the speakers didn't shut off.

I tasked my eldest son, fifteen, with dealing with this issue. It seemed to me that the service needed to be family friendly to be effective, given how many tech products children now use.

His report:

When I first got the number, I did not get the tech support guy.

I talked to someone who set up my network and I described the problem to him. He put me on hold for about five minutes and connected me to a tech support guy.

I described the problem to tech support. He needed information such as what type of operating system the netbook had, what type of computer that it was, and it's base operating system. Any information I could give him helped. He then told me he could control my computer from where he was after I entered some numbers in my address bar.

He could then see my monitor and control my mouse. [My note: my son thought this part was pretty cool.] After looking at all the programming he saw that something had been left behind when my the netbook had converted to Windows 7. He'd already had a hunch on something like that, which implied he had experience. He then tried reinstalling and ran some tests to see if it worked. It didn't seem to, and he gave me information to make an appointment to call again at my convience.

I was on the phone for an hour. At one point, the line went dead, but the support guy called me right back. About an hour later, after I rebooted the netbook, I realized the problem had been fixed. It was a reliable service, all in all.

I got my problem fixed in an hour by someone who knew what they were doing and I am now satisfied.

My son has less tech knowledge than I do, likely because I'm the one who tries to fix the computers in the house when they experience software issues. If I had made the call, I would have guessed it had something to do with the sound drivers (or whatever they're called) not working properly but I would also have known it's beyond my poor tech foo to fix it.

What my son liked about the support is that he talked to a real person right away and they didn't make him feel like an idiot.

Given the test run, I'd say this is a helpful service and might spare customers a trip to the local computer store or from hours trying to find free fixes online or pleading with friends who are professional supports techs for help. I've done all of those in the past, with varying degrees of success.

The question then becomes if Tech Support For Dummies is worth the price.

It's $14.95 per month or $134.95 per year or $34.95 per each fix. That seemed high to me initially but then I added up what I'd paid to fix my computers in the last year. Three computer repair trips for software issues cost me over $150 and during those repairs, the PCs were not available for us, which meant we all had to share the computers that were left. Not fun, in my house.

So $134.95 a year is actually less than what I spent last year. I concluded that not an unreasonable price, especially given thenumerous products supported.

I asked Lisa Alderson, SVP, Tech Services and Training for 4D Global Partners, just how far the support would go to fix a serious problem with, say, a PC operating system. She said that the service is able to perform diagnostics, remove viruses and even wipe an entire system and reinstall the operating system.

"We actually have software products that assist with this process remotely. Our SMART Support Center -- a software application for our customers -- provides a remote screen sharing tool to enable a certified Tech Support For Dummies expert to securely fix issues remotely, right before the customer's eyes. In addition, we have a product called the Windows 7 Transfer Kit For Dummies. This enables programs and files to be ported from one operating system to another, seamlessly and securely. This can also be used to reimage the computer, with the use of a Window's recovery software. This being said, the computer must clearly be operable (e.g., must be able to power up the system)."

So that means if you can't boot up the computer, they likely can help you but it sounds like they could on nearly every other issue. For me, that means the next time one of my computers catches a virus or glitches for reasons beyond my ability to fix, I will seriously consider the one-time service for $34.95. It's cheaper than the $50 usually charged by my local repair shop and I can make the teenage daughter spend time on the phone fixing it, rather than having to take a huge chunk out of my day trying things that may not work or lugging it to the repair shop.