The Computer (12/7/2004)

I love and hate my personal computer. I love that I can instantly communicate, conduct research on the Internet, create documents and spreadsheets, and manage all sorts of information. But I hate it when error messages suddenly pop up, the screen goes blank or freezes, and especially when I've followed all the complex instructions to fix a problem but only made it worse. We depend on our computers. We are constantly pushed to conduct business online. Call just about any organization, government office, or company, and most likely a recorded message will tell you to contact them online.

Four years ago I went to a Gateway store to buy a computer because I could talk to real people and test the equipment. I bought a lifetime service contract from Gateway so I could call anytime for help. For two years Gateway's service was excellent. I called the help line and got a real person, in this country, who understood the problem and patiently and correctly in English talked me through the steps to fix it. I also had good help from my Internet service provider AOL and my Norton Internet Security technicians. But for the last two years all three companies' technicians have been more frustrating than helpful.

Now if you call, you're usually put on hold for up to an hour or even disconnected while waiting. When you finally talk to someone, you get a routine apology; then the advice you get can make things worse. Recently with a Gateway technician, I cautiously repeated back all the steps he gave me and got assurance they would fix my computer. You probably guessed it - following his advice created more problems. After I calmed down, I called Gateway again, only to have another technician give me completely different instructions about the original problem. A third techie said to completely uninstall everything, lose my data, and then reinstall everything. After I wrote to Gateway to complain, a pleasant customer service representative actually called me; she commiserated with my frustration, got me a rebate, and then told me Gateway was laying off many of their customer service people at their headquarters.

AOL and Norton service has also been incompetent. Call three times with the same question - get three different technicians with three different answers. Even going online doesn't help. For example, I emailed AOL asking about one thing; the response was completely unrelated to the issue! Customer service is not a priority; technical services stink; no wonder these companies are losing business. They've outsourced jobs overseas to so-called technicians who don't understand the technical problem and do not speak English well enough to communicate with the customer.

If you're like me, you just want the equipment to work, not to become the repairperson. Would you want to buy an appliance, such as a washing machine, but be told that if there's a problem you must to talk to someone, probably in another country, who gives you standardized text answers that don't exactly fit your question and who may or may not be able to tell you how to fix your washing machine? Computer and software companies should contract with local computer technicians. Call an 800 number and they should link you to a local certified technician whom you can call and visit. Let's provide technician jobs to Americans. I'd gladly pay a little more for better, less frustrating service. Service is key in my decision when I buy any major product.

The end of my story is that I did find a local computer technician in my hometown. The competent, efficient office manager made sure the techies did what I needed and even spent an afternoon with me working through some of the software problems so I could understand what was going on. Computer users who have had my frustrations should complain to the companies and urge them to hire and/or contract with well-trained service people in your local area; don't give up on this quest for better service and a better American economy. Meanwhile, locate a good techie in your own community.

- Judith Kohler

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