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'Free' Support Now a Dime a Day

PCsupport.com expands to 24/7 service, but charges subscriptions.

Lincoln Spector, special to PCWorld.com

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A few months ago, everybody was expecting free technical support on the Web. (See "Free Support Free-for-All.") But it's a financial challenge for companies that provide the support, and now one formerly free help site is charging--but offering you a bit more for your money.

To make its policy change Thursday easier to accept, PCsupport.com is expanding its service to be open around the clock. And for the 24/7 service, it's keeping the price low: $36.50 annually or, as PCsupport.com representatives put it, "a dime a day."

In fact, if you sign up before the end of July, the first year will cost only $18. The Web-based tech support site has been open since last December. (See "Have an Online Chat With Tech Support.")

PCsupport.com is the company's name and URL, but the service is called the PC Support Center. It offers three kinds of personal, one-on-one-with-a-professional support: E-mail Assist, Live Assist (its term for chat), and Live Repair.

Technical Chat

PCsupport.com's Live Assist comes the closest to feeling like old-fashioned telephone support, as it provides a two-way conversation between you and a paid expert. In fact, chat is arguably better than a phone conversation for this sort of thing because it's more precise. Consider the difference between reading instructions like "type dir c:\*.pnt" and hearing them over the phone. Now imagine that difference for a novice.

But, as with telephone support, you can spend a lot of time on hold. While testing Live Assist during its last week as a free service, I waited for 20 minutes while someone researched my question. At least I didn't have to hold a phone to my ear or listen to bad music.

E-mail Assist is the solution if you'd rather not stare at your screen while waiting. On the other hand, the actual waiting is longer. PCsupport.com promises that e-mailed questions will be answered within four hours.

With Live Repair, you allow the technicians to remotely control your computer so they can diagnose and--you hope--repair it.

Around the Clock and the World

PCsupport.com is relying on the international nature of the Internet to keep a staff online around the clock. During North America's business hours, your questions are answered from the company's main offices in Burnaby, British Columbia. The rest of the time, the answers will come from Bangalore, India.

Not everything on the site requires payment. Tools such as the Virus Scan and Backup Center will remain free. The only services that require a paid subscription are those that involve one-to-one support.

Generally speaking, it's not good when a price tag is added to once-free services. But in this case, the price is reasonable, and it's hard to imagine this sort of thing remaining free for any length of time.

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