Here’s a helpful tip.
Before buying any Computer Hardware or Software - either from the web or
from a brick-and-mortar store - just imagine for a second that, horror of
horrors, something might go wrong or not work. This does happen - frequently
- with both well known and lesser known software and hardware companies.
After you’ve resisted the impulse to immediately purchase that new piece of
computer hardware or software just make a note of the vendor’s website
address and/or the technical support phone number. Then, give ‘em a call or,
click the support button on the website and see if it has a convenient phone
number to call right there on the support or contact us page.
Here is a truism: Computer problems are more quickly resolved when there is
phone contact involved. So, if you have a problem and you can’t find a
resolution after 6 minutes googling or writing an email to the vendor and
waiting for a response then, picking up the phone, if not your first option
then, at least, should be an option!
So, try it out. Call the Vendor of the software or hardware product you are
thinking of buying and see if a) they have a number for you or, b) the
number lets you talk to a real live person or c) whether you’re just going
to be left high-and-dry or d) there are not enough buttons from 1 to 9 for
all of the vendors options after sales, marketing, reception, accounts etc..
In fact sometimes a number for everything except technical support.
Try this same technique with your ISP and see what happens. Try this on
weekends and try this after normal business hours your time and during
normal business hours your time. After all, it’s not unreasonable for you to
be at home after dinner, installing Quicken or QuickBooks on your computer
and suddenly, for example, it doesn’t print! Wouldn’t it be nice to be able
to call 1-800-QuickBooks support or Intuit Support and speak to someone, in
your own language, who is patient and helpful enough to resolve your issue?
Remember if you are not technically inclined then a support contract that
gives you free phone calls and service is a good idea. If you are
technically inclined then free phone calls and service is a good idea!
Be very very wary of the sites that make a phone number hard to find or,
even worse, that do not have on posted e.g. try looking here for a technical
support phone number: http://www.j-moves.com - non-existent right! Or, try
this Software site for a support number -
http://websunlimited.com/wumain/support.asp !!
Do you know who always answers phones for a computer 24/7 and knows what
they are talking about. If not then your reliable HP computer probably
hasn’t gone wrong but, try calling 1-800-okcompaq and see how that works.
Another couple of hardware vendors who do well are both D-Link and Linksys.
Anyways, at the end of the day/week/month/year/decade it’s your time and, as
you get older it gets more valuable. So, when you want to buy some new
computer hardware or software take the time, up-front, to phone for
tech-support just to see how much of your valuable time will be wasted or
not if and when something “comes up”.
Happy Computing!
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