Pros and cons of giving tech service as a gift

Criminal checks done
Geek Squad employees are heavily trained and screened, including criminal background checks, Stephens said.

“That’s one of the nice things about being a large organization,” he said. “A lot of small businesses can’t afford a 50-state criminal check, so your smaller, independent operators lack some of the things that I think most consumers expect if they’re going to let someone into their home. Best Buy, by being a Fortune 100 company, is subject to an extreme, rigorous set of standards as a public company. That is its own kind of insurance policy.”

The company's service plans vary widely in cost, and are not limited to those who buy products from Best Buy. But in September, the company added a "Black Tie" program for those who purchase a product from Best Buy. For example, a "standard" protection service plan for a laptop that cost between $400 and $599.99 would be $119.99 for four years, according to a company spokeswoman.

Standard protection includes a laptop replacement while yours is being serviced, but not Geek Squad house calls or telephone support. More expensive “advanced” and “premium” plans are also available, with the premium plan covering house calls and phone support.

Geek Squad has been emulated by Circuit City with its “Firedog” program. And earlier this year, Target started using third-party provider Zip Express to do installation of home entertainment equipment, with costs ranging from $99.99 to $499.99.

Both Geek Squad and Firedog offer in-store or online support for computer software problems. Firedog, for example, charges $19.99 for 30 minutes of online support. Six months of unlimited tech support is $99.99; a year is $189.99.

Other online services
There are numerous online services available to help with software issues, which often revolve around problems with wireless connections, driver conflicts and anti-virus programs.

HiWired.com, for example, charges $40 for a diagnostic session to “see what might be making your PC sick or slower than you want,” and $89 for a session to diagnose and repair various other technology problems.

FixFlash.com, another service, has monthly plans, as well as “pay by the minute” plans for online help. You can buy a 60-minute plan for $89.95, for example, and use the time in blocks — at $1.50 a minute — if you don’t need all 60 minutes at once.

Support.com charges $74.99 for a "system tune-up" that will speed up your computer, the company says. If you're struggling with setting up a wireless network with your PC, the company charges $99.99 to help you "configure, connect and establish" secure connections.

Digital Support Technology charges $19.99 for a support session, with no time limit on it, $69.99 for a six-month subscription with “unlimited live support,” and $109.99 for a year of unlimited support.

Haiying Wang, CEO of the Menlo Park, Calif.-based company, said he believes the “market is huge” for such services to help people deal with common problems of slow computer performance, driver incompatibility and software conflicts. Those issues can become more pervasive as more users hold onto their equipment for longer periods of time.

“If you call the vendor, they spend lots of time to verify it’s not their fault, that it’s somebody else’s fault,” he said. “Independent service providers like Geek Squad or Firedog are too expensive. Most users need to find a solution that’s more effective and at their fingertips.

“The Internet is the best way. You just click, it’s convenient, and you don’t need to bring your computer to my shop. We can just look at it while you’re looking. It’s like having an IT guy sitting next to you.”

Wang said there is no time limit on service sessions, but that most usually last one to two hours depending on the problem. One case did take four hours, he said.

“It’s just like housecleaning. If you haven’t cleaned your house for years, there’s lot of issues there to deal with.”

MORE FROM HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Holiday Gift Guide Section Front

10 best PlayStation 3 games of 2009 Gifts for the nostalgic geek 10 best PC games of 2009 10 best Wii games of 2009 Last-minute Web sites to save your holiday A focus on HD video at many different prices 10 iPhone apps for the holidays that sparkle Digital photo frames not always a ‘snap’ to use 10 best Nintendo DS games of the year   Hot holiday gifts Holiday Gift Guide Section Front   Add Holiday Gift Guide headlines to your news reader: