PC World Magazine reports that, according to info from 29,593 readers, PC support remains shaky and reliability is slipping, but Apple rates higher than any other computer maker regarding desktop systems.
Last year, PC World readers told the magazine they were unhappy with technical support, according to an online article. This year’s survey shows little, if any, improvement.
Overall, just half the people reported hold times of five minutes or less; fewer people said their problems were resolved within five days; and in a new measure, only 53 percent said their problem was resolved the first time they called tech support. Customers of several companies — including Dell, Gateway, MicronPC, and Hewlett-Packard/Compaq — gave their vendors lower reliability marks than in last year’s results, the article notes.
“While satisfaction is down overall, there are glimmers of hope,” the article says. “For example, Apple’s desktops and IBM’s notebooks were rated Good in both computer reliability and service.”
When it comes to desktop systems, the Mac leads the pack. Overall, “customers are very impressed with Apple’s technicians,” according to PC World. (For some reason Apple isn’t mentioned at all in the section on laptops.)