[stylist] Caution, remote computer repair and support

[Bill Outman]

Hello, list.  

 

I am putting this out for a number of email lists I am on so different
groups I am in touch with can be aware of this issue.  

 

As blind and visually impaired persons we depend a lot on our technology and
want it to be functional at all times if we can.  

 

I have had some issues with my Windows laptop for some time, and I got an
urgent pop up while doing a Google search.  The notice said I should call
Microsoft Technical Support at a given number, only to find when I called
they were an independent firm claiming to have Microsoft and Apple
certification.  While the repair service seems to have good technical merit,
the aggressive sales, lack of full transparency of the company, inattention
to accessibility, and lack of documentation of the work and contract other
than a bare bones invoice all detracted from what they might have duly
earned.  

 

The company is called Itech Services, also doing business as Agile.  They
finally agreed to a full refund today after I canceled my service due to
concerns about possible fraud and the sloppy practices I outlined to them.  

 

They may actually be legitimate, though as I have said they are rather fast
and losse, but their business practices need a lot of work for them to be
truly top flight.  This had taken place over the weekend.  The first session
was this past Saturday, but required a Sunday session because they had left
my email disabled the first time.  The work entailed cleanup of malware and
application errors, and firewall installation.  But again it wasn't fully
documented where I could double check it to make sure harm wasn't done as
well, taking away from what appears to be technical merit.  

 

So while this appears to have been resolved without major incident in the
end, it is a cautionary tale.  There a number of fraudulent operators out
there; my mom had been victimized by one, and it's a shame this ruins what
is a justifiable market slot.  

 

Thanks for bearing with me on this story.  

 

Bill Outman