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The Guardian - 24th March 2007
Consumer test: Computer helplines
Who do you call when your PC or laptop lets you down? Daniel Elkan looks at four options
PCIQ
How it works: PCIQ puts you in touch with a local independent IT engineer who can visit your home. They charge individually £30-£60.
Appraisal: PCIQ is mainly set up to locate a local engineer for a home visit.
However, I agreed with the engineer to provide over-the-phone help at £20 per hour pro rata. It immediately became apparent that the engineer was very experienced. He helped me speed up my old laptop by deleting lots of old temporary files that I didn't realise were still on my computer, and successfully helped me back up data. Needing to get a new laptop, I asked him for advice on what features I should look for. He provided me a list of these, and did some research for me on what some good models might be. Knowing that he was independent of any product supplier was reassuring.
Dealing with only one person meant that he knew my technology situation. The downside was the engineer could not always be accessed at a moment's notice on the end of a landline. Although he said I could contact him on his mobile, I was reluctant to do this.
