Features

If you're easily bamboozled by gizmos in general, not just your PC, you could consider The Gadget Helpline (www.gadgethelpline.com). Run by a company called Talk Me Through it, which provides customer support for a number of tech companies, the helpline is probably best known for perpetrating one of the worst TV adverts ever (www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF-GSbStr7Q). Even more shocking than that, however, is a statistic quoted by founder Crispin Thomas. He reckons about one in 20 mobile phones is shipped with a fault, but one in five is returned by the customer because they can't manage to get it to work.

It's probably fair to conclude that this helpline is more about basic 'oh, I should have guessed' stuff than in-depth geekery, but for some users that should be fine. It could even be the perfect gift for the person in your life who's constantly asking inane questions about how to get their voicemail. At £2.99 a month plus 5p a minute for calls (from a BT landline), it's not expensive, though you have to pay six months in advance and hours are limited to 9am to 6pm Monday to Saturday.

Local heroes

While a telephone support subscription could be cost-effective, the big names do look rather pricey when it comes to onsite support. If you're not swayed by slick websites, corporate polo shirts and the guarantee of someone answering your call on Christmas Eve, you could get a lower quote and more personal attention from a local firm.

There are

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hundreds of capable PC people around the country offering onsite support within their own geographical areas, and typically they'll know their market and price accordingly. Support jobs can help a PC dealer attract new customers, so it pays to price competitively and get the work.

For example, Foxtec Solutions supplies IT products and services in Suffolk and East Anglia, and offers residential customers (as opposed to businesses) a support package for £10 a month. This buys you unlimited phone and remote support, an annual PC tune-up, one emergency call-out taking up to two hours, free security software, and 10% off parts. Subscribers pay for any additional work at £30 per hour instead of the company's usual rate of £40. The package covers one PC, but more can be added for £5 each a month.

If you can find a deal like this in your area, it could serve you well. However, you won't know how responsive or effective the service is until you try it, and you may have to sign up for six months or a year. Two sensible precautions are to try to negotiate a trial period and to ask for references from satisfied customers - something that a local business should always be happy to provide.

You may prefer simply to pay for support when you need it. And around the country, it does seem possible to find capable people charging fair hourly rates. In London, PC Techs (www.pc-techs.co.uk) uses only technicians who've passed one of the recognised support certifications and charges £35 per hour for repairs. Simple jobs such as system installation can be even cheaper. In West Yorkshire, Quick PC Repair (www.quickpcrepair.co.uk) offers 24 hour callout with no fixed upfront fee, instead offering to identify the problem and quote to solve it, with a 'no fix, no fee' promise. Taking the fixed fee approach, Glasgow's PC Support Guys (www.pcsupportguys.co.uk) are available from 8am to 8pm every day, offering remote support from £39 and house calls from £59, with live online chat instantly available to discuss your problem.