Since Nov 2005, PlumChoice techs have solved my PC problems remotely, quickly and affably. (Glowing review here.) The $25/month PC Maintenance on our 2002 PC is almost essential, given our family's computer dependence. Having PlumChoice as my personal IT service made me happy, until August 2009. That's when they started missing appointments.
Over the past few months, they have missed a handful of appointments. That doesn't sound too bad, but each of those times was an hour I had to wait by the computer for a phone call. Ugh. I understand an occasional day with staffing or technology issues, but the appointments were missed far enough apart to rule out being an off day.
Perhaps today was "one of those days." PlumChoice missed two appointments with me, at 10 am and 1 pm. Then I spent 15 minutes on hold (with really bad music...really) to see if I could get worked in. I had things to do, so I just scheduled a 5 pm call instead of waiting around for the first available tech.
A tech called for the 5pm appointment and is working on installing software for the $10/month Protect and Assist plan on our new computer. Since I have to stay close to the computer, I'm on the old computer looking up PlumChoice reviews and competitors in the event I need to switch my PC service provider. This post is link storage for what I find.
Because of the hassle involved with finding a new provider, I'll stick with PlumChoice for a bit. However, I'm concerned that the decline in customer service is symptomatic of something larger in the company - at first I chalked it up to growing pains, but I'm not sure now. Time will tell whether it's a hiccup or a choking hazard in their growth and quality. Hopefully they'll be able to right the ship and I'll again enjoy computer confidence thanks to the quality of my personal IT staff.
Link storage for PlumChoice reviews and competitors info:
Steve's 2 Cents Post, 12/13/2005 PlumChoice at Circuit City
Circuit City is already kaput in my town, so that's not good. There is a bit of interesting feedback in the comments.
Boston Business Journal, 4/29/2008, PlumChoice nets $2.8M in funding
"The Billerica, Mass.based company plans to use the money to expand its
reach in Web-based technical support services to homes and small
businesses." Please don't sacrifice quality for quantity. Expanding your reach is only beneficial if you maintain a firm grasp on the bedrock of your initial success - providing a quality service at a sustainable price.
Xconomy, Boston, 9/8/09, PlumChoice Plucks $14.7M
Securing funding is good. Will I see it positively effect PlumChoice service?
iTOK, possible tech support option
$20/month for PC Care, similar to PlumChoice's $10/month Protect & Assist. No time for complete comparison. File for future reference.
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