Thanks, Technical Reinforcements!

Now, THAT's Service

One of the biggest emergencies a Realtor can have is to have scheduled showings and a waiting client -- and no way to get into homes because their SmartKey is malfunctioning.

That wasn't quite my predicament late this afternoon -- my showings are scheduled for tomorrow morning -- but close enough.

James Allard at Technical Reinforcements arranged to be available by phone at 7:30 p.m. tonight, and remotely walked me through a problem with my proxy server setting ("proxy server what??") in less than 10 minutes.

Problem solved, showings saved.

Total cost?

$0 -- Technical Reinforcements doesn't charge existing clients (I am) for phone support.

All the company asks for in return is some positive word of mouth.

Done!

P.S.: the service I got was no fluke: Technical Reinforcements is the top-rated company on Angie's List locally for "Computer Repair & Services."

Qwest (Lack of) Technical Support

"24/7?" Try, "10/5"

So, if you rely on a Qwest DSL line for your Internet access, and it goes down, guess where Qwest's technical support line directs you.

Yup . . . the Internet -- specifically, Qwest's Web site.

The recording proceeded to inform me that technical support's regular hours are Monday thru Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

There you have it: in a 24/7 world, Qwest is very much 10/5 (10 hours a day, 5 days a week).