After calling every major computer maker with two basic questions, Laptop Magazine determined that Apple has the best overall tech support, while Dell, HP, and Acer have the worst. Though the results aren’t surprising, the depth of the PC makers’ incompetence is truly disappointing…

The magazine called with two questions: how could they change their laptop’s power settings; and, how could they switch their laptop’s display to an external monitor?

Acer explained that the one-year warranty on their test laptop had expired in November 2008, even though the unit was manufactured in July 2008. Without answering the question, the representative said “we would have to provide the paperwork to prove it, and disconnected the call.”

HP’s representative “mistakenly told us that our notebook was 17 days out of warranty, and that we would have to pay for service.”

Dell was the worst. Their representative “did not understand the meaning of a “power scheme.” A second call to Asia was “full of static and hissing.” The representative’s “hard-to-understand accent made communication even more difficult.”

By contrast, a call to Apple was promptly answered by a helpful unicorn, who, after quickly answering their questions, sent them a free chocolate cake for their troubles. Or something like that.

The full survey is chock full of the gory details of their encounters with every major manufacturer.

Tech Support Showdown 2009 [Laptop magazine via Lifehacker and Gizmodo]
(Photo: ardenswayoflife)

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