Computer rip off...

[Mark_88]

I helped a friend with her computer a few months back and thought we corrected all her problems...didn't hear from her until last week and she wanted me to try again.

In the process of checking out her system (which was having IE issues more than anything) she mentioned she was contacted by a company who offered her computer assistance. She said they charged her $300 (yes, she showed me the bill) to fix the computer but only made it worse...

I researched the company listed as Nias e Business Solutions and they are legit...but charge rather outrageous rates.

I asked her what they did and it boils down to installing Microsoft Security software through remote assistance. This action essentially messed up the anti-virus I had put on the system and caused more issues like slow loading and error messages.

Not sure if anyone else has run across this company or have any information on them. I did find a few consumer complaints but not about the remote assistance charges.

Seems very steep for a one hour session that messes up your computer. My friend says they still call her once in a while...I suggested filing a complaint and trying to get her money back...but it was six months ago and may be too late for that.

If you've heard of this company and have something to add I'd appreciate it.

 

[shane96ranger]

I've never heard if that company, but I've heard of the remote access repair. I would never recommend giving anyone remote access to your PC, especially someone you don't know. Just fixed the PC for my buddies shop last night because IE was too slow. It had so damn many ads-ons it that you could only see 2/3 of the regular viewing area. How many toolbars does a person need? I cleaned that crap all off there and it runs much better.

I hate when programs add hidden toolbars and such when you install them. Apparently his secretary has plenty of time to seek these programs out and install them.



Sent from a Commodore 64 using a 300 baud modem


EDIT: DOH! The spell checker/corrector on my phone made that sound like someone needs to learn me how to spoke. I fixed it now.

 

[Mark_88]

I've never heard if that company, but I've heard of the remote access repair. I would never recommend giving anyone remote access to your PC, especially someone you don't know. Just fixed the PC for my buddies shop last night because IE was too slow. It had so damn many ads-ons it that you could only are 2/3 of the regular viewing area. How many toolbars does a person need? I cleaned that crap all off there and it runs much better.

That was part of what I did in this situation too...lol

I just found this article on the company...and others...

http://krebsonsecurity.com/2012/08/tech-support-phone-scams-surge/#more-16240

Seems there's just too much money for them to pass up...

My friend actually went out and changed all her banking information just after that incident so they can't do any automatic withdrawls...

 

[shane96ranger]

That was part of what I did in this situation too...lol

I just found this article on the company...and others...

http://krebsonsecurity.com/2012/08/tech-support-phone-scams-surge/#more-16240

Seems there's just too much money for them to pass up...

My friend actually went out and changed all her banking information just after that incident so they can't do any automatic withdrawls...

Targeting seniors. That pisses me off.

Does your friend realize that you can get a brand new computer for not much more than the 300 bones she gave that place?

 

[Mark_88]

Well, I tried to soothe her a bit by saying that it was common to hear of such things and suggested she try to get her money back...problem is, it was a while ago and probably a bit embarrassing for her...and millions of other seniors who get duped.

I fixed all the issues but it took me five hours...And, yes, I did tell her that she could get a whole new computer for about $100...but we need to be gentle with computer noobs whenever possible...building their confidence in themselves and trust in me so that she will contact me before she gets duped again...but she already knows better...and I hope I didn't make her feel stupid...because she really is clever...just not with computers...for now...

 

[92NHranger]

The company i work for has direct lines for mircosoft customer support for windows issues. They charge $300/hr and are actually microsoft..

 

[Mark_88]

I know some companies charge quite a bit for tech support and that's fine...I did it for 8 years and sometimes wanted to slam the customer's credit card because they frustrated me so much...I think $300 an hour is a bit steep...but mostly because I've had customers complain about $30 an hour...only to find out they make $50 an hour themselves...well, if you're so smart and make so much money then fix it yourself I feel like saying...

 

[nutpantz]

There had been a scam going on in British Columbia for quite a while.some one calls up and says that your windows computer has reported a problem.and they will help you fix it..
Needless to say they are a scam.I reported them to Telus and the RCMP. Nothing could be done.Telus could not trace the call after the fact and the RCMP can do nothing with out a call trace...
Talk about waste of tax dollars.
Just so the info is out there.

 

[Pony]

That is just a scam. What you have to do is delete the stuff they downloaded to her computer, I would recommend Avast! for a virus protector. they are in the top best and won't allow you to download or visit any website that is a risk to your computer.

 

[AllanD]

aside from the obvious rip-off...

and the obvious issues with having multiple anti-virus programs installed
where it's like having three different traffic cops directing traffic at an intersection
and their primary goal is making the other two look bad...

What exactly is the problem with Microft security essentials.

It certainly works better than several popular commercial (and pricey) anti-virus programs...

I'll name TWO that I replace with MSE... McAfee and Norton.

if a customer wants Norton they can uninstall MSE and install it themselves.

Norton spends way too much time doing things to convince you it's doing
something to justify renewing your annual subscription, in essence
"Waving the company flag".

My AVG works, but I get too many false positives with it
and it has previously removed parts, critical parts of software
I PAID FOR without asking me first.

 

[Mark_88]

Not sure if there is anything wrong with Microsoft Security, but the guy charged her $300 to install it and didn't even disable the Zone Alarm that I installed a few weeks before.

I've been using Zone Alarm for probably close to ten years and never had a problem with it. She had AVG and when I installed ZA they offered a free virus scan package with it so I went with that and removed AVG.

Her computer was working perfectly the way I had it set up and the only problem was that she was concerned that someone hacked her computer. So I created a limited user account and advised her to use that when she went on-line.

Also did malwarebites and a few others to check that there were no trojans or others running on her system. I was in the process of revamping her OS and creating a backup external drive but found out she didn't have an install disk to go ahead with that.

Finally got that sorted out too, but it was a long drawn out affair caused by a DVD drive that would not read a CD...so I ended up installing a CD ROM drive as well...at no cost since I found it in the junk...but everything is working now and she is happy...I think.

Probably, as many people may or may not have found, relying on a single AV program is not necessarily a good choice. I've ran Norton, Mcaffe, Panda, BitDefender, and a few others over the years and have been surprised that updating does not always find problems. I've ran a second AV program after killing the mainstay only to have it find something the other one missed.

So, do I trust MS products? Somewhat, but I think being overly cautious is better than a false sense of security...lol

 

['93BajaSport]

What exactly is the problem with Microft security essentials.

It certainly works better than several popular commercial (and pricey) anti-virus programs...

I'll name TWO that I replace with MSE... McAfee and Norton.

if a customer wants Norton they can uninstall MSE and install it themselves.

Norton spends way too much time doing things to convince you it's doing
something to justify renewing your annual subscription, in essence
"Waving the company flag".

My AVG works, but I get too many false positives with it
and it has previously removed parts, critical parts of software
I PAID FOR without asking me first.

Antivirus programs all seem to have good and bad eras like hard drive manufacturers. Norton was good at one time. AVG was good at one time. Trend Micro was good at one time. Now others do it better and someday something else will supersede those.

Norton is some of the vilest of the vile commercial software and probably the worst "legitimate" antivirus out there IMO. I think of it as metastatic computer cancer.

I just switched recently to MS Security Essentials on a few laptops and it seems to require less precious overhead on older machines than other AVs I've used like Avira, Avast!, and AVG. All three of the latter greatly extend boot time when they start updating while Windows is still loading.

More to the original post, I've never heard of Nias e-Business Solutions, but I see that they have the typical cookie-cutter "e-consulting" page design and are headquartered in Calcutta, India. That's two red flags. Charging $300 for an hour's worth of what amounts to nothing is the third red flag. They are merely another computer service outfit that preys on people who just aren't hep to this sort of thing, much like crooked mechanics ripping off people who nothing about the vehicles they own. Being stationed out of the country and doing everything remotely means customers have little legal recourse.