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PC Satisfaction: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Nobody wants to have their PC croak. Yet, it invariably happens right when you need it most. Just last week, my Compaq Presario 3000 notebook refused to turn on one morning. Maybe it was tired from all of the work I'd been doing, but I happened to have a massive piece due to an editor, which I'd finished the day before and was going to add some final touches to before sending. Of course, my earlier New Year's resolution to back-up daily was way blown.

After considering my options and deciding not to throw the PC through a wall, I called my editor and started digging around for my notebook's proof-of-purchase, along with the service guarantee from CompuUSA, where I'd bought it.

Then, a miracle occurred: The PC suddenly decided to work again. (I kid you not; ask my mother. She'll tell you I'm not that creative).

But what if my notebook had croaked permanently? When I bought it, did I select a good vendor with the best service in the event my notebook wouldn't work? It's a question everyone should consider before buying a new PC. Fortunately, PC Magazine has just completed its annual survey of reader satisfaction with the PCs they bought. For the complete story and survey results, see the 17th Annual Reader Satisfaction Survey.

RELIABILITY UP

One of the more heartening results of this year's survey: PC and notebook reliability, across the board, is up dramatically. In 2002 28% of desktops needed fixing, while this year the number dropped to 17%. Not perfect, but much, much better. Part of the improvement can be laid to Windows XP , which does a better job of keeping systems stable. And the effect of owning both the OS and the hardware is clearly a big benefit. Just 10% of Apple owners needed to repair their systems in the 2004 survey. Notebooks are getting better too, but at a slower rate.

Alas, even as reliability is getting better, tech support is getting worse. Many respondents complained about poor phone support, including jabs at reps who barely spoke English.

READERS' CHOICE

APPLE. Apple always gets the love from its users, and nowhere is that more evident than in this year's top ranking for reliability. But there seems to be good reason for the admiration. After all, the company's control over both software and hardware helps make its systems more reliable. Apple sits alone atop the reliability charts, scoring a point than the overall industry average for both notebook and desktop computers. Moreover, for both notebooks and desktops, Apple clocks in with the lowest percentage of systems needing repairs, according to those who responded in our survey.

IBM. Nobody does it better when it comes to tech support. Its support and repair services beat every major vendor surveyed. The reliability of its notebooks is in the top tier. IBM's notebooks might generally cost more than its competitors', but the premium may be worth it.

On the other hand, survey respondents were disappointed with the reliability of the IBM's desktops, enough so that the company's "overall rating" score is worse than that of any other vendor in our survey.

Still, there aren't any computer vendors that were truly reviled, though respondents in our survey did rate a few dangerously close to mediocre. It may be that today's low, low PC prices make up for whatever ails them. And it's undoubtedly true that today's PC users benefit significantly from more stable software environments than those that existed five years ago. Meanwhile, peripherals and device drivers generally work with operating systems much better than in the bad old days. Systems typically feature far more RAM, too a performance helper.

So, while consumers like their PCs, service and reliability could see some improvement. Here's the rundown on which companies PC Magazine readers think need some work.

VENDORS WE (MOSTLY) LIKE

ABS. It may not be as well-known as other PC makers, but according to our survey, users have positive things to say about this company. ABS was a surprise Readers' Choice last year. Its desktops were also highly rated this year, slightly higher than the industry average. The reliability of its PCs, however, tells a slightly different story. ABS' desktops fell short next to other vendors, with the highest percentage of desktops needing repairs. Even so, readers rated the reliability of the ABS desktops slightly higher than the industry average and tell us that they are very likely to recommend the ABS brand.

DELL. For a company whose users love it, it has some "now, about that " issues to address. Its desktops received high marks for reliability, but when they do break down, Dell's tech support generates some grumbling. Part of the grumbling may relate to the company's outsourcing of portions of its tech support some respondents in our survey complained about not being able to understand some of the help technicians. Whatever the reason, Dell scores slightly below average on tech support.

Its worst category, though, is notebook computers. These rank below average for reliability in general, with 25% of business notebooks needing repairs. On the plus side, when it does have to repair its machines, Dell does a very good job.

TOSHIBA. It does well in general on reliability for its notebooks, though its repair record is a little spotty, seemingly for turnaround. Toshiba has set up a repair network with UPS to improve response times, claiming that repairs or replacment parts sent out as late as 2:00 AM will reach customers the next day. Toshiba is also the only big vendor that has entirely abandoned e-mail and Web support (an area that was a sore point for all vendors in our survey).

NOTABLE MENTIONS

GATEWAY/eMACHINES. According to this year's respondents, eMachines' desktop PCs did well in every category. The reliability of the company's machines showed improvements from last year, and it bests every vendor but Apple in the repair category. eMachines' tech support doesn't fare quite as well as its reliability ranking, coming in at close to the survey's average. eMachines has helped its own cause by providing free tech support and adding a one-year warranty to its desktop line.

Gateway's recent acquisition of eMachines presents an interesting case. Gateway slipped from last year's rankings, particularly for the reliability of its notebooks and desktops. But the company did garner a very good score from readers for its desktop support. We'll have to wait and see how the recent acquisition ultimately plays out.

HP/COMPAQ. This is another merged company that has issues. While the overall rating scores for HP and Compaq desktops and notebooks qualify as very good, their scores in most other categories are worse than average. Both reliability and tech support, while technically good, are near the worst for notebooks and desktops. Meanwhile, home users favored HP notebooks over those from Compaq, which earned the dubious distinction as having the lowest ratings.

HP has made some moves to fix the problems with its tech support and the reliability of its systems. For example, the first 58 people to report a problem with a new product receive a free replacement. HP has also added toll-free tech support lines, which bodes well for the future. That doesn't quite have us saying wait 'til next year, but we have hope. We also see some promising signs in the reader evaluations of the new HP desktop PCs.

SONY. Good PCs; Not so good support. That's one clear message from our survey. According to survey respondents, the reliability of Sony's notebooks and desktops qualify as very good, near the industry average. And if purchased within the last year, they needed fewer repairs than those of competitors. Only eMachines ranked higher in this category.

However, if and when something goes wrong, respondents in our survey rated Sony with the worst tech-support scores: Desktop scores are near the bottom, and its notebook support is the worst overall. According to Sony, the company has placed some of its support back in-house, which the company says has helped.

OUTSIDE SUPPORT. It's worth noting that the highest-ranked vendors both for reliability and tech support, bar none, are the do-it-yourselfers and the "white box" companies no-names sold by local integrators.

For instance, if my notebook really did croak, I'd carry it over to Reliatech, a small support firm based near me that is attached to an area Community Technology Center, which provides technology training for low-income people. You're likely to have a reliable, local resource, too, if you can't get satisfaction from your PC manufacturer. If not, there are some useful for-pay, Web-based services. To view a list of options, see PC Magazine's Free Support and Paid Support.

For the complete story and survey results, including scores for Fujitsu, Sun, MPC and more, see the 17th Annual Reader Satisfaction Survey.

The best news, of course, is that PCs generally work pretty well, and good help, when you need it, isn't too hard to find.

Michael Fitzgerald is an award-winning technology writer and editor. His writing on technology appears in The Economist, Inc., MIT Technology Review, Business 2.0 and a number of other publications. He's spoken at numerous industry events and frequently appeared on CNN and other major television networks.

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