Everybody, I’m convinced, needs to have their own personal computer specialist whom you can call late at night when your mouse cursor disappears or, worse, your system crashes.
My computer guy is Scott, and his business is called, appropriately, My Computer Guy Scott. (There are two computer companies by that name; my guy is in Philadelphia.)
I’m sharing this with you because his advice about what electronic parts to buy and how to save money is often so inciteful that he is The Watchdog’s watchdog.
We met in college. Then 37 years ago he ordered and set up my first computer, a Dell. Since then I’ve asked him to help me with all my electronic purchases and all the problems that come with them.
Once, four years ago, while reading the fine print on his auto insurance policy he discovered a website that allows you to see what information data brokers have on you and how insurance companies devise your personal score. The score shows how likely you are to file a claim.
When I tested the website, I was shocked at the available data: my family’s driving record, including accidents and tickets; who pulled my report; my residential history going back to 1985; my property tax records; financial records; any lawsuits or liens; all phone numbers (even unlisted ones), and my credit report.
The other day I tested the disclosure website to see if it’s still alive. It is, and I ordered a new report by U.S. mail.
Before I give you the website, I want to suggest that you don’t worry that it requires your Social Security number and any unlisted phone numbers you use. Don’t fret. It already knows this.
The website, operated by LexisNexis, is ConsumerDisclosure.com. (Type it correctly, and there are no hyphens.)
Analyzing leaks
Often, Scott’s discoveries make it into this column. For instance, in 2012 when he received a call from a call center in Pakistan trying to sell him health insurance, he traced the company ownership all the way back to Southlake.
Then there was the time he helped me explore one of the biggest data breaches in U.S. law enforcement history. Police wouldn’t talk about it. But my computer guy helped me sort through 269 gigabytes worth of information – the equivalent of 182 million pages of text.
He discovered one Texas police department’s records gave detailed information about homeowners who registered home alarm systems with police, including mobile numbers, which parts of a house have video coverage, gate access code and pet information.
When to say bye
Before I get to today’s money-saving tip on anti-virus software, I want to share an annoyance my computer guy has and see if it annoys you, too.
“I dislike online chats with customer service for many reasons,” Scott says. He mentions watching the dots float in the chat box, waiting for an answer, slow responses and repetitions and restatements.
He dislikes the most how tough it can be to end the chat, especially when it’s with a real person.
“Is there anything else I can do for you today?” a Verizon staffer asks, according to Scott’s transcript of the call.
“No. Thank you.”
“My pleasure assisting you today.”
“I appreciate your help.”
Then the agent recaps what he already fixed and adds, “Thank you, and it’s been a pleasure to serve you. Take care of your health.”
“You, too,” Scott types.
It goes on … “Have a great day. Happy to have you with Verizon. Thank you for chatting with Verizon. Please let me know if you need anything else. We’re always here for you.”
“It feels weird,” Scott says, “to close the window without a mutual signoff, especially if it seemed like it was a human.”
These days, how can you tell?
Low price for software
Now for today’s lesson. My Norton anti-virus subscription was expiring. Scott told me to sit tight and ignore the warning emails because I’d probably be offered an extension.
Sure enough, when I didn’t renew, Norton awarded me two free extra months.
When that expired, Norton billed me by email for $105. Scott said, sit tight. Norton lowered the offer to $90. Hold on, he said. Norton came in with its final offer: $45. No go, he said.
He sent me to Amazon, which I hadn’t thought about.
The details on Amazon’s offerings were surprising.
For $50, I could get Norton for 20 devices.
For $30, I could get protection for 10 devices.
For $25, I could get protection for five devices.
I picked the $30 plan, meaning I would pay only $3 per device.
Lesson here: don’t be bullied by email alerts of expiration dates. Hold out as long as you can in case the price drops. Double-check the Amazon deal because you may be surprised.
Most important advice
Often, embarrassingly so, when I call my computer guy about a problem, he asks: “Did you reboot?”
Oy.
I forgot.
My computer guy has taught me how about half of all problems relating to computer, internet, Wi-Fi, smartphone and cable boxes go away if you power off the device, wait a moment (to pray) and then turn it back on by holding the power button in place for 10 to 20 seconds.
