The Truth About Optimization Services
Posted by Wade Burchette at 3:15 PM General
We've seen the TV commercial saying your computer is fast again. (Well, not those words. I am not going to name the company because I don't want a lawsuit for slander.) I've seen them, and to be blunt it makes me angry how people are deceived. This blog is opinion, but it contains some truths. Like registry cleaners (which I covered in an recent blog), your ignorance is being exploited. The website, The Consumerist, recently reviewed BestBuy's opimization service. I would never pay for such a service because, well, I know computers well. So I know nothing about except by what BestBuy states and by what The Consumerist discovered. And according to The Consumerist, it looks like it is a big waste of money.
The TV commerical I saw stated that viruses can destroy your computer. That is a blatent lie. No virus, malicious software, or hack can destroy your computer's hardware, period. Now if your hardware is on the verge of death, it can push it over the edge. But that is just expediting the inevitable, not causing something to happen as the commercial implies.
What is worse, all the optimizations you are charged for can be done by you for free. Microsoft includes a disk cleanup program on Windows XP, Vista, and 7. And it is free! You can uninstall programs yourself, for free! You can download security updates yourself, for free! All you need is the ability to type what you wish to do into a search engine. Or better yet, the article from The Consumerist linked above will tell you which free programs you can use to do the exact same thing a store on pay service will do. Some of those aren't my favorites, but at least they are free.
While it is true that malware will slow your computer down, you do not have to pay an overpriced big box retailer or an deceptive online service to fix the problem. If you don't trust yourself, then independent computer guys like me will do a better job for a lot less money. An immutable truth about computer repair is that if you are very good, you will not be working a giant corporation.
People don't realize how little profit there is selling computers. The only reason I don't build computers except for certain customers is because even if I sold the computer at cost (no profit at all), I would still be more expensive than the stores. There is little profit to the stores and little profit to computer makers. The only reason why big computer companies are very profitable at all is because they put a bunch of junk trial programs on your computer, trial programs they are paid to put on. It is a cutthrought business. Retailers must push scams or else it makes little sense to be in the business of selling computers to begin with.
Fortunately for you, you do not need to buy any of the overpriced extras. Extended warantees are 99.9% of the time pure profit to the store, because 99.9% of the time it won't be used. Cables are high markup. You can get the exact same cable online for a fraction of the cost. For example, I can buy a HDMI cable for $10 with shipping at amazon.com. That cable would cost $60 to $100 in the store. Granted a store has to have a larger markup because they have to pay people to be in the store and cover any costs in case items never sell. But that kind of markup is almost criminal. (Advice: always buy your cables online, unless you need it right now.) Don't buy any extra service the store tries to convince you that you need. You are the consumer, you have the power. Whenever you buy a computer, a TV, a printer, a phone, in fact anything at all in a retail store, always say no to any extra.
You know something is a scam if it pushed really hard and the person selling refuses to give any reasons why you should not get what they are selling. As an example, in October 2009 I was approached by SOS Backup asking me to be a reseller for their online backup service. The company is, in fact, a good company albeit overpriced. I received an email from a representative of SOS Backup, Cindy. I asked Cindy several questions. "How is your service different than the competition?", "Why should anyone use your service over an external hard drive, networked hard drive, or a backup server such as Windows Home Server?", and "What benefit is it for my company?" She answered only one with the generic cut-and-paste response. Guess which one of three questions Cindy answered? I was now suspicious because of the response. So I asked again: "Why should anyone use your service over an external hard drive, networked hard drive, or a backup server such as Windows Home Server?" This time, no answer.
I know the advantages of remote backup services. I also know the most of the advanteges of such a service can be met with a simple external hard drive. The only reason to have off-site backup of documents is to protect your documents if the computer is stolen. If fire or water damage is an issue, insurance will cover the cost of repairs. Drive Savers, while expensive, can recover just about anything and insurance is sure to pick up the bill. Cindy's lack of response spoke volumes.
So it goes with all these optimization programs that pushed on TV and in the store. To be sure, not all services offered by a company are scams. And even if you would be cheaper not subscribing to a service, that does not always mean it is a waste of money. What is a waste of money is a scam. Look out of for the tell-tale signs of a scam. These signs are: (1) Extreme claims without any 3rd party documented proof. For example: "Viruses can cause your computer to crash!" and "If you did this yourself, it would take a really long time." (2) High-pressure sales tactics. This applies to just about everything you can buy. (3) Demostrations in which an employee of the store performs. If you cannot test the claim out firsthand, then it is being manipulated. (4) No answer for tough questions. (5) If the product or service is included without your permission or knowlede. For example, a long time ago I had to buy a printer. Without asking, a cable was put into my shopping cart as well. And not just any cable, an expensive one. Another example. The Consumerist article has pictures of computers pre-optimized. The article states that if the store runs out of un-optimized computers, you must buy pre-optimized ones. Of course, the store won't lower the price even though you did not ask or want to service. They just did it and purposefully made it so that you had little choice otherwise.
Always remember you have the power because you have a choice. Don't fall victim to bogus claims.