Complaint Review: PC Care 247 - Internet

During the afternoon of Tuesday, June 21st, I started having trouble with my laptop.  Something called MalWare was installed on my computer and it said I had a virus.  I was concerned because the virus completely locked up my computer and I wasnt able to do anything.  I called my sister to see if she could get me the phone number of McAfee because that is the computer security system I have on my laptop.  She looked up McAfee online and gave me an 1-888 number.  I called the number and thought I was talking to McAfee.

At the end of this debacle I realized I was never talking to McAfee but PC Care 247 instead.  They do not have anything to do with McAfee.  I talked to the man on the phone and referred to them as McAfee and he never corrected me.  I was misled the entire to time to believe that I was talking to McAfee and that PC Care 247 was a company that was directly connected to them.

The man on the phone explained to me that there were so many error files on my computer he didnt even understand how it was still working.  He said that an IP address from Switzerland was trying to access my computer and my personal information.  This panicked me and unfortunately I made decisions based on emotion instead of reason from that point on.  He said my best bet would be to sign up for the $299.95 plan that would sign me up with help with one computer for 3 years. 

He asked me if I had any other computers that were giving me problems.  I explained that I also had a desktop computer that wasnt working well.  He explained that since they were on the same wireless router that they were both infected.  He then said I should do the $599.95 plan for 3 years for both computers.  The operator was very good at coercing me into making this decision.  I was afraid my computer was going to be prey to identity theft if I didnt agree to the service.
I agreed to the cost and they worked on both computers for about 2 hours. 

After 2 hours I received another call from PC Care 247 telling me that my computers were now ready to use.  My laptop has been working but when I started to look into what my $599.95 had paid for I was very upset.  The technicians put two anti-virus spyware programs on my computer.  They put Microsoft Security Essentials on my computer which is a free program.  They also put a free trial of the program Super Anti Spyware.  I paid them to put free programs on my computer!

I started to doubt what I had paid for so I did some searches for the company online.  Ripoff Report came up and I read story after story similar to my own.  I went back online and read over PC Care 247s terms and conditions.  The following is straight from their website:

Payment, Refunds, Upgrading and Downgrading Terms
5.     In case we're not able to fix even one of your issue your complete amount would be refunded. In case we're able to fix even one issue you're not entitled for a complete refund. We would deduct a minimum of ($79.95 or 25% of the total charged amount, whichever is higher) x number of cases resolved by us, and refund back the rest amount.

I was concerned so on Thursday, June 29th, I called PC Care 247 back.  (As a side note, every time I call them they say they cant find my information which I feel is another tactic they use to try to get rid of me.)  I explained that I wanted to cancel my 3 year plan.  They asked me why.  I explained that it was too expensive for the service I wanted.  I only have 2 personal home computers and I didnt need this expensive of a service.  I told them they did remove the virus from my computer but I wanted to cancel the service.  The person told me a customer service representative would contact me within 24 hours.
 
The next day the 24 hours since I initially called had  passed and I still had not received a call back from them.  So I called them again on Friday, June 30th, and explained I wanted to cancel.  The representative on the phone told me he would have a customer service rep. contact me within 24 hours.  I explained that I had called the previous day and had been told the same thing.  I then insisted on talking to a supervisor immediately. 

I was connected to Vicky who told me he was a supervisor.  I told them I read their terms and conditions online and I understood I would need to pay 25% of the total charged amount and they would refund the rest of the amount.  So I was expecting to pay $150.00 for their service and be refunded $450.00.  He said those terms and conditions only referred to a normal computer fix. 

Apparently, my computer problem was so big that they had signed me up for an advanced package.  (I was never told this.  I have looked at their website since then and see that some of their packages start at $49.95.  I was never offered a package less than $299.95.  I was coerced into signing up for the $599.95 plan which I believe is the small business package which I do not need.)  I explained that I still wanted to cancel the plan.  Vicky told me thats not how it worked.  He said the computer technicians worked day in and day out to fix my computer problems. 

He told me now that my computer was fixed I was cancelling the service and thats now how this worked.  I explained that the technicians did work on my computers for several hours (not day in and day out) and I was fine with paying the 25% but wanted the rest refunded.  He said my case was so severe that the 25% did not apply.  I asked how much I would receive.  He said it cost $200.00 to fix each computer so I would receive $200.00 in a refund in 7-10 business days. 

I was unhappy that I would only receive $200.00 back but was glad they were willing to refund me something.  I asked if I needed a confirmation number or needed to give him any more information.  He told me I did not (which I thought was extremely strange.)  I asked him his name and he told me Vicky.  I then asked him his title with the company and he told me supervisor.  I asked if there was a direct line I could contact him at in case I did not receive the refund within 7-10 business days.  He directed me to just call the 1-888 line again and that he would be around. 

After I got off of the phone I felt like I was never going to see any of my money back again.  I decided to dispute the charge through my bank.  I disputed it online and cited the reason as merchandise quality.  I then called my bank the next day to talk to a customer service rep. about the situation.  Currently, my bank has issued me a provisional credit for the full amount I paid.  I am concerned that the provisional credit will not become permanent. 

Honestly, if they would have just connected me to a customer service person the first time I called and refunded me 75% of what I paid I would not have a problem with this company. After all of this I feel extremely stupid.  I am an educated person who made some rash decisions completely based on emotions.  I realize now that I should have taken a step back and thought about everything rationally before I started paying for any kind of service. 

I also have learned it doesnt make much sense to pay up front before a company actually does something for you.  I am afraid now even if I stayed with this service that every time I call they will tell me I need to pay more money to cover the service I am asking.  I worry they will tell me that my 3 year service plan does not cover the particular issue I have. 

Unfortunately, it was a very expensive mistake to make.  Im going to keep working with my bank and Im going to keep calling PC Care 247 in order to try and get some of my money back.  I just hope that others read this before giving PC Care 247 any of their money.