For the vast majority of computer users, we defer to the experts if we get an issue. Some of us may be able to open the case, hammer out a few keystrokes, and perform fancy tech voodoo, but the rest are lost when it comes down to diagnosing and repairing computer trouble. If we have a problem, we either call our friend in the IT department at work and beg them to come over “just to take a look,” or we unplug everything and haul it off to a big box store’s tech support team. And if you happen to pick up a virus, it can be the trickiest problem of all.
A rather disturbing report has emerged. Has Office Depot’s tech team been telling users that they have a virus on their machine when they really don’t, just to meet company-mandated sales goals/targets? That’s the gist of this report in The Consumerist. It cites a story from CBS affiliate KIRO-TV in Seattle, where store employees claim that pressure to sell computer protection plans has led staffers to “misdiagnose” computers with viruses.