Going back to print for this week’s update…..

1. Back by customer demand — GoToAssist remote troubleshooting sessions.

Several customers did take advantage of the GoToAssist service that I began offering last fall as a way to troubleshoot mild to moderate software issues. However, the volume of virtual appointments I was getting did not justify a monthly / unlimited subscription.

However, the service provider is allowing independent computer consultants to subscribe on a pay per use basis.

The good news is, I will resume offering virtual appointments IMMEDIATELY. My direct cost for GoToAssist on a per use basis is $7. Therefore, I will simply add $7 to my minimum 1 hour charge. You, the client, still makes out better than if you were charged a travel charge. As I have shared before, most of these virtual appointments likely will not last more than 1 hour.

2. Attention iPhone 4 shoppers:

I was in the spirit of iPhone season this week as I was helping someone purchase their first iPhone. Thursday the 24th was supposed to be a special day, but it far from it for us. My one conclusion from this day is that the retail operations at AT&T Mobility are “Mickey Mouse”. They just didn’t have their act together. The person that I brought to the AT&T – Westfarms Mall store had pre-ordered her iPhone on June 15 and was promised to be able to pick it up at the store on the 24th. First, we got the excuse that it had not arrived yet. Secondly, we were told that the order was never completed successfully. AT&T had major iPhone ordering problems on the designated pre-order day, June 15. Thousands upon thousands of customers (nationwide) were not able to place their orders for the iPhone 4. Finally, my customer received a call from AT&T saying that she could pick up her iPhone on Tuesday, the 29th. There was no apology and no admission that the Westfarms Mall AT&T store had really goofed things up. Let’s just hope my client gets her iPhone on Tuesday. It’s almost not worth it.

To wrap up this adventure, I will say that AT&T is the weak link in the iPhone chain. Apple is a great company. They design cutting-edge products. Their choice of AT&T to be the sole carrier of the iPhone back in 2007 was a logical choice, but clearly one that does not match up to Apple’s high standards. If you want an iPhone now, order yours from Apple.com or your local Apple Store. You will still be a customer of AT&T Mobility, but you won’t have to deal with AT&T personnel directly. If you are willing to hold out for about 6 months, there may be a Verizon iPhone on the horizon. However, this is pure speculation even if the rumors were published by legitimate news sources. AT&T’s monopoly on the iPhone in this country may continue indefinitely.