ProTech Squad

Review: During the first week of August I bought a new HP laptop computer. After the initial setup and using just two times I ran into a problem with getting a document to print wirelessly from the laptop. After I contacted this company they told me that my computer had a virus and they could fix the problem but since the computer was not warranted for software protection that I would have to pay $249.99 for one year warranty on the software. They worked remotely on my computer for several hours and said they had the issue fixed. I continued having problems and when I called them back they worked on the computer several more hours and during the process took my new computer running [redacted] 10 and removed the [redacted] antivirus program because they said it was not synced properly and was conflicting with the printer. They changed the browser from the new [redacted] to an older [redacted], told me not to use [redacted] and said the issue was fixed. When I tried to turn on the computer days later it would not boot up for over 30 minutes and when it did the mouse was frozen. This company did not fix my computer after saying they could. I took the computer back to the store and got a new computer. I called [redacted] and asked for a refund and Ash at customer service told me they had delivered the service and were accredited with the Revdex.com with a good rating. He said he would refund $200 and when I threatened to dispute the credit card charge he offered $225. I told him I wanted a full refund because they did not deliver the service they promised to deliver and in the process caused further damage to my computer.Desired Settlement: I want [redacted] to cease alleging they are affiliated with HP. I want them to quit saying they are accredited with the Revdex.com when they are not. I want them to quit their deceptive and misleading practices and to refund the full amount that I was charged.

Consumer

Response:

The customer reached out to Revdex.com and said that a full refund was provided by the business and confirmed with his bank.

Review: While on the computer, I kept getting messages that were basically saying something was wrong with my computer & needed to call this phone number immediately. After the third time of this happening, I called the number. It was to the company Protech Squad, Inc. The company did a diagnostic test on the computer (remotely), showing me what was "wrong" with the computer and informed me there were 9 [redacted] on the computer. They explained to have a technician fix the problem it would cost $149.99 -$249.99 to have them work on the computer (remotely) and depending how much "after care" I would like, would be reflected in the different prices. I went with the "best deal" and they went straight to "fixing" the problems. The computer doesn't belong to me. I called the owners to explain what was going on. Both of them said that there couldn't possibly be any problems with the computer as they had recently had the computer to [redacted], where they had the computer serviced & the best of the best protection was placed onto the computer as well as free removal of viruses for one year. The couple felt I had been scammed. I called the company back while the technician was still working on the computer. Told the computer was already covered for removal of viruses & didn't need the "best deal" package. I also informed them of my uneasiness with not knowing if they were a legitimate company. They stated they could do the onetime fee of $149.99 and refund the $99.00. The owner of the computer was not satisfied with the outcome and the way this business conducts itself in finding customers. She called the company back, demanding a full refund. They stated customer service would contact her in 24-48 hours. I took the computer to [redacted] today to make sure Protech Squad hadn't done anything to harm or allow them access to the computer at their discretion. They had removed all security from the computer which in turn, allows viruses and malware to harm the computer.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund, in full, based on this business fearing me into purchasing their services. I feel I was taken advantage of. I was not the owner of the computer, nor was I asked if I owned the computer. I have no idea if this is a legitimate company and have my doubts. I have no idea if there was something wrong with the computer in the first place. In their "fix", they removed all security form the computer, for this, I think my money should be refunded, as well as what's stated above.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates that the business has not responded to you directly. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

At this time, I have been contacted by PROTECH SQUAD, INC. regarding complaint ID [redacted]. The company contacted me and stated they would refund the entire amount.

Regards,

confirmation email from PROTECH SQUAD, INC.

Refund order #[redacted]? [redacted] ([redacted]) Add to contacts 5/29/14 To: [redacted] Dear [redacted],

We have been informed by [redacted] regarding the cancellation of your order #[redacted]. Therefore the transfer of this order's amount towards your account has now been initiated.

The total amount refunded [redacted] will be returned to your bank account associated to the card after the number of days necessary for the actual bank transfer to take place, as the transaction is now refunded within the [redacted] system.

Sincerely yours,

Review: From a pop-up ad on [redacted] my elderly mother-in-law was told that computer was frozen, to call number immediately to fix. "[redacted]" of ProTech Squad asked her to push a few keys, then offered to sell a computer protection service for $249 per year or one-time fix for $159. Refused to pay. [redacted] said to call back in same day if she changed mind or her computer may not be able to be fixed. Left my mother-in-law scared and upset. Alerted [redacted] about pop-up ads on their site -- they will also pursue.

Business

Response:

We received a call from the customer stating that she wasgetting random virus pop-ups on her computer. Our representative “[redacted]” askedher if she was fine with free remote diagnostic of hermachine. To which she replied “yes”.Our representative asked her to enter “session code” for [redacted] ( an onlinemeeting software) to start remote session (referred in the complaint as “asked her to push a few keys”). The diagnosticservices were provided for free. As a result of our initial scan, we foundtraces of spyware/malware & tracking cookies on customer’s computer. Weinformed the customer about the same and that it might result in datacorruption or data loss. We further informed the customer about the cost associatedwith the repair and our various support plans (referred in the complaint as “offered to sell a computer protection service for $249 per yearor one-time fix for $159”). Our support plan includes but is notlimited to; unlimited technical support (24x7) during the subscription period, on-siterepair if required, [redacted]The customer decided not to purchase our repair service& was informed that if she decides to get her computer repaired, she cancall us before the end of business day. It’s our policy to educate our customers about the adverseeffects of neglecting such issues. Which might result in data loss, datacorruption or in some cases security issues (Referred in the complaint as “Refused to pay. [redacted] said to call back in same day if shechanged mind or her computer may not be able to be fixed. Left my mother-in-lawscared and upset”). Once corrupted or lost, the data cannot beretrieved in most cases.We believe it’s our responsibility to inform customers aboutthe risk of neglecting such issues. Which we believe in this case left thecustomer scared or upset.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Please note that the business in question provided the malware via their pop up ad! Their business model is to target older customers who are not tech savvy by displaying pop up alerts generated by visiting bogus web sites which spoof legitimate websites (ie [redacted]nstead of [redacted]). When visited, these bogus sites trigger activity such as background downloading and then pop up ad(s) which "discover" them. This is a shameful business model which should be exposed and shut down. I was NOT satisfied by their phoned explanation, which, by the way, did NOT match their attached response to you. If you take the time to "[redacted]" this, you'll find many more complaints.

Regards,

Business

Response:

We had a detailed discussion with our Agent in question and his manager, and assure you that our earlier response stands true to what happened over the call. We also assure you that all our ads comply with [redacted] and other network policy. We would still request you to send us a screenshot of any misleading ad/ad's you see on Internet with our name/number on it - this would help us incorporate your feedback and better represent ourselves.Still, if the customer feels that our agent was discourteous, we are sorry, as that certainly was not our intention. If the customer still has any concerns, we would encourage them to call our number. We are more than willing to assist them in any possible way we can.Regards,[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

The responses DO NOT answer my basic complaint, that this is a scam![redacted]

Regards,

Review: Protech represented themselves as being a company or service that represents [redacted]. They said they would take care of many issues on my computer for a fee. when they were done, many issues remained. further research into [redacted] indicated that [redacted] does not do business this way. Protech had locked their message on my computer so that I had to call them. The charge was $149.00 on my [redacted].Desired Settlement: I want a complete refund to my credit card.

Business

Response:

Hi,

Review: While on my laptop computer, I received a pop-up message stating that my computer had been infected with a virus and that I needed to call a telephone number immediately if I did not want to lose all the data storaged in the computer. I called the number on the screen and the person identified himself as a Protech technician. He stated that my computer had a virus and that he could show me remotely what was "wrong" with the computer if I gave him access to it and that a [redacted] technician could fix the problem. Thinking that they were, in fact, [redacted] representatives, I gave him remote access to my computer. He ran a "test" and told me that the computer had a virus and said that their "[redacted] technician" could fix the problem remotely at a cost of $149.99. I told him I could not afford it at the time and he brought the price down to $99.99. I told him that the computer had [redacted] security installed and that the package I had bought from [redacted] included protection as well as free removal of viruses for 1 year. He said that even with security installed hackers could access the system, especially if I made a lot of purchases on the web. He then connected me to [redacted] so I could read about the "[redacted]" virus. At that point, I got worried and accepted the offer, so he transferred the call to the "[redacted] technician". I told the technician that I had another laptop that I used regurarly and he said that I should also "repair" that one because hackers could gain access to my internet and email accounts and obtain my personal information to conduct fraudulent activities, so I accepted the service for the other laptop as well at an extra cost of $99.99. The technician then took control of both computers remotely and went straight to "fixing" the problems. He stated that all the [redacted] security checks on the computers had been disabled and that I needed to reinstall them. I stayed with him for over 2 hours on the phone while he "fixed" both laptops. I also told him that I had [redacted] security available for 3 computers but that I had installed it only on the one of them. He offered to install the [redacted] security on the second laptop and asked me for my [redacted] account, which I provided, and he proceeded to install it. After everything was "fixed", I got worried thinking that the whole thing could have been a scam, so I searched "Protech" on the web the following day and found that it was only a two-men company. In addition, I noticed that a complaint had been filed through the Revdex.com (Revdex.com) with a situation very similar to mine where the complainant found that instead of "fixing" the computer, these people had removed all the security features from it, leaving it vulnerable to viruses and malware to harm the computer. I immediately realized that they were really not [redacted] representatives and worried that the company might not be a legitimate one.

Again, I thought it was [redacted] when I saw the pop-up message appear on my screen, so after the first technician told me that they had "[redacted]-licensed technicians" who would be able to "fix" the problem, I accepted the offer. After reading about the company on the Revdex.com website, I came to the conclusion that the way this business markets itself, making you believe that it works with [redacted], is not the proper way of doing business.Desired Settlement: I trully believe that the company should give me a full refund since it feared me into purchasing its services and used the [redacted] name to sell the service. I feel they took advantage of me and I still have no idea if it is a legitimate company. I also have no idea if there was really something wrong with my two laptops in the first place; and I really don't know what they did to them.

Business

Response:

Hello All,

We would like to inform you that we have contacted [redacted] regarding the complaint and refunded her with full amount of $199.98, which she paid for our support plan. We requested [redacted] to take back her complaint against our company and she agreed for the same also she confirmed us that she would call the Revdex.com and will cancel her complaint.

Review: The "pop up" came up on my computer that it was infected and going to crash if I didn't call the 800 number right away for repair.

Since I could not close or remove the screen I called to see what was happening. They assured me there was much wrong with my files and updating and even stated "the bad guys were trying to compromise all my information. And that there were 3 "foreign" hackers trying to get into my information. So when she told me they could fix it no problem...and proceeded to work with a "remote" on my computer. Then said for the technician to continue it would be $149.99 At one point they mentioned they work with microsoft.

It took about 3 hrs but I guess the tech "cleaned" my computer.....they then asked if for $99.00 more I could have more protection for 11 more months.Desired Settlement: Because of the fraudulent come on and NOT being able to exit the pop-up And Not stating from the beginning it would cost $149.00 to fix...I wish this company be not allowed to operate or be in business. They are as much a scammer as anything.

Business

Response:

Thank you for notifying us about this complaint. With regards to this case, we would first of all like to apologize to [redacted] for any inconvenience caused. We are always ready to hear customers feedback and take proper action. In this case, we never received a callback from customer and hence were not able to help her. We would like to discuss this case with the customer and help her in best possible way. Also, based on customers feedback, we will check with our marketing partners to see if any of our ads are aggressive. Though all ads are reviewed and approved by providers, we would still go ahead and revisit each one of them to see if there is any scope to improve them. All our repair plans comes with 100% satisfaction guarantee. If our customer is not happy with the quality of our service, she can call us back on 800-709-1109 to discuss refund options. A customer service supervisor has been notified and he/she will get in touch with the customer to help expedite the resolution process.We will be awaiting her call.Thank You !!Regards,

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's offer. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. If the company does not perform as promised I can get back to you at: [redacted]

Regards,

Message:This company has answered my complaint and totally reimbursed the cost $149.00 to my cc and stated they will no longer use the former tactics of advertisementThank You