iCare

iCare from INVISUS Direct

for Families, Home Offices, and Small Business

- It's Like Having Your Own PC Help Desk with PC Gurus and Internet Security Experts

• Do you ever wish that you could get a PC guru on the phone every time you faced some new and discouraging PC problem?
• Are you sick and tired of worrying about PC security and Internet security?
• Would you like to have true PC and Internet security experts keeping you safe, identifying the best PC security software available, keeping it current, and negotiating to get you volume discounts?
• Would you love to solve all those problems and more, thus ending your PC hassles once and for all, for less than a dollar a day?

Then you owe it to yourself to give the INVISUS iCare service a 30-day trial.

iCare is a creative new PC service offering from INVISUS Direct that provides the closest thing to hassle-free computing you'll ever find for Windows-based PCs.  iCare subscribers enjoy the help of PC experts who keep their PCs runnning safer, cleaner, and faster than new.

You may be thinking you'd rather eat dirt than spend a lot of time on the phone with a geek who speaks Greek with a dialect.  Good news – that's not what iCare is about at all.

It's more like this: call your IT guy or gal, connect your PC to theirs, and tell them what you want to have done for you.  Then you go read the paper or something else you'd rather do than dork around with your PC.  OK, sure you can "look over their shoulder" and watch what they're doing if you want, but after you've done that a few times, you realize that they really know their stuff.

Besides, they don't know if you're watching every move they make or not, so they're not going to even try anything you wouldn't want them to do.  I can't imagine packing up my PC and hauling it into Geek Squad or some computer guys repair shot ever again – talk about insecure!

In my experience, my PC is a lot like my car: I've got to keep it tuned and running well, and even though I can do that all myself, it's still a pain and an inefficient use of my time.   I'd rather let someone else change the oil, keep the tires properly inflated, tune it up regularly, and fix it when it breaks.

PCs have similar maintenance needs: the hard disk and registry needs to be defragmented fairly regularly, backups need to be setup to run regularly and automatically,  the PC's performance needs to be tuned and optimized, and the system must be secured and checked regularly for breaches of security.

What's more, updates need to be installed, and new software and new devices are often required to keep the PC increasing in usefulness.

iCare provides you with on-call service to handle all of that and more.  And at a price that's a no-brainer for a home office, and easily affordable even for families, especially when combined with the INVISUS identity theft protection plan for families, iDefend.

Here's what you get for your monthly subscription fee:

• comprehensive, unlimited phone and remote-connection support for your PC
• unlimited troubleshooting
• unlimited problem solving
• unlimited optimization
• unlimited installation assistance for new software
• unlimited assistance with software upgrades and updates
• all of the best PC security software, and only what is necessary – not what companies want to sell you
• unlimited PC clean-ups and spyware removal
• unlimited advice in relation to your PC.

iCare boldly goes where no big service provider has ever dared go (provide support for the entire PC, not just one piece of software or hardware), and so far, they seem to be pulling it off with style.  Their support is as good as any I've ever enjoyed, including the now-legendary WordPerfect support.

Over the years, I've enjoyed support from various companies.  In fact, for a healthy share of the 12 years I worked at IBM, I was intimately involved in PC support and like to think I can still trouble-shoot most PC problems with the best of them. IBM and Dell once offered great support, but they seem to be doing everything possible to outsource support or get out of that business.

WordPerfect's support is still legendary – it was free and friendly and excellent. But until INVISUS came along with iCare, however, those levels of support were no longer available at any price – good support was only a fond memory. In fact, most support these days seems to be outsourced, and the experience can be spotty at best. I once had a Microsoft technician who was excellent – friendly, helpful, expert, and competent – so I asked him where he was located. He told me he was in Orem, Utah – and I instantly knew that he was located in the old WordPerfect complex working for a company that contracted with Microsoft and other companies to provide support. However, on most occasions, I'm not so fortuntae. I once had another Microsoft technician I was helping to resolve a Microsoft bug hang up on me when I (politely) asked him to repeat himself for the third time because I was struggling to understand him. His accent was so thick that I struggled to understand every other word. So even if someone is a PC problem-solving expert like me, it doesn't do me any good unless they can understand and solve MY problems. So that's what makes me so glad I have iCare: I can relate to those providing the help. They speak my language and are actually concerned about me and my PC. They don't call it iCare for nothing. In fact, the best thing about being a subscriber is that now when my wife encounters problems with her PC (which is more often than I do), I get to say "Call iCare. They'll help." In fact, she doesn't even bring me problems anymore. She just calls the iCare Team at INVISUS. Gotta love it!Anyway, without further ado, here's what's included in iCare:

Initial Setup

Trained technicians will ensure that you receive the following personalized service:

• Personalized Initial PC Consultation and recommendations.
• Complete System Optimization, including all necessary troubleshooting and problem correction (excludes replacement of defective hardware, but includes driver updates or repairs)
• Complete System Tune-Up so your PC runs cleaner, faster, smoother, and better than new.
• A Comprehensive Security Assessment and Checkup for your PC.
• A Deep System Cleanup to identify and eliminate all kinds of malware, hidden or not: viruses, spyware, adware, backdoors, keystroke loggers, rootkits, hijackers, and other malware resident on your system.
• Installaton and Configuration of the entire INVISUS professional security software suite, consisting of anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, and alert software.
• A special communications tool from INVISUS named Envoi, which will deliver real-time Internet safety alerts and up-to-the-minute info about iClean right to your desktop.
• A Personalized Security Audit and Consultation
• An highly secure INVISUS Customer Center online account so you can manage your subscription details and get access to a wide variety of tutorials, education materials, and support options.

Note: Geek Squad charges over $249 to peform services similar to the above.

Ongoing

• Unlimited Access to Trained Technicians – The most important part of iCare (as with all the INVISUS services) is the unlimited, no-extra-fees phone access to U.S.-based support and security experts. Support Hours are 7am to 8pm MST Monday through Friday, and 7am to 3pm MST on Saturday. Just enter a help request online and they'll usually call you right away. Or call them directly at (801)724-6210 and your time on hold can usually be measured in seconds – or at the longest, a few minutes.
• PC Tune-ups on demand – Just ask them to give your system a complete Tune-up and the technicians will (via remote access with your permission) defragment and clean your registry and hard drive, and do everything else necessary to ensure that your PC is performing faster and better than new.
• Problem Diagnosis & Repair – Whenever your PC or peripheral gives you problems, you can now get it fixed (if it can be fixed) by an expert. If you ask me, this is PRICELESS and has made my INVISUS subscription worth every penny.
• Installation Assistance – Do you realize how often you need to install new software or update your existing software (Windows, Office, your browser, your PDF reader, etc. etc.)? Now, I just call the iCare Technician every few weeks and ask him to install / update everything for me while I have lunch. What used to be a real productivity killer is now a cakewalk.
• Automatic Updates to the INVISUS security software. Stop hassling keeping your security software current, and never buy security software again. I didn't realize how much time and mental energy I was spending trying to get my security software for free and keep it up to date until I subscribed to INVISUS and quit hassling over it all. I had been downloading, registering, re-registering, renewing, filing rebates, & updating, for 3 separate programs, pretty regularly. Even worse, I was trying to stay current on which security software I needed and which was the best. Now, I've outsourced ALL of those headaches so I can relax and let INVISUS take care of it for me.
• Security Checkups on Demand – The iClean support technicians will, at your request, provide remote service including a visual check and deep system scan for viruses, spyware and related security problems, as well as a review and optimization of your Microsoft Windows settings, Internet browser security, and more.
• System Cleanups on Demand – Using specialized tools and utilities, a trained technician will find and remove unnecessary or unused files that can cause security problems, performance slowdowns and annoyances, and eradicate the hidden and hard-to-remove viruses, spyware, keystroke loggers, adware, rootkits, hacker tools, and other malware that might be causing problems on your PC.
• Security Consultation Service – The trained INVISUS support and security experts will analyze your current protection measures and offer customized recommendations on how to maximize your security options using your existing security programs as well as other helpful software tools that are available.
• Important Security Alerts – INVISUS will provide real-time warnings of impending cyber-crime threats, virus outbreaks, and other important safety advisories – delivered right to your desktop.

Pricing

Please note that the Initial Setup includes the first month's subscription fee. Thus, you pay the Initial Setup fee at the time you first subscribe, and the monthly subscription fee in advance each month beginning 30 days after you subscribe.

• Initial Setup Fee:$99.99 per PC
• Monthly Subscription Fee:$29.99 per month for the 1st PCAn additional $14.99 per month for each subsequent PC you'd like covered

Subscription Commitment

INVISUS invests heavily in subscriber satisfaction. One indication that it's working for them is that their customer retention rate is over 80%, which is, I think, quite impressive given the fact that they are pioneering new subscription-based business models in the PC services arena. Their Initial Setup Fee doesn't come close to covering their costs in providing the service – just compare their pricing with GeekSquad's for comparable services and you'll see what I mean. INVISUS is going for what they call "raving fans," and most of their subscribers are exactly that.So what they ask in return for giving subscribers the initial service for such low prices is a one-year commitment following a 30-day trial period (the price of which is included in the Initial Setup Fee). Most personal services these days (think cable or satellite TV or cell phone service) require similar commitments but without the trial period.

Cancellation Policy

If you are not happy with the INVISUS service you receive during the first 30 days, you can cancel and avoid paying any cancellation penalty or subsequent monthly fees. If you cancel anytime after the first 30 days but before the one year anniversary of your initial subscription date, they reserve the right to charge you a $45 early cancellation fee to help INVISUS cover their costs. They will often waive that fee upon request, however, IF you encounter a problem that they can't resolve or IF in their judgment they need to do so to be fair to you. They evaluate it on a case by case basis and do not routinely waive the cancellation fee.The Initial Setup fee, however, is non-refundable – which is totally understandable given the value it offers in the first place. Where else can you get your system completely cleaned up by plain English-speaking experts following a malware attack for $29.99?

Summary

Personally, I think almost everyone who owns a Windows-based PC needs a service like iCare – whether you're a novice or an expert – and whether you get iCare alone or as part of iSimplify. Even though the support isn't perfect (they're not 24×7 yet, for example), it's close enough to perfect for me, and much better than anything else I've ever experienced in relation to comprehensive PC support. WordPerfect support was incredible, but then again, they only had to support a word processor, not an entire system as complex as Windows-based PCs are these days. If I had to give a grade to the various support options I've tried over the years, here's what I'd give them:

• Microsoft: F (more often than the A-) to A- (on rare occasions and when I paid $245 per incident)
• Dell: C to A-
• HP: B-
• Intuit Quickbooks: B
• WordPerfect: A (but no longer available)
• INVISUS: A- (because they're not 24×7 yet)

On the whole, the service really stands out as a great example of superior service in this day and age of mostly outsourced service. The techs are much better trained and qualified than most, and pretty friendly to boot. You can't lose with iCare – even if you cancel within the first 30 days, all you're out is the $99.99 – but you will have a PC that's like new again; so give it a try. I'm betting you'll be glad you did and we look forward to seeing you here often.

System Requirements:

• Windows:
  • 2000 Pro (128 MB RAM)
  • XP Home/Pro (128 MB RAM)
  • Vista Home Basic (1.5 GHz CPU Dual Core or 2.5 GHz Single Core and 1 GB RAM)
  • Vista Home Premium / Vista Business / Vista Ultimate (1.5 GHz CPU Dual Core or 2.5 GHz Single Core and 2 GB RAM)
• Pentium class PC or higher or equivalent (i.e. Intel, AMD, etc).
• 400 MB hard disk space.
• Dial-up or Broadband Internet connection.
• Web Browsers:
  • Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher
  • Netscape 6.0 or higher

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