Dixons ponders free home PC installation

High street giant Dixons is considering offering a free home PC installation service to cut down on the number of support calls it handles.

The scheme, which Dixons began piloting in November, is part of the group's programme of Mastercare services,designed to reduce the burden of after-sales support. Currently priced at #29.99, it includes installation and basic Windows 95 tuition.

Dixons - whose PC World, Dixons, Currys and Link shops account for nearly half the PCs sold through retail in the UK - is offering the service for free in one part of the UK to discover what effect it has on the rate of product returns and technical support calls.

Keith Martin-Smith, PC services director at the high street chain, said: 'We are confident of lower returns, but we have to see whether the scheme pays for itself in support savings. Like the health service, we are discovering that spending on prevention is more efficient than cure.'

After-sales support costs have spiralled at Dixons, which reportedly handles up to #8 million of returned products a week. To relieve the stores of technical support, the company now employs over 700 people in the Mastercare division, many of whom staff telephone helplines.

The real test for the service will be whether it manages to cope with the huge demand Dixons experiences in the run-up to Christmas.

The move was seen as an attempt to reduce the number of retail PC returns.