Rescuecom

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RESCUECOM Corporation
Type Private
Founded Syracuse, New York, USA (November 1997)[1]
Headquarters Syracuse, New York, United States
Key people David A. Milman, Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Industry Computer Technical Support
IT Support
24/7 Service and Repair
Franchising Computer Services
Employees 400+ (2007)[2]
Website rescuecom.com

RESCUECOM corporation is an American franchised computer services company. They utilize a nationwide network of computer technicians and a Syracuse, NY based call center to assist both businesses and home users with on-site and remote technical support. Since 1997, Rescuecom has grown exponentially into a major player in the tech support market. They have been recognized as a Franchise 500[3] company by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006,2007, and 2008. Their lowest ranking to date came in 2007 when they were ranked at #213. [1]

Rescuecom’s slogan, “Fast and Flawless, 24/7”, [2] is a brand promise that claims prompt and successful service at any given time of any given day. They also have a “We Fix It or It’s Free” guarantee claiming that if a technician cannot fix the problem as it was initially diagnosed, then there is no fee for the service call. [4]

Contents

[edit] History

Rescuecom was founded by David A. Milman in 1997. Milman owned and operated several tech support companies since 1985, when he began with $100.00 selling computers out of his college apartment. With an inability to attain significant company growth in his first 12 years, Milman decided to Brand and Franchise his business. Rescuecom was formed. [5]

[edit] Public Reports and Contributions

In October 2006, Rescuecom released its first annual Computer Reliability Report, which is an evaluation of 20,000 service calls to their call center charting the performance of major computer manufacturers. The results of the report may determine the reliability of computers, above and beyond what repairs are covered by vendor warranties. Rescuecom achieved this data by comparing the percentage of calls to their call center to the different computer companies’ percentage of U.S. market share. It is not a scientific study. [6] In October 2007, Rescuecom released its second annual reliability report, ranking Apple computers as the most reliable.[7]

In 2006, Rescuecom also released a “Top Five Computer Problems” report detailing the most common problems and complaints received by their call center. The determinations illuminate the trends among software, hardware, and networking problems that arise in the home and business market. [8]

[edit] The Google Incident

In 2006, Rescuecom Corporation filed a lawsuit against Google, Inc. claiming trademark violation. The allegations stated that Google, Inc. was selling trademarked keywords for their search engine to Rescuecom competitors. This meant that if someone was to search for the word “Rescuecom” on the Google search engine, competing sponsored companies would appear in the search results. On September 28, 2006, the court sided with Google, charging that the practice of selling a trademarked keyword was not a use of the trademark itself. [9]

This was a very significant ruling for Google, Inc. as they can now use the case for future precedents concerning trademark sales and suspected violations of trademark usage.

[edit] Corporate Information

Rescuecom is a franchise company, meaning that any qualified individual can own and operate their own Rescuecom location, either from their home or from a storefront. The franchisee, in starting their own franchise, inherits the Brand Name, the Remote Support Staff, the Technicians for on-site service, and the System One infrastructure, which is the software that governs all aspects of the service and support. Rescuecom currently has over 200 franchises nationwide. [1] [10] [11]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c "Rescuecom Franchise", The Franchise Mall, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-09-07. 
  2. ^ a b "Company Profile". CareerBuilder.com (September 7, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
  3. ^ "Franchise 500", Entrepreneur Magazine, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-07. 
  4. ^ "RESCUECOM rescues customer service with ‘We Fix It or It’s Free’ guarantee". Lexdon Business Library (March 29, 2006). Retrieved on [[September 13, 2007]].
  5. ^ "How to Compete with the Big Guys". smallbusinessadvocate.com (September 12, 2007). Retrieved on [[September 13, 2007]].
  6. ^ "Lenovo/IBM, Apple Top RESCUECOM’s Computer Reliability Report". prnewswire.com (October 16, 2006). Retrieved on [[September 19, 2007]].
  7. ^ "Macs take reliability, support prize". computerworld.com (October 29, 2007). Retrieved on [[January 18, 2008]].
  8. ^ "Windows is the Number One Source of Computer Problems". softpedia.com (2006). Retrieved on [[September 19, 2007]].
  9. ^ "RESCUECOM vs. Google, Inc. Court Documents". United States District Court – Northern District of New York (September 28, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-09-13.
  10. ^ "About Us", rescuecom.com, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-07. 
  11. ^ "Tech Application", www.rescuecom.net, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.