Business ProfileforSupport.com
Current Alerts For This Business
On March 27, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a Complaint for Permanent Injunction and other Equitable Relief against Support.com, case no. 9:19-cv-80431.
In the complaint the FTC alleges that Support.com worked with Office Depot to sell technical support services at its stores. Office Depot and Support.com used PC Health Check, a software program, as a sales tool to convince consumers to purchase tech repair services from Office Depot and OfficeMax, Inc., which merged in 2013.
The Office Depot companies marketed the program as a free “PC check-up” or tune up service to help improve a computer’s performance and scan for viruses and other security threats. Support.com, which received revenue from Office Depot, remotely performed the tech repair services once consumers made the purchases.
The complaint alleges that Office Depot and Support.com configured the PC Health Check Program to report that the scan found malware symptoms or infections whenever consumers answered yes to at least one of these four questions: whether the computer ran slow, received virus warnings, crashed often or displayed pop-up ads, despite the fact that the scan had no connection to the “malware symptoms” results. After displaying the results of the scan, the program also displayed a “view recommendation” button with a detailed description of the tech services consumers were encouraged to purchase, services that would cost hundreds of dollars to fix the problems.
Office Depot and Support.com were aware of the concerns and complaints about the PC Health Check Program since 2012.
The FTC alleges that both companies violated the FTC Act’s prohibition against deceptive practices.
As part of the proposed settlement Support.com cannot make or provide others with the means to make, misrepresentations about the performance of detection of security issues on consumer electronic devices.
Support.com has agreed to pay $10 million as part of their settlement with the FTC.
At-a-glance
Related Categories
Overview
Business Details
- Location of This Business
- 900 Chesapeake Dr Fl 2, Redwood City, CA 94063-4727
- BBB File Opened:
- 3/16/2005
- Years in Business:
- 26
- Business Started:
- 12/31/1997
- Business Started Locally:
- 12/31/1997
- Business Incorporated:
- 12/3/1997
- Type of Entity:
- Corporation
- Number of Employees:
- 2005
- Alternate Business Name
- RightHand IT
- SUPERAntiSpyware
- Sammsoft.com
- Business Management
- Mr. Rick Bloom, CEO
- Additional Contact Information
Fax Numbers
- (303) 537-3270Primary Fax
- (650) 556-1195Other Fax
Phone Numbers
- (303) 537-3232Other Phone
- (303) 537-3270
BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.
BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.
When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile.
As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation.