Apple's PC tech support tops Consumer Reports survey yet again

Consumer Reports on Monday released the results of its annual reader survey that asked respondents to rate the nation's best PC tech support, and Apple topped the chart yet again, this time managing to beat its own score from last year.

The report, published on the Consumer Reports webpage (via Macworld), notes Apple scored 86 out of 100 points, putting the company's after sales service in the range of "very satisfied."

In contrast, the PC manufacturer that came closest to Apple's results was Lenovo, which managed to eke out a score of 63, or "fairly well satisfied" by the magazine's standards. Also surveyed were Asus, Dell, Toshiba, HP/Compaq and Acer/Gateway/eMachines.

Apple bested the competition with "Better" ratings for phone and online support, areas where other companies received low marks. Some 24 to 40 percent of survey takers gave PC makers a "fair" rating at best for similar support requests.

In-store support was also dominated by the Cupertino company's Genius Bar, a staple of Apple's brick-and-mortar outlets. According to those surveyed, Apple Geniuses solved 88 percent of issues, while Staples' EasyTech and Best Buy's Geek Squad resolved 73 percent and 70 percent of problems, respectively.

"Whatever way readers asked for tech help—by phone (the most common way), online, or in person—Apple was also able to solve more computer problems," the Consumer Reports said in the survey's summary.

Data for the survey was drawn from Consumer Reports Online subscribers in January, with questions pertaining to respondents' desktop and laptop tech support experiences over the previous 12 months.