PC World offers computer MOT

A computer MOT service will be launched Wednesday by computer superstore PC World. The service, Healthcheck, will use trained technicians in all the company's 75 branches to provide thorough tests on PCs brought into the store.

The service is aimed at owners of two to three year old PCs not wanting to upgrade.

Healthcheck is available to home or small business owners of any brand of PC running Windows 95 or 98. It costs £39.95 and will include free installation of any software upgrades and a range of testing procedures.

Testing will include an anti-virus and Year 2000 check, a diagnostics check with 16 page report, an eight page booklet with onscreen help on managing the PC, a valet to remove dirt and dust, and a tutorial on the use of basic system performance tools such as scan disk and defrag.

PC World sees the service as not only offering a value-add to its existing customers, but also as a way to grab customers of other retailers not offering technical advice. "This is about building relationships," said PC World Marketing Director Martin Dagleish, "We are unique in offering this on a national basis -- people have nowhere else to go."

The service has been trialling in 12 stores for the four months and is now being rolled out to all PC World outlets. The company said that it would look to extending Healthcheck to Macs and notebooks in the future.