FixITlocal received a mixed reception at the Professional Computing Association's (PCA) annual conference, with IT channel resellers questioning how they could sell the new service to customers.

The firm, created by BT reseller DMSL, is the latest in a long line of companies taking on the tricky computer repair business.

It claims to have about 500 resellers across the country offering local IT support that includes software installation, PC health checks and virus protection. But at the PCA's industry love-in shindig catfight get-together, feedback about how to convince customers to sign up to the new service was, at best, lukewarm.

FixITlocal managing director John Carter and his team took to the floor at the conference in St Neots yesterday with a presentation about what the SMB market focused service had to offer.

He then asked for feedback on potential ways of building a customer base to compete with PC World, Geek Squad et al. However, a leaflet drop idea he touted was almost immediately debunked.

One reseller grumbled: "You may as well throw a pile of money straight onto a fire."

Others struggled with FixITlocal's biz model in which users will be charged call-out and first hour costs of £49.99 incl. VAT.

"You're going after the bottom end of the market which is about as sensible as going down the 'no fix, no fee' route," was one complaint.

Carter countered the argument by pointing out that "service is the way the market is going".

He also bounded around the term "recurring revenue" several times in an attempt to hammer home his belief that FixITlocal could prove a nice little earner for resellers willing to take on the computer repair game.

But that didn't stop another reseller, who complained: "People resent DMSL suddenly jumping in and taking on the IT repair market."

Carter told The Register that, despite the grumbles at the event, FixITlocal was getting a good response from resellers.

He added that the firm will also be making positive noises in the coming months about a number of big name software vendors. He had said during his presentation that FixITlocal was already in talks with Microsoft. ®

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