You just paid $49.95 for that new software program and now you can't get it to work. So you pick up the phone and call tech support, figuring they can walk you through the repairs.

Not so fast, byte boy. That kind of help could cost you a bundle.

Consumers used to complain about sitting on hold for hours trying to get some help from tech support. Nowadays you don't wait so long, but it's not free anymore either. Many technology companies now charge a hefty fee if you want personalized assistance from one of their techs.

Intuit, the maker of Quicken, started charging for support in 1999, says Chris Repetto, public relations manager for Quicken and Quicken.com.

"The majority of Quicken users never need to call tech support," Repetto says. "Instead of raising the price of the product to cover the cost of supporting this minority, we charge a small fee -- $1.95 a minute -- for one-on-one consultative services with a Quicken product expert."

No charge for defects
Theoretically, the charge won't apply if you buy a faulty product, such as antivirus software that just won't install. But you may have to supply your credit-card number to find out.

"We give our agents pretty wide latitude to decide if there's a charge involved," says Phil Weiler, a spokesman for Symantec, maker of Norton antivirus products. "If it's an installation problem, we're not going to charge you for a product that you can't get on your system.

"We have a 60-day, money-back guarantee on all products," Weiler says. "You can get it through your retailer, or you can always work through Symantec to get your refund."

Repetto says Quicken doesn't charge for flawed products, either.

Intuit doesn't bill for "product defects known, discovered or verified by Intuit, registration, installation of a current product, and data conversion or upgrade from prior to current versions on the same platform," Repetto says.

But if the problem is with you or your computer, and not the product, be prepared to pay -- in some cases nearly as much as you paid for the product itself.

That's why it is wise to hold off on the paid call until you've exhausted your no-cost options.

Online help often free
Most software companies offer free help with a 24-hour online knowledge base, and if you have the patience and some comfort with your computer system, you can probably help yourself.

"We offer many free options for support and let the caller know about these free options before we bill for the call," says Repetto, noting that Intuit representatives inform customers of free support possibilities such as chat help and a self-serve knowledge base, before they start racking up per-minute charges.

"The vast majority of people say they're finding an answer online," Weiler says, claiming most users that Symantec surveys actually prefer online help. "It's the same kind of information our technicians have access to when they answer the phone."

Repetto says that Intuit customers also are just as satisfied with live chat help as they are with phone support.

Symantec says it's trying to make it easy for customers to help themselves free of charge.

"I would not say that a customer needs to be a computer whiz to run these," Weiler says. "It's intuitive and easy to use."

In some cases, the online tool can troubleshoot the problem for you if you don't know what's wrong, Weiler says.

"Another free option if they've gone to the Web site and can't find help: They can send an e-mail to tech support."

E-mails are free. Phone calls are not.

The cost of calling
Once you decide you want to hear the voice of a real live person, expect to shell out serious cash.

Symantec, which sells products such as the $39.95 McAfee SpamKiller 5.0, charges $29.95 per incident. If you buy Norton AntiVirus software and need help actually removing the virus, the price tag is higher. According to the Web site, virus-removal calls range from $39.95 to $69.95 per incident.

The difference between paying $39.95 and $69.95 is how much work you want to do yourself.

For $39.95, "the agent will help you figure out the virus you have, diagnose the problem and tell you what to do. If you want the person to be with you all the way through, it's $69.95," Weiler says. "Some users are more comfortable with someone by them step by step."

And if you do have to call, make sure you're prepared.

"First, they should capture any error messages verbatim," Repetto says. "Next, detail the steps they were performing that lead to the program error."

Most companies offer a combination of free help and you've-got-to-pay-up assistance. That's true for hardware as well as software.

Hewlett-Packard, the printer giant, will help you out for free for a while, as will pretty much any company that makes your computer. After a year, unless you buy special warranty extensions, expect to pay for a phone call.

Like Symantec, HP has plenty of online help on its Web site. If you can stay calm and follow instructions, you can probably help yourself out.

Microsoft offers a combination of free and paid help, and it lists "partners" who will charge you by the minute for calling. If you need help with a "retired product" like Excel 97, for instance, you can get live help from Microsoft partner Ingenio for anywhere from 98 cents to $1.95 a minute.

Still, if you do have to call, you might take some dubious solace in the fact that the call won't cost you more than the software did, says Repetto.

"Billable calls are capped at $49.95. You'll never pay more for support than you did for the product," he says.

See also:

• Surviving a call to customer service-- Plan ahead, stay calm and know just what it is you're after.
  
  
• 8 tips for dealing with customer service -- Get what you're after with a minimum of fuss.
  
  
• Crawling through the customer-service maze -- Our intrepid reporter tries to get a straight answer and does ... finally.

Aviya Kushner is based in Iowa City, Iowa.
Illustrations by Brandy Kesl