Companies hate providing good tech support for their products because it is expensive. And consumers hate calling up tech support when they can’t get a gadget to work properly because they usually get the run-around. The idea for Fixya is quite simple: Let consumers help fix each other’s gadgets.
The startup, which was in the DemoPit at TechCrunch40, announced a $6 million B round from existing investors Mayfield and Pitango. (It had previously raised $2 million in January, 2007). Fixya already has information on 800,000 consumer products, ranging from electronics to appliances. It also stores a lot of owners manuals in digital form. The site has been growing at a respectable clip. In the U.S., comScore measured 1.5 million unique visitors in February, up 107 percent from the year before (see chart below). Worldwide, comScore estimates 3.7 million unique visitors in January (the company claims 6 million uniques).
Great idea for a startup, but I don’t like the execution. If they’d branded it slicker (tech support isn’t so sexy) and built a community around the entire gadget culture (with support being one aspect) the site would be killer.
It feels like a place I might end up when I have a tech issue, but probably wouldn’t return to. I wonder how much of their traffic comes from Google. Also, not sure about the heavy AdSense.
Is there some sort of feedback system? I can just picture some guy thinking he is going to solve my problem, only to waste so much time it would have been more cost effective to just pay someone to fix it.
That’s a great idea for a startup, What are all of the incentive systems for the users to add to the discussion on fixing the various gadgets listed on the site?
Monetization is through ads, I assume? I see this being a cool new idea, for it shows that the advent of crowdsourcing will create rather interesting companies.
Great Idea. I know several products that require a lot of tech support wink wink nod nod… because they don’t work well. OS tech support is incredibly expensive. Of course simply returning a product, getting your money back and buying products that work well would be selfish thing to do. Wasting your own time trouble shooting and then helping others now is the ticket to riches. At least for me:)
I like this idea. Product service is a cost center for retailers and suppliers and can be worth as much as ten points of margin sitting with the supplier, the retailer, or split between them. Most returns are products that work, folks just didn’t know how to use them.
Folks coming to fixya today aren’t the thorn in the side for retailers – it is the masses who can’t get past the instruction manual. Simplify the site, continue to build an exhaustive knowledge base, and develop enthusiastic contributors that are effective with the masses and they should have no problem securing relationships with retailers and suppliers. To be better than today they just have to beat the returns percentages of the call center. They’ve already beat the cost position. Good work!
This is not unlike what’s going on over at bug.gd for software/errors.
This Idea is the same like the Symantec have, it’s called PC Anywhere correct me if i’m wrong. Anybody who download the software or bought it can use and can have an access to your computer via private protocol, only you and the technician can access and fix the problem thru it.
Nat
http://www.workersinc.com
Thats funny — I was just on http://www.flixya.com earlier today. =P
As a so-called tech I can tell you that this business model is failing, where do I start? First off this crowd sourced approach is very unwise, not only are there incompetents from third world countries giving dangerous advice to unsuspecting consumers but it’s cut throat and seriously saturated and there is not enough business to go around so “Experts” are forced to scramble to answer first call basis Live Chats without even having a chance to digest the problem. Here is what one happy customer had to say “I am having trouble with my Motorola V9m, so I googled to find if others have had problems. Up popped fixya.com, promising to offer “expert advice.” I entered my query, and paid $9.95 for what I thought would be fast response from at least one, possibly several “expert opinions.” I received one question, which I answered within minutes. Since then — silence. Buyer Beware.
The following links explain more eloquently the problem.
http://www.fixy...erts_could_help
http://www.ripo...pOff0360082.htm
http://www.ripo...pOff0343042.htm
Now after reading some of these reports, I have decided it is in my best interest to distance myself from Fixya as I would think most would, since Fixya assumes no liability for the advice given by their So-called “experts” that would mean that the experts will be held accountable for any misleading or dangerous advice. That would have to taken to a world court since Fixya is worldwide. And as if that weren’t bad enough they had to go and do a boneheaded thing like giving advice on automobiles as if electronics was not enough a liabiltiy!
Let’s just say this, I don’t see how the aforementioned investors in this article will be getting a return let alone their initial investments back anytime soon, Investors beware!