Technology has given business a powerful tool: the ability to transfer some of the work of handling orders and complaints to Web sites.

Automated functions on the site force customers to do most of the work for themselves. In theory that’s not a bad idea. If it saves money for the business, it should bring down prices.
But it also opens the door to what my friend Clark Howard, the consumer advocate, calls “customer non-service.” It can be complicated to reach a real person, and extra fees may be involved.

When online service works, it’s fast and efficient. When it doesn’t, it feels as if you’ve poked your finger into an electric pencil sharpener.

These days most folks have a tale of online service woe; I’ll give you mine. I was trying to book a trip to Nova Scotia with a 15-day stay. I wanted to fly into Halifax, stay one night in a hotel, and then head to Cape Breton.

I used a travel site to book a flight, but it insisted on also booking my Halifax hotel room for all 15 days instead of just one night. Maybe I missed something or made a mistake, but I needed human help. The first human I got politely said she had to transfer me to someone else.
That person told me she only worked with corporate customers and that I shouldn’t have called her. I explained I had been transferred and asked if she could just quickly explain how to change the hotel reservations.

“Oh, no,” that’s not my job, she said in effect.

I hung up and resorted to a secret weapon I’ll reveal at the end of the column.

But, here’s what I could have done instead: Called again and reached a different person more willing to help. You’d be surprised how often that works. One thing that often doesn’t work is getting mad and letting it show. Polite people get better service. Seldom does an insult advance your cause. You needn’t be a marshmallow, but be businesslike.

If the person you are dealing with can’t help, ask to speak to a supervisor and restate your case.If you keep moving up the food chain, you’ll probably find a person who understands it’s better to resolve complaints.
Unfortunately there’s that qualifier: Probably. Sometimes there’s just no help. If the problem is worth the time, put down the phone and go low tech: Write an old-fashioned paper letter explaining your problem and asking for resolution.

The letter should be no longer than a page -- although it’s fine to include copies of receipts or other info to support your case. And get a good proofreader. Rambling letters filled with mispelled words won’t get as much attention.

Send your letter to the company’s marketing chief or president. The big shot may never see the letter, but some companies have people assigned to deal with complaints that reach the president’s office. Use google to find executives’ names, usually in the “about us” part of a company Web site.

Now I’ll tell you the secret weapon I used to solve my problem with the travel site. I turned the telephoning over to my wife, who is Irish with a gift for blarney. Before long she was on a first name basis with one of the service reps in India, chatting about the weather, and booking my trip just the way I wanted.

Back-to-school time always brings memories of the Dew-Orr Department Store in Arkadelphia, Ark., where I made a once-a-year excursion with my mom.

I got five pairs of blue jeans, five shirts, five sets of underwear and socks and, if we were prosperous at the time, new shoes.

Mr. Orr always gave me a brand-new pocketknife at the cash register. That’s a back-to-school accessory you won’t see as a giveaway in any stores near you.

These days back-to-school shopping is a little trickier, especially when it comes to technology. But there are ways to turn shopping for the middle school and high school years into savings that pay off for the entire term.

If you use an ink jet printer, for instance, you’ll find that a laser printer will save you money in the long run. Anyone who regularly buys ink cartridges knows buying replacement cartridges can be darn near as expensive as buying a cheap ink jet printer. There will be a lot of printing to do, and much of it will be in the form of reports that do just fine in black and white. Combined with the regular load of printing for parents, having a laser as a second, or even third, printer can pay for itself in just one school year.

Most families can do just fine with a monochrome printer — one that only prints in black and white. The ink jet can be reserved for times color is needed. Check out the reviews at www.cnet.com to find a printer that’s right for your home.

Two models to check out — both made by Samsung — are the ML-2851ND (prices vary but you should easily find it at a bit over $200) and ML-1630 in the same general price range. Both receive favorable reviews at Cnet.

Color laser printers once were reserved for high-end business use, but prices have fallen. Most families would still be better served hanging on to their ink jet for color and using a laser for black and white, but your situation may vary.

School has become a lot like the office. Many projects start there but are completed at home. Some of the homework can involve music and video. That means a flash drive (also called a jump drive) is essential. These tiny, portable solid-state drives simply plug into a USB port and can store data just like a regular hard disk. Prices have really dropped over the years. You can find a jump drive in the 2 to 4 gigabyte range for around $20. I favor the Lexar brand.

The next item on my list is a cellphone. Some schools won’t allow them at all, while others allow them to be carried but not used, so check with your child’s school. In many cases, kids as young as 9 or so already have one.

Everyone has his or her own view on this but I will say the obvious: It’s a dangerous world, and a phone gives your child a way to call for help if needed. Some cellphones include GPS tracking technology that enables a parent to locate the phone — and presumably the child — at any time.
Interested? Use Google and enter this search to read about the technology and offers from various cellphone companies: trackable GPS cellphone.

A lot of stories about back-to-school technology focus on computer games, iPods and iPhones, digital cameras and camcorders. I do not see them as back-to-school necessities.

I also haven’t talked about desktop computers and laptops. Most families either have them or can’t afford to buy more. There is a good argument for a separate school machine by the time a child is in high school. Now that many parents also spend evenings either working or playing at the computer it may be close to a necessity. Just make sure to use adequate parental controls on the student machine.

I’ll offer more tips on computer shopping in future columns. But most brand-name computers sold today are plenty adequate for school use.

My final tip on back-to-school technology shopping: Your child may know more about what’s out there and what’s needed than you do. So at least listen — unless they suggest a pocketknife.

When I started covering technology 18 years ago, there was lots of talk about potential hazards of using a cellphone.

One report would say there was a risk of brain cancer; another would follow saying there was no harm from the relatively low-powered radio signals from the phone. Then the back-and-forth would start all over again.

It continues today. Recently Ronald Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, said his research shows it is possible that cellphone radiation raises risks for some relatively rare cancers.

But if the arguments are similar today, cellphone use has changed dramatically. Cellphones were an expensive luxury a decade or so ago. Air time was expensive. Most folks only used them when a land line wasn’t available.

These days, everyone has a cellphone — including kids who, according to Herberman, are especially vulnerable to the hazards of radiation. Many people use them constantly, to the point of dropping land line service entirely. So, for many people, exposure to any potential health hazard has grown from a few hours a month to a few hours a day.

Herberman’s research isn’t the last word. But it’s still worth noting, given the amount of exposure most of us have. Luckily, we can lessen any hazard from radiation. Bluetooth earpieces allow hands-free operation and keep the cellphone’s antenna away from our heads. Some doctors think something as simple as switching the cellphone from one ear to another several times during a long conversation will keep radiation from being concentrated in one part of the brain.

The risks are realistic enough to make it smart to do what you can to reduce the radiation.
But the real kicker to all this is that there is a real and well-documented health risk from cellphones, one so strong that it makes any radiation risk pale in comparison.

A University of Utah psychologist, David Strayer, has found that people using cellphones behind the wheel are more dangerous than if they were driving drunk. You’d think the precaution I just suggested — using an earpiece to talk hands-free — would remove much of the driving risk. After all, I’ve watched my real estate agent wife fumble through a purse large enough to hold a small dog in search of her cellphone while driving.

But Strayer’s research found that the risk of driving and talking on the cellphone is about the same regardless of the use of a hands-free phone.

Here’s the deal, at least according to Strayer as quoted in a Los Angeles Times article: While your computer can handle several chores at one time, your brain can’t.

“There are limits to how much we can multitask, and that combination of cellphone [chatting] and driving exceeds the limits,” Strayer said.

Some states recognize the danger.

I am just back from a couple of weeks in California, and motorists there — as well as in several other states — are prohibited from talking on hand-held cellphones while driving. The loophole is that they can still use headsets and speakers or — incredibly — send text messages while driving.

But the hand-held ban is at least a start. I recently read a New York Times story about a study done by Jed Kolko, an economist with the Public Policy Institute of California. He studied traffic deaths in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., before and after handheld cellphone bans.

He thinks California will have 300 fewer traffic deaths a year because of the ban. California averages about 4,000 traffic deaths annually, so that’s a heck of a decrease.

The cellphone isn’t going away. Nor are chatty drivers. All you can do is control your own actions, and putting the phone aside while driving is a good start. Talk is cheap these days, but it can kill.

When I take a vacation I schedule three or four extra days at home before going back to work. I’m usually so exhausted and frazzled by my vacation that I need time to recover.

The hassle of air travel is often one reason. Anyone who has been through airport security with much more than a laptop knows the pain. Gadget freaks, er, lovers, can face delays. At worst, they could soon be undressing for strangers.

Let’s approach this problem from two directions. First, for those who really need to travel with a bunch of high tech devices, we’ll talk about some things that will help. Veteran road warriors already know most of this but it may help those who only travel for vacations.

Get charged up: Every device that you carry should be capable of working when you go through security. Computers should compute, radios and MP3 players should play and digital cameras should be capable of taking and displaying photos.

Organization pays: If you have accessories such as ethernet cables, battery chargers, extra memory cards and other items with wires or batteries, put them in a single clear plastic baggy. Otherwise, the security folks may need to paw through your luggage to find all the little wires and gizmos that show up on the scanner.

Don’t over-explain: Obviously you should answer questions if you are asked. But don’t start explaining unless you are asked. It often sounds defensive or even suspicious. Believe me, the security person has seen plenty of electronic devices before the ones in your baggage. So don’t assume he’s going to be puzzled by your MP3 player.

Don’t try to hide things: This should be obvious but I’ve personally seen it in security lines. People poke gadgets in hidden pouches of luggage. That, of course, makes the security person even more interested.

The other angle -- and my favorite -- we’ll look at it is whether you can leave some of your technology at home.

By taking all your gizmos, you have more stuff to carry around. And if you carry high tech devices you feel obliged to use them. Simple solution: Take a break from e-mail, texting and instant messaging if you can.

There are still other reasons. Expensive high tech devices are magnets for thieves, for instance, and they can get left behind or lost on a trip.

Still, I realize the world has shifted and many of us -- me included -- end up carrying some gadgets along.

So here’s a compromise: Multi-function devices — say an iPhone or other small device with the same features — make enormous sense for travelers. A single device can handle the functions of e-mail, phone, GPS and even camera.

Can’t justify the expense of such a gadget just for travel? You still have some options.

If you rent a car, it’s easy and affordable to have the rental company add a GPS.

Or do what I do. Before I leave I use MapQuest (www.mapquest.com) to print out routes I know I’ll be taking — airport to hotel; hotel to some restaurants that my wife insists we visit; hotel to a few to tourist spots.

If you’re really eager to travel light, even cell phones — throwaway or rental — can be obtained in remote locations.

Checking e-mail is usually easy at a computer furnished in hotel business centers or Internet cafes. Even cruise ships offer Internet centers (although the cost is often so high I just keep walking until I am near a friendly beverage dispenser).

Some disposable digital cameras do a decent job and almost all of them do a better job than the camera built into a cellphone. Once you’ve taken your pictures, e-mail them home and toss the camera.

I don’t always follow my own advice, but this is one time I really do. In the old days I vacationed like a pack mule — I can even remember taking a ham radio transceiver along on one vacation.

These days? I go on vacation.

There are two fire extinguishers in my home, and I replace both when they become out-of-date even though I’ve never used them.

Believe me, the cost of keeping them in order is a bargain when you need a fire extinguisher.
There are virtual fire extinguishers for computing. Like the real ones, they are seldom used. But when they are needed there’s no substitute.

I’ll put on my brimmed fire chief’s hat and take a look at some high-tech fire extinguishers I want you to have around the computer room. If you’re lucky, you’ll never need them.

We’ll start with something called restore points, a built-in feature of Windows. It’s gotten me out of more jams than I can list. Basically, it returns the computer to a point in the past when everything was working fine. So it’s not only a fire extinguisher, but also a time machine. See how to use it at this Microsoft site: http://tinyurl.com/253en

Here are a few others.

Backups: If you’re not regularly backing up the data in your computer, you are walking around with a “kick me” sign on your back. Hard disks die — it’s guaranteed if you use them long enough. My recommendation: Get a brand name external hard disk and set it up to automatically backup your computer at least once a week. Vista has built-in software for this. Otherwise, you can use software that comes with the disk or a separate program.

Disk and file rescue software: Sooner or later you will delete the wrong file and empty the trash prematurely. Or an important file will be damaged. Or your hard disk will malfunction, leaving important files beyond reach. There are programs — some free — that can help. Here are some links: http://www.objectrescue.com/products/filerescuepro/ ;
http://www.nucleusdatarecovery.org/ ;
http://downloads.zdnet.com/abstract.aspx?docid=226952

Uninterruptable power supply: It’s usually called a UPS. Once limited to business users it is now fairly common in most homes. I recommend you follow suit. If the power goes out, your UPS furnishes enough steam to allow you to save the data on your computer and shut it down. It also protects your computer against bumps in the voltage or brief brownouts. I connect my router and DSL modem to my UPS. That way, a blip in power doesn’t knock me offline. At $100 or so, it’s good insurance. I like the APC brand.

UPS part two: For those of you who read the item above and thought “well, of course I have a UPS, who doesn’t” here’s something to double check. If your UPS is more than three years old the battery is probably on its last legs. Either replace the battery, or buy a new UPS.

Junkbox: Try to keep some spare ethernet cables, USB cables, a mouse, a video card you’ve discarded and other potential replacements on hand. Computers have an amazing knack for going out when no help is available and when you really must finish a project. Your junkbox is your friend.

An old computer: Yes, you heard me right. Most of us replace PCs many times. The old computer is worth almost nothing as far as a cash value. But, as a temporary replacement late on a Sunday afternoon when computing work must be done: Priceless. Besides having a workhorse ready to go, you avoid any potential dangers of having others grab your data off a discarded PC’s hard disk.

Discs and manuals: It’s only when a hard disk crashes that most of us discover a program disc is missing. So take stock of them occasionally. If your programs require activation codes make sure you have the code and manual. I keep all this in a single area of my home office bookshelf. Understand that your back-up only contains the data you created; programs themselves should be installed from original discs.

Finally, it would not be crazy to include a real fire extinguisher in your computing room. After all, not all fires occur in the virtual world.

The economy has me scrouging around more than usual. I haven’t yet checked the dumpster behind the Kroger for discarded vegetables, but I keep my eyes open for any way to save some coin.

At times I find ways to avoid spending money at all.

Today we’ll talk about some excellent computer programs that are absolutely free. In some cases you are asked to send a donation, and I encourage that if you can spare it. Without some show of support, these free products will go away.

I’ve mentioned many of these programs in the past. Today we’ll add some more, along with a brief summary and how to find them. If you need more information, Google is your friend.

Belarc Personal Advisor (http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html): My favorite free program. It’ll tell you, in great detail, almost anything you’d like to know about your computer and its software. You’ll also find activation codes for software — handy if you’ve lost any.

Grisoft Anti-Virus and AVAST (http://free.grisoft.com/ and http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html): These two anti-virus programs are as good or better than the commercial stuff. Use the addresses I listed to get the free programs, otherwise you may find “free trial” and commercial packages.

OpenOffice.org (http://www.openoffice.org/): I was cautious about recommending this package — it serves as a clone for Microsoft Office — in the beginning. I’d heard reports it would not always open documents produced by Microsoft Office. So I’ve spent some time with it. I’ll stick with Microsoft, but I feel easy recommending this package — it does an excellent job and includes word processor, database, spreadsheet and much more.

Ubuntu (http://www.ubuntu.com/): Some of my readers are tired of Windows or just like trying something new. Ubuntu is an operating system based on Linux (as is the Macintosh OS). It shares many of the advantages and requires less horsepower from a PC. If you have an old PC that’s not up to Windows Vista or even XP, give this a try.

Google Earth (http://earth.google.com/): Zoom to any spot on earth and see aerial photographs that have stunning detail — in some cases clear enough to identify parked cars and see people walking. I use it for entertainment. But my real estate agent wife uses it to scout some types of properties.

Anchor Free (http://www.anchorfree.com/): A few years ago I visited some of the popular public hotspot locations — where you can get a wireless connection, sometimes free, sometimes for a fee. They all had one thing in common. I sat there with some very basic software and a laptop and watched passwords and user names roll across my screen. Almost all these hotspots are wide open. This program can close that gap.

MozyHome (http://mozy.com/): If you make data backups, congratulations. You’re ahead of most computer users. But the trouble with backups stored at home is that they can be destroyed by fire or other disasters. This site offers an online backup service for a fee. But you can backup 2 gigabytes of data for free.

Use Google to find more free software. Butinvestigate any program before downloading. Look for user reviews. Some of the free software out there isn’t worth the price, and some contains spyware.

My recommendations are a safe way to start exploring while pinching your pennies at the same time.

I’m not sure what’s happening here. Maybe some of my readers blew all their money on an HDTV. For whatever reason, a number are writing to ask about using an antenna with their new HDTVs.

These readers don’t plan to get cable or use satellite. They are taking their HDTV and heading back to the “Leave it to Beaver” days of using an antenna.

They came to the right place. I’ve built enough antennas for my ham radio hobby to get truckload rates on aluminum tubing.

They may even be onto something. HDTV picture quality with an antenna is better than cable or satellite. Why? Over-the-air signals get much less compression than when delivered via cable or satellite.

If you’re interested in trying antenna reception, the place to start is http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx. It’s a terrific site that will use your address to tell you how far away you are from transmitting towers, along with the compass direction to those towers. It also will tell you the type of antenna you need.

Some readers test the waters using rabbit ears. Depending on how close you are to the transmission sites you may be able to get away with that. I can get a few stations from my in-town Atlanta location that way.

But if the antenna was my only source of HDTV I’d want to do better. Let’s start with the Golden Rule of antennas: They should be as high as possible and as big as your spouse will allow. For most locations, it’s also good to have a rotor that can turn the antenna toward antenna sites.

Of course, some folks would rather not have an antenna poking above the roofline. There’s still an option that’s a big step up from rabbit ears: an attic antenna. You can Google and find plenty. This site tells you how to install one: http://www.terrestrial-digital.com/attic_installation.html

No special antenna is necessary, as long as it fits. You can usually find some labeled “indoor or outdoor antenna.”

If you don’t have an attic but don’t want a tall antenna, these indoor/outdoor models are designed to be unobtrustive. Radio Shack offers some and you’ll find plenty of others using Google.

For those who plan to use a regular outdoor antenna, there’s no substitute for one called a yagi. If you’re old enough to remember the conventional antennas that once dotted every rooftop, you’ve seen them.

You may be able to mount it on a simple mast strapped to your chimney, or a ground mounted mast attached to the side of your house. If you plan to install the mast yourself, get advice at the bottom of this page: http://tvantenna.soccerr.net/howto.htm

A small warning: If you do a substandard job, the whole thing can come tumbling down. If you have any doubt, ask for installer recommendations when you buy the antenna.

A big warning: If a mast touches an electrial wire while you’re holding it, you are dead. If it falls on a wire later, it can start a fire. Here’s my safety rule: If the mast is 30 feet high do not get it within 60 feet of an electrical wire at any time. If it’s 20 feet high, keep it at least 40 feet away.

You’ll probably need a rotor to turn your antenna. Spend a little extra and buy a rotor that contains a brake — it works like the brakes on your car. Otherwise the wind can push your antenna around and break the gears. You have to take the whole antenna system down to replace a rotor, so it’s money well spent.

Here are some more antenna and mast recommendations from a broadcast engineer. As you’d expect, they are right on the money: http://tinyurl.com/5vgjve

OK, now I need to spend some quality time with one of my five ham antennas. I have a very understanding wife.