What are the Top 10 mistakes Office Managers make when buying IT Support

In no particular order listed below are the top ten mistakes that Office Managers and others make when looking for or buying IT support:

1. Looking at cost above quality - obviously cost is important to everybody but take a measured view - good IT support tends to come at a cost
2. Not researching the company - one way is to go on their website and check over their testimonials - there is nothing better than already satisfied customers
3. Assuming all IT support is the same - good comapnies offer more than a white-goods type of support, it should be proactive in nature
4. Buying for the present - look to the future for your IT needs and plan with an IT company that can take you there
5. Getting caught out by promises of 1, 2 or 4 hour response times - it may sound great but all this promises is a "response" i.e. someone talking to you on the phone - this qualifies! More importantly will you get an engineer in a reasonable time looking at your problem?
6. Getting tied into a 1,2 or 3 year contract - look for a compnay that doesn't tie you into a support contract
7. Thinking that a big and national IT company is better - often a local comapny with national support can offer you a much better service
8. Using companies that are too small - one-man bands are risky because although they may be technically excellent they are often unable to provide the level of support cover you truly need
9. Missing the small print - can they truly provide support times to cover your hours of business and is it included in the contract
10. AGAIN basing your decision on cost alone!!!! This is the biggest mistake and will lead to pain in the future!