New York ? One in three consumers who contacts a software maker for technical support goes away with the problem unresolved, according to Consumer Reports magazine.

Computer users gave software help desks a dismal rating — 63 out of 100 points — one of the lowest scores for a service in the last 10 years, the magazine reports in its September issue.

Consumer Reports blamed an industry culture that turns out flawed software and cutbacks in software companies’ support departments. The magazine said tech support gave consumers the run-around even as the callers helped the companies fix their own problems by alerting them to the issues.

The magazine, which got responses from more than 10,000 computer users, suggests postponing software upgrades until bugs are fixed.

And for those on the phone with tech support, the authors suggested escalating a call from a desk person to a supervisor.