Thanks to Mary Jo Foley for this item. “Expanded the pricing model”? I wonder how long the flacks thought to come up with THAT!

Microsoft quietly raised last week its per-incident support prices across the board for Windows and Office.

Support for Windows XP and Windows Vista now costs $59 per incident. Prior to the Vista launch, the per-incident support price for Windows was $39. Vista users get their first 90 days of support for no charge.

Support for Office XP and Office 2007 now goes for $49 per incident, compared to $35 per incident prior to the January 30 Windows Vista/Office 2007 retail launch. Office 2007 users also get their first 90 days of support for free.

A reader tipped me to the change. When I asked Microsoft for comment, a spokeswoman provided me with the following statement:

“Microsoft has expanded the pricing model for assisted support inquiries for consumers across all supported versions of Windows and Office products with the launch of Windows Vista and 2007 Microsoft Office system. This change was timed in conjunction with the worldwide launch of Windows Vista and 2007 Microsoft Office system to retail customers.”