I don't know if this counts as something providing a competing service or not, but there are several tools for building characters available for free on the internet. The two I use most are called "Javascript 3.5 Character Generator" by Pathguy (he also has a "Lite" version, a 4E generator, and a Pathfinder generator) and "HeroForge", which is an Excel-based character generator and tracker (be sure to enable macros or it won't work). Both of these do a fantastic job of keeping up-to-date and thoroughly lead a person through the process of character creation. I would say, however, that HeroForge is quite a bit more complicated.
If you really want to make it easy then use a per-generated character. I know I've come across some good ones with some stats I could live with. The choice of equipment was also very creative but made sense. Another alternative is having the owners of Dungeons & Dragons do it for you with their generator which costs but nothing is totally free especially when you want it easy. Still where is the fun if you can't do it the good ole fashion way... Throwing some real dice on the table and getting your scores.