How do YOU feel about Geek Squad? And why do they get so much hate.

I get more complaints from a guy named ribbit who has a half dozen stores. He is an Arab guy who's daddy financed his quick growth and he has let go of quality control.

I get more complaints from this guy than anyone, but I also get a lot of complaints from other small guys.

The biggest problem in our industry is the guy who did some small part of IT service working for a big company then gets fired or walks off the job and starts his own business.

More times than not they can do basic workstation support but its not long before they are completely buried and lost. It reminds me of the plumber who left his snake stuck in Netwizz plumbing and then sued him to get it back. Just plain crazy.

Or the guys working through Craigslist fix anything for $45.
 
A bit of a rant (sorry, I've been cooped up too long!)

Tony_Scarpelli said:
Or the guys working through Craigslist fix anything for $45.
Click to expand...

Oh lawd.... :D I had one of those two months ago come in.

Imagine if you will: a beat-to-Hell-and-only-a-15-year-old-would-buy-this case, FULL of dust bunnies (with nasty big pointy teeth!) and an obviously OEM HP motherboard, a no-name PSU, and a smattering of components to round it out (including totally mismatched RAM modules!). Oh the cable mismanagement...!

Despite that, it was running Windows 7 Professional 32-bit, poorly, and had Office 2010 Professional.

How much did this entire machine cost, with absolutely NO CoA or restoration media?

$200. Grand total out the door, from a local 'computer guy'.

Yeah. Seems legit. :rolleyes:

Don't worry, I let the customer know she was ripped off. In fact, the reason she'd brought it in was that it was randomly restarting. Right away, I identified the bulging electrolytic capacitors on the motherboard, and showed the customer. She was NOT happy, of course, but she appreciated my immediate honesty about the situation, instead of bemoaning the machine or harping on about pirated software on the PC. I showed her Microsoft's own piracy reporting page, and let her take it from there.

Ah, sorry, rant over. I just really...despise jerks trying to make a quick buck like that! Makes all of us in the profession look bad!
 
Tony_Scarpelli said:
They do hire only A+ only techs which is higher quality than what most do.
Click to expand...

I worked for GS for a few years. I got my A+ when working for them, they paid for it. But it was never a requirement of the job. Out of 12 of us only 1 had a A+ when we started. Maybe 6 had them when I left, mainly cuz it was free.

About a month in we had one tech quit. She said it was more fun at McDonald's so she was going back, LOL.


I worked until I maxed out at my local store. I had the option of transferring to GS City for a promotion. But I took a job with the government at teh time instead. A fews years as a government contractor and i started my shop.

GS taught me a lot of stuff. The stuff they taught me is why my shop has worked, while my competitors seems to fail, often. Not technical stuff but business stuff. They taught me to watch the numbers. They taiught me to not think customers can't afford something. They aso taught me to go ask for the sale.
 
GS is not a competitor of ours and our "Corporate office" is maybe 5 miles from theirs. As a Minnesota technology company, I consider them "referring partners" they send us tons of work. And they shut down 6 stores in my area this year. Sad to see folks lose jobs, can't be sad about getting more clients as we are competitors.

Geek Squad should be seen as just that, the fast food of computer repair.

Yello. and so freaking expensive!
 
I'm so old I remember McDonalds would advertise change back from a dollar. 2burgers, fries and a soda for less than a buck! I used to live on that junk. Now, I don't care how hungry I am I seek alternatives when I'm cruising for burgers.

StoneCat, I'm also motivated by a Hemi in my Dodge 4X4. 12 mpg around town and 15 on the highway. I complain at the pump then forget all about when I nail it and enjoy the ensuing symphony. I pulled up to a clients house who thought I was the contractor he hired to fix his roof!

As far as GS I hate that term geek. I envision some bozo biting the heads off chickens in some dimly lit circus tent.

I sell myself to potential clients as a small business owner who really cares about fixing issues and wants to build long term relationships. GS can't provide the same personalized service as we can. Plus if you ask me to be there at 10 on Monday morning I'm there at 10. GS can't do that. Sometimes, too many times, I'm so slow I can respond immediately. I had a guy in a UPS store call me because his internet access was down and he got tired of waiting for UPS tech support to respond. I was there in 15 minutes and took a recalcitrant firewall out of the loop so he could do his thing.

One thing I learned from my emplopyment at a major, now defunct, computer manufacturer was what customer service really means. When was the last time a GS tech called a client a day or two after the fix to see if everything was working as it should?
 
The support option that high tech rex is talking about is only that cheap with the purchase of a new computer from them. It is a 100 MORE if you are just adding it to your existing pc. I was actually in there the other day for something else and picked up a pricing sheet from the service desk for comparison purposes.
 
madmark said:
The support option that high tech rex is talking about is only that cheap with the purchase of a new computer from them. It is a 100 MORE if you are just adding it to your existing pc. I was actually in there the other day for something else and picked up a pricing sheet from the service desk for comparison purposes.
Click to expand...

Nope, that's incorrect. Its 199 for year.. 3 PCs.. It's $99 with a new computer.
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
They give me entertainment on the roads. When I'm on the highway and I see their little VW Beetles or vans out there...I love flying by them and letting them experience the rumble of my Hemi coming out my dual exhausts. Or the bigger rumble from my Harley! And then leave 'em in my dust.
Click to expand...

I drive a VW and I guarantee you'd never pass me. Granted it's not a stock beetle but anyway, there's no need for self incrimination on a public forum.
 
tankman1989 said:
I drive a VW and I guarantee you'd never pass me. Granted it's not a stock beetle but anyway, there's no need for self incrimination on a public forum.
Click to expand...

Unless your Beetle has a Chevy small block conversion....I'll pass you with either vehicle of mine. My truck has 390 horsepower under the hood. My 0-60 times are sub 7 seconds. Even if you have the Turbo VW Beetle...you'll still see my tail lights. And my Harley...well, dunno of anyone that would attempt to argue a car vs motorcycle race unless they had something solid in the supercar class...like a Cobra 427 or some ultra exotic...it's about power to weight ratio there.

I've never heard of anyone that has gotten convicted of a driving infraction from stories on a public internet forum. I'll publicly state that I have driven over 140mph. There....now I'm biting my fingernails! Oh noze...the police will knock on my door tonight! :eek:
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
Unless your Beetle has a Chevy small block conversion....I'll pass you with either vehicle of mine. My truck has 390 horsepower under the hood. My 0-60 times are sub 7 seconds. Even if you have the Turbo VW Beetle...you'll still see my tail lights. And my Harley...well, dunno of anyone that would attempt to argue a car vs motorcycle race unless they had something solid in the supercar class...like a Cobra 427 or some ultra exotic...it's about power to weight ratio there.

I've never heard of anyone that has gotten convicted of a driving infraction from stories on a public internet forum. I'll publicly state that I have driven over 140mph. There....now I'm biting my fingernails! Oh noze...the police will knock on my door tonight! :eek:
Click to expand...


I've hit the 130 mark in my jeep it's got the SRT8 Hemi which i am pretty sure can whip a VW anyday of the week i can and have done 0-60 in 6 seconds (it advertises 4 secs but, i haven't done it, yet). That reminds me, i gotta get that governor taken off.
 
Ive done 180 on my 2006 Yamaha fz1 before it got stolen :mad: luckily I lived in a small town at the time, the first time I hit that speed a deputy sheriff just happened to be coming down the road. I was out of town on a quiet road and he just waived lol. :D
 
I don't know a lot about how Geek Squad operate but I've got a pretty good idea.

Someone mentioned that they never deviate - how does this work then?
 
brock029 said:
Ive done 180 on my 2006 Yamaha fz1 before it got stolen :mad: luckily I lived in a small town at the time, the first time I hit that speed a deputy sheriff just happened to be coming down the road. I was out of town on a quiet road and he just waived lol. :D
Click to expand...

LMAO! Like he was going to do a 180 and catch ya anyways...lol!
 
Way back when I had time, I raced SCCA with my dad and uncle. They drove a '68 Datsun roadster in the GP class. I ran an '85 300 ZX in the showroom stock class. That car was an absolute blast, right up until it rained. Then it was downright scary! I ran 106 octane (mixture of premium and aviation fuel) on race day. My personal record on the track was 162 mph. I reveled in eating up Camaros and Mustangs with 100 more horse power and two more cylinders than me!

The fastest I've driven was in a friends 911a few years back when we went out to Tail of the Dragon. I hit 185 with a bunch of Ferraris and others on the interstate. We got damn lucky that we had to stop for gas. When we got back on the highway, we saw everyone pulled over only a couple of miles from the entrance ramp by about 50 state troopers.
 
angry_geek said:
Way back when I had time, I raced SCCA with my dad and uncle. They drove a '68 Datsun roadster in the GP class.
Click to expand...

Nice....those were some classic days. We have a fairly well known track ~ an hour north of me..."LimeRock".

I learned to drive in an Alfa Romeo 2000GTV Sprint Veloce...my dad started teaching me ~age 12.

SCCA races...way cool stuff. Alfas and BMWs and Fiats and Datsuns (how many people around here know the name Datsun these days.?) Those early Datsun roadsters were cool little cars! Loved the original 240z and 260z..and first couple of years of 280z....before they started getting bloated with the zx models.
 
Once you removed the air compressor, the ZX performed MUCH better on the track. Do that, and open up the intake with a custom box for a KN filter, puts about 25 HP more on the ground. Rear-wheel drive sports cars . . . Ahhhhh, those were the days.
 
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