Ok, I have been working at Best Buy for almost a year now, and in the Geek Squad’s department. I will not sit here and defend every single GS Agent or their team for how they operate. I also will not refute that our pricing can sometimes be a bit absurd. What I will do is state my opinion.

A customer comes to me, says that his computer is broken down, and won’t start. The gentleman is wearing a Georgio Armani suit, Calvin Cline Sunglasses, and is carrying a cellphone which is way more advanced than even my old laptop. This gentleman says he doesn’t have time for explanation, and just wants his computer fixed. Now I could do one of two things here… The choice I WANT to make is tell him that the total cost (even in a DIY part replacement and install) would be more than half of a new pc plus a standard GS Data transfer ($99.99 for up to 9.4 gigs) and that he would be better off going that route. My other option is to abide by the law of “the customer is always right” and do exactly what he says.

Now that is a common scenario in the store I work, because over 90% of the customers I get don’t want the new computer; they liked their old one just fine and just want it working again. But I try to avoid charging them for services that they either really don’t need and I try to at least ensure that they are paying as little as possible.

Yes, fixing a computer REALLY is easy. I have been building computers since I was 6 as a hobby, and not much has changed in the process nor the assembly of parts. I used to think that specialists like the Geek Squad were a major ripoff, but then I saw what value it has for the majority of customers I get that either can’t or won’t do it themselves. To them, their computer is their livlihood. They pay their bills on it, do research on it, and stay in touch with family on it. Most customers are willing to pay whatever the cost is to bring it back to life.

Aside from the financial cost of things, the honest way of looking at repairing a computer (especially if it is a big issue) can be from a time aspect. You are talking about customers who have little to no time for themselves or their children, let alone researching how to troubleshoot a problem. Yes, sometimes it can takes hours or days to fix a computer if the work calls for it. And at GS we have a boatload of computers needing repairs, so for one person to dedicate his or her time to repairing that ONE computer is most times impossible.

For example, a customer brings in their computer. It won’t turn on. They don’t know squat about repairing it, so a diagnostic test is called for. Voltages are checked to determine if there is a power failure, scans are run to see if it is a virus, and devices are checked to ascertain the next step. Turns out the problem is their motherboard which was last sold 4 years ago. They don’t want to get a new pc, just want the old one back up and running. Now they know the problem.

Now if it were me, I would run the tests in my off time, which testing would consist of a trial by error diagnostic (being as I don’t have any voltmeters in my home) and if I was fortunate enough to determine a bad motherboard being the culprit, I would then have to find where I could order the motherboard, have the money to order it, and wait anywhere from 3-5 business days for it to arrive in an ideal mail carrier setting. The motherboard arrives 2 weeks later due to some strike at the post office (being my luck) and I finally get to install it along with my other components. Everything works, and now I just have to let windows detect the system changes and go from there. That just cost me 2 weeks time in waiting for a part, and a total of about 10 hours of time to determine the malfunction and what to do about it. Not only that, but during that time I was out of a computer. There is always the possibility that the motherboard may have NO warranty and NO return period if the item is DOA, which would mean I would be out of luck.

So after taking THAT into careful consideration, also stop and think that most people have only ONE pc and wouldn’t have the ability to order a new part, and would be intimidated by the customer support saying that “I am sorry, that part is no longer in production”. Now, if the Geek Squad could have had me up and running in sooner than 2 weeks, then yes I would definately say that shelling out almost 300 bucks would be worth it. Especially when thinking about the time it would take to have positive results.

So in closing, yes, some Geek Squads suck and some of their agents don’t know jack about computers, but as for my team, you will be coming to the right place. I work at store 494 in Cincinnati, Ohio. We won’t go through your computer or record you while you shower, but we will do what you ask in as timely a manner as we can. No man, woman or child is created equal to another in the sense of how they perform and/or their values, but look in the right places and you will find the right people for the job…

Richard
http://www.myspace.com/webslinger03

reclassified!demonstrated phased unbound

But really, people just don’t have a clue how easy most things can be - just need some basic knowledge. To get through college I fixed a lot of people’s computers. I’d overhear someone talking about it and chime in offering up to help them. Geek Squad’s prices are ridiculous. And I’d go fix it for them and make them see how I did it - how to check stuff. The whole “teach a man to fish” thing. I’ve even nabbed a few people walking away from talking to the Geek Squad. Bwahaha.

It just comes down to lack of knowledge…thinking everything is to high tech with computers, when in reality, like you said, a little google search and patience will go a long way.

Two cents.