# Geek Squad Awful Lack of Skill



## Nevergoback (Feb 14, 2009)

I have never been so humiliated and disrespected as I have with the Manager of Geek Squad, named JD, at the Chelsea Best Buy on 23rd/5ave, New York. 
I explained to him the issue with my laptop, which was just serviced in December by the very same team. I explained that I attempted to log in a maximum of 5 times, and I was experiencing the same issues each time. I understood that it was past the 30 days as he indicated but hoped that a diagnostic would be helpful since I had already spent $500 from my previous visit. 
He insisted that I was not in touch with things happening everyday, which he explained precluded him from helping me. He then asked me several times what was wrong and when I tried to explain, he interrupted and asked me to repeat myself. I asked him that perhaps it would help if he referred to the recent service invoice from the last visit since it was the same issue. This would have saved the hassle for both him and me because he would have been able to look up the service history to see what the diagnosis was, what was done to fix it, and which tech serviced the laptop. He said no and provided me with the things change all time! and continued to utter Jesus Christ! under his breath. He also insisted on sighing and provided a demeanor that was both offensive and demeaning. 
I was so embarrassed that I apologized and explained that I did not have an IS degree, but I was hoping to receive assistance since I had already spent $500 and was clearly experiencing the same issue. He also insisted that my laptop was old, which was purchased in late 2007 with Windows Vista, again with the same berating tone making me feel inadequate. Regardless of the laptops age, it had the same issue even after they previously fixed it.
JD then said that he would do a diagnostic and waive the fee, but I would have to pick up the laptop the very same day or would charge me. All the while, he was waiving his hands and not addressing me face to face. At this point, I was in tears, not for his condescending tone, but I was in shock that a professional with a staff under him could set such a negative tone and example while deliberately putting his staff and customers in a hostile environment. You can tell that the staff was very uncomfortable. 
Considering that the economy is in a recession and most businesses are either closing down or downsizing, I am extremely shocked that a retail manager, who should be sensitive to these elements, can go ahead and treat their customers in this manner. JD clearly does not represent the best interests of Geek Squad/Best Buy, his staff members, and most importantly, his customer base, and he represents a disconnect from Best Buys Code of Ethics.
As a result, I will neither purchase a single item at Best Buy nor service any piece of technology at Geek Squad ever again, and I will urge my friends and family to do the same. Geek Squad and Best Buy have lost a customer with an upper middle class household income, who demographically would have continued to purchase products at Best Buy or attain services from Geek Squad even during these difficult times. 
JD has single handedly impacted the future revenues and bottom line of both Geek Squad and Best Buy while demonstrating a lack of professionalism and managerial skills to his staff members. Lastly, the laptop was never fixed!


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## 1002richards (Jan 29, 2006)

Hi and Welcome to TSG,
Sorry to read of that awful encounter.
This thread has more than 900 comments (don't try and read'em all!!) and has been viewed about 130,000 times. The heading ? Geek Squad Incompetent.

http://forums.techguy.org/reviews/396958-geek-squad-incompetent.html

Anyway ... would you like to try to get some help from TSG?
Put the description of the problems in the Vista forum I suggest and see if someone can help.

Richard.


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## lawson_jl (Aug 3, 2008)

I would contact the Best Buy store manager and explain the situation and ask for your money back. If that doesn't help then contact Best Buy Corp. I support you in not shopping at Best Buy or using the Geek Squad. The Geek Squad is nothing but a bunch of high school kids with no real experience and those people become the managers, so I'm not surprised of your experience. As a computer tech I've never had need of their services but have heard the horror storied and delt with them on behalf of clients who mistakenly took their PC to them before me. It's amazing how quickly they fold and return your money when a real technication gets in the mix and points out everything they did wrong.


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## Stoner (Oct 26, 2002)

Sorry to hear about your frustration.
Best Buy doesn't seem to have a very good reputation and as 1002richards pointed out, there is a link at our site full of unsatisfied customers of Geek Squad and Best Buy.

If you come back to TSG, try asking questions in one of our help forums. There are a lot of volunteers that put in a lot of time helping people out with their computer problems.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

We also charge less and have much better results than the boys from Geek Squad!


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## DoubleHelix (Dec 10, 2004)

But we can't help with login problems which appears to be the symptom you describe. I have absolutely no idea what the problem could have been, how it was fixed, and why on earth a reputable company would charge $500 for such a service.


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## daniel_b2380 (Jan 31, 2003)

depending upon the log-in,
one of the first items in the manual for my ol' thinkpad,
it cautions a user about using passwords,
one of them being if you password the harddrive,
NO HELP at a service center,
must go back to ibm,
lenova now, iguess,
i don't know HOW much it COULD have cost,
don't use passwords i can't remember,


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

lawson_jl said:


> I would contact the Best Buy store manager and explain the situation and ask for your money back. If that doesn't help then contact Best Buy Corp.


I would contact Best Buy Corp and forget the store manager. Even if the store was willing to refund my money, being brought to tears is absolutely NOT acceptable.

Sorry to hear you had to go through this.

Peace...


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## wannasurf (Oct 22, 2004)

Just a no-good service provider all together. They act like a bunch of robots controlled by the mothership with no minds of their own. Seek help with a small, computer shop. Probably better service at a cheaper price.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Maybe you can get one of the other staff members to give you a store video that shows what he did. My guess they don't like working for him either but need the job. If you can get one of them to help you then that guy will be out of a job.


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## thegregster (Mar 5, 2009)

I tried calling geek squad for a part number for a dvd player in a TV/DVD combo lcd. Its a Dynex dx-ltdvd20 that's about a year old. The DVD died so I called best buy/geeksquad local store and no one answered the phone after 10minutes. Called sales manage at local store and she told me to call TSG directly. Got a tech and he refused to give me part number for the dvd unit. I must buy it from tgs. Would not allow me to escallate call to manage "CJ" who told me that's the rules and that's it. I am extremely disappointed sine I worked in tech support for all of my life in IT. I will not buy anything from best buy or ever use The Geek Squad. All I can say buyer beware of this combination.


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## oil painter (Jun 6, 2007)

I had a similar thing happen to me at Staples. This was my first computer and I knew nothing about buying a computer but someone had told me HP was a good computer and staples had them on sale. I went in and bought one and put on the extended warrantee..

I brought it home and had a friend hook it up. The first thing my friend said is--is this computer ever slow. What did I know--it seemed all right to me. By the end of 2 weeks it was making a horrible racket, so I took it back to Staples. They kept it over a week and finally I called--it would be ready soon. On the 3rd call they couldn't find my computer but finally found it and said I could come and get it. When I got there they said it was a dust problem that it had so much dust it was getting bogged down. I was skeptical-- I vacuum regularly so I couldn't see it but I took their word.He also made a big deal about not charging me for blowing it out.

I brought it home and still the same problem. My friend knew a guy who was in college studying computers so we asked him to take a look. In 3 seconds he said your powersupply is too small and all your fans are defective. He changed all the fans and the power supply and it ran like a charm.

I had the guy make out a bill and I told him don't put down what you paid for them but put in the most that would be charged for the parts and add labor. I went to the store bill in hand. Spyed the guy who said it was dust. He insisted that's what it was and started to go on about how I violated the warrantee. I made a big scene in the store--the customers started to gather round and a manager showed up. He took me aside, looked at my bill and said he would pay me for the parts but not the labor and my warrantee was still good. At least I got back what I paid for the extended warrantee.

The lesson I learned is when it comes to computers stay away from big box stores. Look for a good computer technician who doesn't charge an arm and a leg and do your buying from them. You may pay a couple of bucks more but you get someone who can fix it too.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Extended warranties are the biggest ripoff on the planet! Didn't you ever wonder why stores push them so hard? Simple, it's because they a major money-maker! So, if they generate so much profit, it stands to reason that they're overpriced.


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## RootbeaR (Dec 9, 2006)

"Backup: It's Time For An Apology

Best Buy has a lot of explaining to do. First and foremost, they owe my mother-in-law an apology. The mother of all apologies. Disciplinary action should be taken against Nathaniel and Erica, at the very least, and someone from the corporate office needs to contact my mother-in-law and explain why Best Buy Store #519 in Douglasville, Georgia is selling used cameras as if they were brand new."
http://slobokan.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/backup-its-time-for-an-apology/


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Oops!


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## oil painter (Jun 6, 2007)

RootbeaR said:


> "Backup: Its Time For An Apology
> 
> Best Buy has a lot of explaining to do. First and foremost, they owe my mother-in-law an apology. The mother of all apologies. Disciplinary action should be taken against Nathaniel and Erica, at the very least, and someone from the corporate office needs to contact my mother-in-law and explain why Best Buy Store #519 in Douglasville, Georgia is selling used cameras as if they were brand new."
> http://slobokan.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/backup-its-time-for-an-apology/


It's not time for an apology--Well it is but-----

It is time to take action and the best way to embarass a company is to advertize, just like they do. They have the proof. Take it to the newspapers and television. There are plenty of shows that would like to jump on a national company with shoddy practices. I'll bet the local papers would eat it up too.

Then I'd take that store to small claims court and get my money back. They might even get it advertized that way too if one of the court shows wanted the story.

Sitting back and waiting for an apology that will never come is not the way to go.


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## RootbeaR (Dec 9, 2006)

oil painter said:


> It's not time for an apology--Well it is but-----
> 
> It is time to take action and the best way to embarass a company is to advertize, just like they do. They have the proof. Take it to the newspapers and television. There are plenty of shows that would like to jump on a national company with shoddy practices. I'll bet the local papers would eat it up too.
> 
> ...


I posted to this forum.

It is being read on that blog.

You and someone else may post to another site...

Or direct others here or to the blog.

But, too many sheeple.

Was Sony boycotted by all after rootkit fiasco?

I will never purchase another Sony product. Ever.

Edit: I like Seinfeld and Frasier. I will not purchase the season DVDs' as they are under the Sony label. I will do without. Stop Edit.

I got the rootkit from a DVD. Sony has never acknowledged that it was ever on a DVD. Just a few albums according to them. I don't own the albums it was supposedly on.

I've never shopped at best buy and now I never will.


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## oil painter (Jun 6, 2007)

RootbeaR said:


> I posted to this forum.
> 
> It is being read on that blog.
> 
> ...


That will get the news to some but only those who go on the internet and happen to find a site where it's mentioned and read it and happen to believe it. There is so much that is not true on the internet that some people are skeptical. 
Besides, others can only do so much. It's the ones who were hoodwinked who have to do something.

I know there are certain products and companies that I don't deal with either.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Good one getting the added info on them.
Better have the box it came checked for drugs to because they all had to be high to think you can get away with doing what they did and then be so dumb to have the pictures left.


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## Frank4d (Sep 10, 2006)

JohnWill said:


> Extended warranties are the biggest ripoff on the planet! Didn't you ever wonder why stores push them so hard? Simple, it's because they a major money-maker! So, if they generate so much profit, it stands to reason that they're overpriced.


Sales people are pushed real hard to sell them. I once bought a $100 scanner at Best Buy and the guy wanted to know if I wanted an extended warranty; I told him "no". So he proceeded to charge me $90 for the scanner and $10 for the extended warranty anyway. When I protested "I said I don't want the warranty" he explained he was knocking the cost of the extended warranty off of the price of the scanner, so I would be even. I figured OK... whatever helps you keep your job.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

That's the only way I'd ever get one.  I've purchased tools for $30 at Sears, and they want to sell me an extended warranty for $16! I think I can take the risk...


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

JohnWill said:


> That's the only way I'd ever get one.  I've purchased tools for $30 at Sears, and they want to sell me an extended warranty for $16! I think I can take the risk...


And most of the good tools come with a free life time replacement on the tools.


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## leroys1000 (Aug 16, 2007)

Used to be I couldn't walk into radioshack without them wanting my
name,address,phone number and trying to sell me a cell phone
before I got out the door.
Must have been enough people complained.
They don't do it anymore.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

When I first went to radioshack they use to have a room up high in the back so they could see the shop but it was the repair center because back them they had people who could repair things but that was long ago.


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## leroys1000 (Aug 16, 2007)

Yeah,I remember a long time ago,radio shack used
to be geared toward hobbiests and sold electronic parts
and kits.
Ours was a repair station too and the guy let me use
his test equipment.
I think I was 14 then.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Yea it was great because you had someone to talk to that knew something and back then they would do just about they wanted to or the own/manager let them do.


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