The other day my laptop quit working. I noticed the LED display that shows that it is plugged in was not glowing. First I tried plugging my cell phone adapter into the outlet just to see if the outlet was working and of course, there was nothing wrong with the outlet (hooray for paying my electric bill), next I tried plugging the laptop into a different plug and still no luck. Through this basic troubleshooting I realized that either my AC adapter was bad or the problem was inside my laptop! Off to Best Buy and their Weak Squad, I mean Geek Squad.
When I got to Best Buy I told the Geek Squad / Mormon impersonator about my problem. I even suggested that all I needed for them to do was plug my laptop in with a different cord and/or check my adapter with a multimeter. The Geek told me that they did not have an adapter for my computer (an obvious lie, I have had my laptop worked on twice by the Geek Squad and both times they used their own adapter); however he did agree to check it with the multimeter. He then looked around for about 5 seconds and could not find the multimeter, so he did the next logical thing, he picked up my laptop, stared into the AC adapter receiver and then told me "It is definitely going to be a problem with the computer, we are going to need to send it in for three weeks."
Obviously I was shocked. I told him before I sent off my computer for 3 weeks I would like to make sure it is not a problem with the AC adapter, could he please check it out first. "It is going to take at least 10 minutes for me to get the multimeter or another adapter, it's going to be a problem inside the computer, lets just send it in."
I thought for a second... 3 weeks vs 10 minutes... 3 vs 10... well, 3 is less than 10 (Shel Silverstein showed me that in his economy-based poem "Smart")... Despite Shel's frugal advice I decided I would wait out those ten minutes and see what happens.
Turns out, when plugged into a different adapter my computer turns right on! Now, I know all I need to do is buy an adapter, but to be honest I was pretty angry at the Geek Squad's lack of effort in troubleshooting my computer, so I did not purchase the adapter from them.
Instead I went across the street to "The Shack" and started to explain my troubles to the employee there. Before I was done with my story he had already pulled out a multimeter and another adapter. He first plugged in the other adapter and it worked, so then he took the multimeter to my adapter and checked it in two places, before the transformer (from the wall to the plug was 110v) and then post transformer to plug (3.5v, when it as supposed to be putting out 19v). Not only did he confirm (by using science!) that the adapter was bad, he then told me "I'll be honest with you, the universal adapter we sell here is more expensive than the one across the street at Best Buy." To me, his willingness to do the right thing (and not send my laptop away for 3 weeks) was worth the extra 10 dollars.
RELATED
"Radio Shack Sales Staff Unfazed By 2,400% Markup"
Approximately every third Geek Squad post on Consumerist
(Photo: shlala)
@Raekwon: Good. I am against all religions, especially those formed by no good religious huckster scam artists like John Smith.
I mean, how stupid does one have to be to believe the bullshit stories that he came up with?
]]>Everyone should do themselves a favor and find a reputable local repair shop. Even if they aren't very good at their job I guarantee they charge less and do much better than Geek Squad. There's also the fact they won't ever send your laptop somewhere for several weeks. I'm so glad I fix my own computers. By the time you're done with Geek Squad you can buy a new PC.
]]>DOWn, baby, DOWn!
]]>Anyhow what do you expect for a bunch of entry level technicians?
]]>@Raekwon: Hey don't let the reality of it being a simple comparison get in the way of your manufactured outrage.
Perhaps they should have extended the comparison further to demonstrate that both Geek Squad and the LDS are scam artists? Seriously Mormonism is battling with Scientology for stupidest relgious belief in active practice. I guess that is what you get when your religion is founded by a former convict and fraud like Joseph Smith...
]]>@Raekwon:
Yea, this really didn't sound like an anti-Mormon comment at all. It sounded like a simple comparison to each-others attire.
]]>@gover57: beat me to it.
]]>@failurate: last time i was in BB, we got an LG tv for $400 less than thier price, and they were giving us a hard time because they were "losing money on this sale" - we said, that their policy was to match a competitor's sale price, and them losing on the sale wasn't our fault. after a good half hour of them trying everything to make us go away, they folded and gave us the deal... they even went to the extreme of calling the furniture store to see if they had any left (apparently they could refuse us then) and they had a lot left (it was closer to get to BB than the furniture store). gotta love putting them to the grindwheel.
]]>@katstermonster: Did you skip the last six words? "was worth the extra 10 dollars," as in, even though they told him it was cheaper at Best Buy, he purchased the more expensive one at Radio Shack because of the better service.
Reading is fun, but comprehension is what keeps you from looking like an idiot.
]]>@katstermonster: You'd do from a bit of reading comprehension - the last sentence of Scott's note above says he spent the extra $10 at RS, not that he went back to BB for the adapter. he only stated that the RS employee said it's cheaper accross the street, not that he went back... the customer service received was worth his business and he spent the cash at Radio Shack..
]]>How come everyone is putting The Shack in quotation marks. I don't walk around all day air quoting every time i say "Coke" instead of Coca-Cola or "Mac" instead of Apple Macintosh Computer.
]]>@Xerloq, we are all made of stars.: When I had them come to my house, they stuck their foot in my door and wouldn't leave. I asked them to leave and they still kept talking...all this in a neighborhood with a no soliciting sign.
I think I'd feel less invaded if they looked at my porn.
]]>@Bittermormon: Geek Squad personnel also have to wear superpowered underwear.
]]>@holytrainwreck: Haha, everytime they use that tag, I crack up..every time :)
]]>Which would you choose:
A. Free Cord but go without Laptop for 3 week
B. pay $75 and go home with laptop
I think most of us would go with B.
]]>I got one at Harbor Freight for $1.99
]]>Care to name the company so the rest of don't have to deal with them?
]]>It just make-a-no-sensa.
]]>Plus the morons work their asses off for what is probably constant rejection and doors slammed in their faces all day.
]]>BBY has really jumped the shark with this Geek Squad outfit.
]]>"The Geek told me that they did not have an adapter for my computer (an obvious lie, I have had my laptop worked on twice by the Geek Squad and both times they used their own adapter)"
I worked at the GS for longer than I'm willing to admit and we were not provided any adapters at all. We were not even given any universal adapters.
We did have a large box of random adapters though that usually came from old broken machines but sometimes ones that didn't end up going home with the customer.
These adapters often broke and there was no way to replace them. On occasion they were given away to "good" customers too when theirs broke down.
]]>@Raekwon: Assume the position! Oh, never mind...
]]>@Blueskylaw: Zing!
]]>@GitEmSteveDave_IsSlacking: It's like you trying to decide who you're going to be every day: Is it Steve or is it Dave? Hmmmm....
]]>@hunter3742: I've seen better buys, actually. (Sorry, I stole your tag.)
]]>@Nytmare: Jehovah's Witnesses?
]]>Well written, logical. Obviously demonstrates the OP's basic knowledge and the Geek Squads lack there-of.
Can we get a BB response to this incident?
]]>A store has to be pretty bad to be shown up by Radio Shack!
Yikes!
]]>My brother's nearly-one-year-old iPod broke, and BBY replaced it for him (and gave him the $100 difference between the 2g and 3g) without him having to go through the three-repair-lemon-hell process. He is active duty, and did mention he was deploying in a couple of days.
Did I just undermine my previous argument?
]]>1)Wally World
2)Warehouse-club-of-the-month
3)Newegg.com
4)90,000 other e-tailers.
...
Best Buy's forte is simply their proximity to consumers who 1) have to have Rock Band 2 NOW!!!, and 2) don't want to look in other places for better... everything.
Convenience on initial purchase is about all they had going for them, but they're quickly destroying that.
]]>Radio Shack, yaaay...wait, um...boooo...I mean YAY
This is going to hurt my brain.
]]>If I owned an electronically-oriented store, I'd give the simple 10 minute multimeter tutorial to all my employees so that any other customer who comes in with a problem can be immediately impressed by it's electrodes and display (or beeping, depending on what's being tested)
]]>So I went to the first store and they are very sorry but cannot run tests like that. It was a small branch and they hardly had anything so I understood. I drove the 10 more minutes to the big AT&T store. They also said they have no way of testing the adapter or modem and didn't seem to care at all that AT&T support told me they would. All they could do was sell me a new modem for around $85 dollars. I'd only had the first one for a year and a half and the warranty ends after a year. I asked if I could buy and extended warranty. No, I couldn't. So I asked if I might have to buy an $85 modem every year and a half. She said "Yes."
I asked if I could just buy the adapter. Only over the phone from the AT&T store. I didn't want to mail order an adapter if I didn't know that was the problem. So, I bought the modem from them and tested my old modem at home with the newly purchased adapter. It worked.
At this point I tried to decide whether to take the high road and buy the adapter over the phone from them and return the working adapter with the modem or just package up my old adapter and return it with the modem. I decided to buy the adapter. It was $10 with a $10 shipping fee. I also called support again and told them that no, the stores cannot test your equipment. I doubt it mattered.
]]>That being said, Geek Squad is a service organization, not a sales organization. They don't make money from testing people's systems for free. They make money from fixing them for $$$.
If he was following GS policy, I'm pretty sure he should have charged you $60 to diagnose the system and then let you know what services he could perform to fix the issue - not sure if that's how things are working still (haven't worked for them for 3 blissful years).
]]>For it to be offensive or hurtful, there'd have to be some sort of implication that either Geek Squad agents suck because they look like Mormons, or Mormons suck because they look like Geek Squad agents. The OP doesn't really imply either. He *does* make it clear that this particular agent sucked, but not because of his uniform.
]]>Though I'm not sure why it was necessary. OP thought he was much more witty than he really was. I agree, it was a bad experience, but...meh.
]]>@JiminyChristmas: To be fair, the mormons had the style before geek squad.
]]>
And now compare to Geek Squad Agents:
We also would have accepted Ricky Fitts from American Beauty:
It was a Geek Squad Beetle shopping at Fry's Electronics.
]]>Highly recommend picking up a $5 Multimeter from Harbor Freight. They are great to have around.
]]>Most people would rather just take the computer to the place where they had a decent buying experience.
]]>I didn't understand the mormon comment myself. Is it a reference to clothing or something?
]]>Expecting good service from geek squad is expecting too much.
]]>@Bittermormon: Well then, don't wear neckties with short-sleeved dress shirts when you go on mission.
]]>"The Shack" should appreciate all the positive publicity is can get!
]]>There ya go, I fixed that for ya. I think you got the Company Name wrong.
]]>I'm honestly surprised that someone working the Geek Squad knew what a multimeter was, let alone how to use it properly.
]]>2.) I used to work at Radio Shack (not RadioShack or "The Shack") in a past life. It gives me warm fuzzies to see that some of the "old way" of doing business there still exists there occasionally.
]]>@qwerty001984: But I thought all of the Geek Squad staff wore white shirts and ties and they each drove a VW bug? Do they get a phone booth in the back to change in at least?
]]>Passing the buck and letting someone else do the work has been human nature since man could grunt.
This reminds me of a story.
Two guys work in the same military office building in Washington DC. One of the guys always manages to leave work about one hour early while the other has to burn the midnight oil. Finally the other guy asks, I always see you leaving early, how on earth do you get your work done on time. The other guy said whenever I get paperwork that I don't know what to do with or don't want to deal with I always put it in an envelope marked confidential and forward it to Mr. Smith because in a building this big there has to be a Mr. Smith here somewhere. The other guy looks at him and says that answers a lot of questions because I'm Colonel Smith.
]]>Good thing Scott didn't send it in - he would have been told it was a bad hard drive, been charged $1500 for data recovery and still have a broken AC adapter.
]]>@Jesse:
Correction: Part.
]]>When I got to the park regarding Scott's subsequent visit to "The Shack," I thought they were going to try and sell Scott a new power adapter at a 2400% markup.
]]>Do you want to know the difference between the geek squad worker and a regular best buy worker?
The geek squad worker stands behind the geek squad counter and the regular worker stands at the cash register. They are completely interchangeable and have the same knowledge of computers.
Anyone that takes their computer to geek squad for a repair is just making the problem worse.
]]>What a nice ending to the story.
]]>If this keeps up people are going to think that Geek means lazy person(with poor grooming habits) of low intelligence who puts gadgets in shipping boxes.
Radio Shack FTW!???
Really?
]]>