var json_comments = new Array("
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hunter3742
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Anyone who lets Geek Squad touch their computer deserves what they get at this point.

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6 replies
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awolcfh5150
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@hunter3742: agreed! The Geek Squad is the worst thing to happen to tech support since India.

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gparlett
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@hunter3742: To some extent I agree with this. The OP knows its an issue with the power supply. Anyone who owns a laptop knows its an issue with the power supply (My Dell has run through four now) why even take it in? Just buy a new adapter.

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Englishee Teacher
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@gparlett: Because if it *is* something inside the computer you'd feel pretty stupid for going all the way to the store without the laptop and paying for an adapter you didn't need rather than just bringing it with you to make sure.

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holytrainwreck
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@hunter3742: I've seen better buys, actually. (Sorry, I stole your tag.)

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rickhamilton620
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@holytrainwreck: Haha, everytime they use that tag, I crack up..every time :)

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katstermonster
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@hunter3742: Ooooooh the very first comment is a Blame the OP comment! BINGO!!!!

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starrion
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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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?

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3 replies
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Applekid
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@starrion: To be fair, a multimeter is perhaps the last electronic service component available at Radio Shack. It's pretty easy to use, too.

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)

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Hooray4Zoidberg
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@starrion: Well sort of they probably sold him the ac adapter that's 2x as much, some batteries and got his phone number and address for their records, but at least they pretended to use a multimeter first.

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katstermonster
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Hooray4Zoidberg: Reading is fun! As hard as this is to believe, Radio Shack sent him to Best Buy to get a cheaper adapter. Nice try, though. Perhaps you should try the fiction section.

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gover57
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@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..

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wishnias
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@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.

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The Black Bird
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Add one more reason to the long list of reasons why I will never do business with Worst Buy.

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2 replies
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idip
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@The Black Bird: \"Add one more reason to the long list of reasons why I will never do business with Best Buy.\"

There ya go, I fixed that for ya. I think you got the Company Name wrong.

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failurate
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@idip: Worst Buy sounds like it might be a sausage wholesaler.

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gover57
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@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.

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thisisasignin
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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What a nice ending to the story.

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2 replies
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admiral_stabbin
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@thisisasignin: I could not agree more!

I'm honestly surprised that someone working the Geek Squad knew what a multimeter was, let alone how to use it properly.

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subtlefrog
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@admiral_stabbin: That's sort of what I was thinking - had he toddled off to get a multimeter, I pondered what he would have come back with - and just what he would have done with it. Though hilarity could have ensued. Somehow, I'm getting Benny Hill with multimeter images.

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qwerty001984
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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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.

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2 replies
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DoubleEcho
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@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?

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GitEmSteveDave_IsSlacking
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@DoubleEcho: You don't want to know how they decide who gets to drive every day.

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holytrainwreck
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@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....

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Jesse
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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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.

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4 replies
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psm321
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Jesse: Actually, I was looking for a Compact Flash card a few months ago for my brother (He needed it soon, so no ordering online). Best Buy's were ridiculously priced... went to the Radio Shack next door (I also needed something else from there, I forget what) and they were amazingly well-priced. I paid about what I would have for a no-name online, for a Sandisk UltraII or something like that. Apparently they had had a sale the previous week and the prices were still in the system (at least that's what the guy who helped me said).

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Veeber
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Jesse: Actually it probably was at 2400% markup, but the BestBuy one was probably at 2000%

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GitEmSteveDave_IsSlacking
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Jesse: It was a Universal adapter, not a Monster Adapter.

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DoubleEcho
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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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.

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Blueskylaw
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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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.

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3 replies
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Bittermormon
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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as a mormon I take offense at being compared to the geek squad

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9 replies
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Smashville
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Bittermormon: Geek Squad personnel also have to wear superpowered underwear.

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johnarlington
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Bittermormon:

Plus the morons work their asses off for what is probably constant rejection and doors slammed in their faces all day.

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davekoob
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Bittermormon: Dum Dum Dum Dum Dumb - no need for the OP to trash the Mormons... Partial supporter as my sister is a Mormon.

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korybing
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Bittermormon: Geek Squad/Dwight Schrute impersonator?

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Xerloq
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@korybing: Dwight wears mustard yellow shirts.

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Donathius
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Bittermormon: I'm a Mormon and I thought it was pretty funny. Although I'm also a competent computer tech so maybe I should be halfway insulted.

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JiminyChristmas
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Bittermormon: Well then, don't wear neckties with short-sleeved dress shirts when you go on mission.

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katstermonster
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@JiminyChristmas: Oooooooh, now I get the Mormon thing. We don't get a ton of missionaries around here, so I haven't seen too many in my life.

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Raekwon
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@katstermonster: Haha I had the same confusion (see post below) as the Geek Squad guys in my area don't dress like missionaries.

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secret_curse
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@JiminyChristmas: To be fair, the mormons had the style before geek squad.

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scoobydoo
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Every time I'm at a Bestbuy, I see people bringing their computers in for service. It makes me cringe :(

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GitEmSteveDave_IsSlacking
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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I had a similar problem recently. Luckily, I have two multimeters, one analog and one digital. My external enclosure started acting up, so I checked the transformer. While it's putting out somewhat the right voltage with no load, under load it drops from 12v to 3v. I email the company who explains to me that the AC adapter for a USB 2.0 3.5\" enclosure is, and I quote, \"an accessory\". I ask how it's an accessory, when without it, there is NO WAY for it to run since USB 2.0 only puts out a maximum 5v dc at .5A. It seems like a necessity rather than an accessory. They sent me a reply email saying: \"Please let me know what I can do to help the process easier to get your enclosure working again.\" Luckily I found another adapter that put out the right voltage, so I didn't have to spend $13 to replace the adapter for a $14 enclosure.

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2 replies
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wrjohnston91283
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@GitEmSteveDave_IsSlacking:

Care to name the company so the rest of don't have to deal with them?

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godlyfrog
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@GitEmSteveDave_IsSlacking: The answer to your problem is clear: the enclosure works just fine, it's the act of putting a drive in it that causes it to fail. Remove the drive, and your enclosure will work just fine.

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SaraFimm
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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BestBuy means Best Purchase. And that is it. Low prices are their forte, but don't expect anything else (warranties/repairs/etc.) to be any better than from someone off the street.

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3 replies
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Xerloq
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@SaraFimm: Ok, let's all name the places with lower prices than Best Buy...

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.

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Xerloq
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Xerloq, we are all made of stars.: Now's probably not a good time to mention that I actually had a really good experience with Best Buy.

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?

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Donathius
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@SaraFimm: Agreed. I go there to buy DVDs the day they come out, and that's about it.

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lukesdad
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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1.) Why does anyone who is even an occasional reader of this site still take their computer to the Geek Squad in the first place? Is it in the hopes that they will come away with a Consumerist-ready story for all of us to enjoy? If so, I'm all for it - I love reading this stuff.

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.

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3 replies
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subtlefrog
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@lukesdad: Maybe it was under warranty, or maybe it was because it was self-diagnosed as a very simple problem, and he knew BB would have the part, making it a simple trip (in theory). That is what I am hoping at least. If either of those were true, I could see myself going to BB. I even went to Circuit City once when my old laptop's AC adapter died - but I knew that was what it was. I assumed it would be a simple fix (but...you know what happens when you assume, even if you are correct).

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idip
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@lukesdad: Because most people don't have the computer knowledge to diagnose the problem themselves. With the absence of that computer knowledge most people don't know where an independent computer repair shop would be.

Most people would rather just take the computer to the place where they had a decent buying experience.

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lukesdad
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@idip: Yeah, but I wasn't talking about most people. I was talking about people who are familiar with this site, which it seemed like the OP was. Or he was at least somewhat familiar with \"Weak Squad's\" (his words) reputation.

It just make-a-no-sensa.

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do-it-myself
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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\"The Shack\" should appreciate all the positive publicity is can get!

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Raekwon
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Whoa! Why the anti Mormon comment there? I am Mormon and my friend had this exact same problem. Problem is she lives a few states away and I couldn't test her adapter for her. I told her that since she knew no one who could help her (her words) that she should take it to Geek Squad. She did buy a warranty from them after all so she might as well take advantage of all the money she wasted. Just like this post the person there stared at it a few seconds, didn't test anything, and mailed it away to be fixed for a month. Now she is without her laptop and can't do any schoolwork. Worst of all her college lets students opt to download their textbooks instead or having to carry around heavy books. Unfortunately it is a one time only download so she is out of luck. Hooray Geek Squad.

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8 replies
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JollyRogargh
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Raekwon:


Yea, this really didn't sound like an anti-Mormon comment at all. It sounded like a simple comparison to each-others attire.

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subtlefrog
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Raekwon: Yikes. I knew there was something I didn't like about download textbooks. Can she get a license transfer, explaining it is temporary until her laptop gets back? That sucks.

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Saboth
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Raekwon:

I didn't understand the mormon comment myself. Is it a reference to clothing or something?

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tripnman
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Saboth: Yuppers, a reference to their uniforms, nothing more. Geek squad decks out in short-sleeved white dress shirts with black pants and black tie. The name tags are a bit more colorful, that's about the only difference.

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Xerloq
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@tripnman is a pizza thief: Last time I met the missionaries, they didn't go through my computer for porn...

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Smashville
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@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.

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erin_w (formerly femme_dork)
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Saboth: Reference to the short-sleeved white shirts, ties, and black pants. That's what Mormons have been wearing when they go door-to-door (at least, the ones I've seen).

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.

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GitEmSteveDave_IsSlacking
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Raekwon: You have obviously not been contacted by a pair of (LDS)Mormon missionaries at your door:


And now compare to Geek Squad Agents:

We also would have accepted Ricky Fitts from American Beauty:

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e6c
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Raekwon:
I did not mean it to be an attack on the Mormons, just pointing out that they dress very similar. For the record, I have much more respect for Mormons than I do Geek Squad.

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Chris Walters
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@e6c: I wouldn't have left it in if I felt it was an insult to Mormons. It's just a reference to how young Mormon men frequently dress during their period of voluntary missionary work, and how it's strikingly similar to how Geek Squad agents dress. Since we frequently print jokey comments about, well, pretty much everyone, I left it.

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.

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Raekwon
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Chris Walters: Don't worry I'm not truly offended. Just seemed odd. The GS people in Utah wear polo shirts with GS logos (maybe to not be confused with Mormons) so I didn't get the reference. And yes I know what missionaries look like I was one as well. I also thoroughly enjoyed South Park references to us. Don't worry Mormons are pretty thick skinned, having multiple wives, horns, and being Jazz fans does that to us :-D

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Donathius
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Chris Walters: Don't worry about it Chris. I'm a Mormon and I thought it was funny.

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ctnchrisw
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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I had my mom's computer sent to sony via geek squad (it was under warranty, I'd never pay geek squad to touch my computer but this way I wouldn't need to pay shipping). On the 4th, their website said it was shipped back. Yesterday I called since I still hadn't received a call that it was back. Turns out, it was received in store on the 4th, not shipped from wherever they repair the computers, and they never called me. This is the second time I hadn't received a call when my item was finished. And the website told me to allow 2-7 days from the 4th for it to ship.

Expecting good service from geek squad is expecting too much.

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Saboth
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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That is the type of service I *used* to expect from Radio Shack. Back when they sold wiring, electrical components, motors, etc. The associate must have been left over from a bygone era. Nowadays you get the usual guy trying to pedal cell phone plans.

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1 replies
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JPropaganda
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Saboth: I'm really impressed with that level of service. I may just start to think differently about them.

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joeblevins
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Highly recommend picking up a $5 Multimeter from Harbor Freight. They are great to have around.

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2 replies
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thebigbluecheez
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@joeblevins: +1! I have come to rely on my multimeter so much that I don't know what I would do without it. When something electronic stops working, I test for current and continuity. That generally tells me what needs to be done. I'm sure it's capable of more, but those two simple tests are what save me a lot of headaches

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ShruggingGalt
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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I am so bummed I *just* missed a perfect picture opportunity the other day.

It was a Geek Squad Beetle shopping at Fry's Electronics.

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1 replies
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themindbullet
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@ShruggingGalt: When I worked at Circuit City, a local \"geeks on call\" business used to come in all the time for computer parts.

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pb5000
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Having to argue with Geek Squad almost seems like a consumer badge of honor. Do it once, never bother with them again and move on.

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1 replies
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xgeeksquad1
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Before I quit, if you would have came to my Geek Squad and I couldn't find the test adapter/multimeter, I would have opened one off the shelve to test.. then if willing, sold it to you for the open box price =D.

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humphrmi
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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I'm not sure that a Geek Squad employee would have known what to do with a multimeter if he had found it. In fact you were probably lucky to find someone at RS who knew how to use it. Good job.

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jeshurun
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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I agree the dude was supremely lazy, and if I was working at Geek Squad still and you came in to my precinct, I definitely would have checked the adapter for you (though, we didn't have the luxury of anything remotely tool-like such as a multimeter)...

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).

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slowie
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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I had a similar problem with AT&T and my modem. It stopped working, so I called customer support. The first representative was no help, but the modem started working again while I was on hold with him, so I didn't push the issue. Of course, it stopped working again later so I called back. I think my call was elevated to a different department and this representative actually seemed helpful. She had me try plugging the modem into a different outlet and then told me it could be a problem with the adapter or the modem itself. She said I could take them both to an AT&T store near my house to be tested. She gave me the address of the closest stores. Great!

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.

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iron_chef
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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thank god I own a mac. The Apple store is never this inept.

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korybing
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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It's a sad day when Radio Shack ends up being the good guy in a Consumerist story.

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1 replies
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Chris Walters
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@korybing: But it does make for a funny surprise ending!

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2 replies
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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When he further insisted it be sent out for 3 weeks you should have immediately asked for the store manager or GM just to embarrass the idiot.

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gcas
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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I used be in the Geek Squad *ducks* and I can honestly remember the day it started sucking. It's the day they started giving us a sheet at the beginning of our sheet with a goal of how much we had to sell (\"This is how they do it at stores in D.C.\" is what they told us). That very day it started to be about how much money you could get out of customers.
Every person we hired thereafter had more of a background in sales than in computers.
I quit a month later.

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Jeff-er-ee
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Best Buy, booooo...

Radio Shack, yaaay...wait, um...boooo...I mean YAY

This is going to hurt my brain.

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Nytmare
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Chris Walters: You know who else goes door to door pressing others to sign up with them.

[consumerist.com]

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jpdanzig
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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A store has to be pretty bad to be shown up by Radio Shack!


Yikes!

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StanTheManDean
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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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?

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e6c
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@StanTheManDean: I am the OP for this story, I emailed Best Buy through their website last week! In fact I even told them I planned on writing this up for Consumerist.com and I never got a response!

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NMTBB
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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While I agree with the general sentiment of the OP there is one part that isn't necessarily correct:

\"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.

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holytrainwreck
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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BBY has really jumped the shark with this Geek Squad outfit.

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chrispcade
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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As a confirmed Best Buy hater I hate to defend them...but. If this client had a warranty, they don't do multi meter checks at stores. I'd have rather gotten a new cord for FREE then pay the $75 for a new one. Now if this guy had no policy, then he should have never gone to Best Buy in the first place. Also, in my experience he chanced upon the one honest radio shack employee in the United States. He should consider himself lucky.

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e6c
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@chrispcade:

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.

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FDCPAGuy
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@e6c:
You didn't need to go without it for 3 weeks if you had a PSP/BTP plan. For a power cord/battery you just call 888-BESTBUY and have parts search send you one to your home via mail. I then suppose you could return the radio shack one...

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FDCPAGuy
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Ah I see the OP probably dealt with a seasonal employee or the 'counter help' as I like to call them. With Geek Squad it seems like there are two types of employees: the older person who is actually knowledgeable and the just out of high school kid they stick at the counter for ring outs/check ins/remedial work. I'm telling you guys most of the moronic issues with geeksquad you guys have is due to dealing with the 'counter help'. Next time one gives you flack just ask to speak to one of the more Sr agents or the manager. DC in jacks can go bad so the guy was lazy, took a 50/50 guess and lost. Personally I'd love to know what store this was, better not have been the one I frequent. The guys at mine are actually quite *gasp* helpful.

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Vipersfate
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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I work at a small computer shop. This is ridiculous. It takes me 2 seconds to find my multimeter. We also keep a universal around just for that occasion. Geek Squad is fucking stupid.

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Darkneuro
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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If the OP is smart, he's gonna send a copy of this to BestBuy AND GeekSquad AND RadioShack.
Just to see what would happen, you know?

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nstonep
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Probably doesn't know how to use a multimeter. People make excuses to A)be lazy and/or B)not show how unqualified or stupid they actually are.

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evelus2
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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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.

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Raekwon
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@subtlefrog: That's what I told her to do but she is currently in a \"freak out it's the end of the world\" state and it's hard to calm down. I feel bad but I can't magically transport to SanFran. I hope she can figure it out.

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mattman0726
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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[www.forums.bestbuy.com]

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[DFX] Deimos
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@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...

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SkuldChan
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Mormon impersonator? That seemed needless.

Anyhow what do you expect for a bunch of entry level technicians?

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parrotuya
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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I think the Mormon comment has something to do with the electromagnetic properties of Mormon's \"magic underwear.\" If you don't take it off while working on a computer, it will fry the circuits!

DOWn, baby, DOWn!

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narq
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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I love these stories. It makes my business appear that much better. At the same time I feel sorry for the people in line at Best Buy and wish I could give them my card without getting booted from the store. Thinking a Geek Squad \"agent\" is a \"computer professional\" is like thinking the guy who flips burgers at McDs is a chef.

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.

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Raekwon
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@[DFX] Deimos: If you would read the comments nobody was outraged. We just didn't get the reference. As for real anti Mormon commentary I think you win!

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[DFX] Deimos
November 18, 2009 4:52 PM
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@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?

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