r81984Fair and Balanced Premium Member join:2001-11-14 Katy, TX |
r81984
Premium Member
2008-Dec-26 5:48 pm
People who work at Geek Squad and call themselves...IT Guy
Seriously, these people know nothing about computers or networking and should not be allowed to BS people to steal their money. |
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Razzy2
Member
2008-Dec-26 6:18 pm
I work in a PC store and there are plenty of times people bring by their computers that just came out of BB saying they could not figure it out.
The last time it happened, the PC would not turn on at all - they concluded it was the power supply which they were right but it turns on but no video. They ended up telling him motherboard was bad. Took a quick look at it and to customer's surprise - I managed to have it booted up without issue.
What was it? Just needed to clear CMOS. Just sad they never did that important step. |
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Doctor FourMy other vehicle is a TARDIS Premium Member join:2000-09-05 Dallas, TX 1 edit |
to r81984
No wonder they're called "Geek Squat". Because that's pretty close to what they know: almost nothing. |
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Cthen Premium Member join:2004-08-01 Detroit, MI |
to r81984
Though I have to say if it weren't for these asshats, I wouldn't be making so much tax free cash on the side. |
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joako Premium Member join:2000-09-07 /dev/null |
to r81984
I do work in IT. All these wanna be IT people annoy me (of course I don't tell them, I just play along because I don't want to get into a 5 hour discussion arguing over trivialities).
One guy told me he used to be a mechanic and got a degree in something computer-related and he thought that going to work for geek squad would be a "great carreer move." Ok, thats great if it makes you happy go right ahead. All you probably know is theory which IMO has nothing to do with the real world practice. I've know people with MASTERS in computer science and because of that they think they know it all, but they can barely opperate a computer.
OTOH this lady took her computer to Geek Squad and they told her the problem was the power supply. She then took the PC to a buddy's shop to get the power supply replaced. We are pondering over it because it seems to work fine. Eventually we notice the power supply fan isn't spinning. I wonder if the "power supply" is just a standard answer? FWIW I usually lean towards the problem being the mainboard. |
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Cthen Premium Member join:2004-08-01 Detroit, MI |
Cthen
Premium Member
2008-Dec-26 9:09 pm
said by joako:One guy told me he used to be a mechanic and got a degree in something computer-related and he thought that going to work for geek squad would be a "great carreer move." Ok, thats great if it makes you happy go right ahead. I'm the hiring manager for my department. Once I had a guy apply for a position who had Geek Squad listed on his resume. To me that was an automatic disqualification for this guy. 2 weeks after I filled the position the guy had called back to see what was up. I told him I selected someone else who was more qualified already. He told me that he did list Geek Squad on his resume to show he could do the job. I told him I had noticed that, and that was my decision in selecting someone else. Odd thing is the guy didn't even argue it. He just said "Thank you for your time." and then hung up. |
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BK3 join:2001-04-10 Geneva, IL |
to r81984
Like a previous poster said, I make money cleaning up after Geek Squad. I do some free-lance work, in addition to my regular job, mostly residential and small offices (generally 1 to 3 man offices). I would estimate that 85% of the people I do work for had first tried Geek Squad, once, and would never go back to them again (especially after working with me ) |
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Sukunai Premium Member join:2008-05-07 |
to r81984
I have a buddy, has NO formal training of ANY sort. Only that he has been 'screwing' with computers since he was a kid.
He can help YOU fix a computer just talking to you on the phone. He knows his way around so well he doesn't even need to see your system at all.
THAT'S my idea of real skills in work.
A document on the wall won't get you inside MY computer, I need REAL proof you know squat first. |
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KearnstdSpace Elf Premium Member join:2002-01-22 Mullica Hill, NJ |
to r81984
im bad, being in ISP tech support we are told to suggest Geek Squad if it turns out it might be a hardware problem. but i have a habit of suggesting the person check the yellow pages for computer repair first because a local shop might just cost less and do a better job.
sidetrack: i think our "computer science" type jobs like network admin and stuff should be shunted from mostly college based to being more like Plumbers and other truely skilled trades where you fetch some basic education and then work an apprenticeship. if its worked for the trades for centuries cant see why it wouldnt work in IT, considering networks are becoming almost as important as plumbing. course atleast the router doesnt ever back up and spill smelly packets all over the computer room.
"damn TCP stack overflow, ewww i deleted that file two days ago....." |
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to joako
Are you sure this person had a Masters Of Computer Science ? I find it hard to believe that at least 6 years of doing nothing but remotely connecting to campus servers...installing compilers on home workstations,compiling/debugging 100 + pages of code,having to learn the difference between developing in different environments, learning computer architecture( I mean things like how memory really works, and assembly..not basic A+), why algorithm efficiency matters, etc...could barely operate a computer. |
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dave Premium Member join:2000-05-04 not in ohio |
dave to joako
Premium Member
2009-Jan-12 9:03 pm
to joako
said by joako:I've know people with MASTERS in computer science and because of that they think they know it all, but they can barely opperate a computer. 'Computer science' is not concerned with operating a computer. Computer science studies stuff like theoretical design of programming languages, algorithmic complexity, the Entscheidungsproblem, and things like that. A degree in theoretical science no more indicates practical ability than, say, a degree in fuel and combustion science means you can drive a car. Mind you, some of us with computer science degrees know the practical stuff as well, but it's not the same subject at all. In fact, any CS degree course that concentrates on 'how to use a computer' is academically defective. Of course, if you knew all that and merely meant to snigger at CS grads who thus assumed that they knew all about operating a PC, then I agree. |
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DownTheShorePray for Ukraine Premium Member join:2003-12-02 Beautiful NJ |
to r81984
My sister bought a new computer (Vista) and allowed them to "tweak" it before she took it home. She brought it home and it didn't work. Bit my tongue when she was relating the saga, which involved two separate Best Buy stores and couple of days of non-availability of the brand new computer. |
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OHN join:2003-02-05 Appleton, WI |
to Razzy2
Yeah that is one of the most basic steps you do. Crazy. Also, do they not have a power supply tester? They just guess? I test stuff, pull it out and try on other machines to see if the parts are bad. No need for guess work.
Other times it simply requires you to reseat stuff. |
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OHN |
to joako
Yeah, I run in to these all the time. Just the other day I had an issue go down like this:
Customer: I cannot login to your site. Fix it now! Me: What error do you get? Customer: None, it does not display anything. It stopped working after you guys made a change to your site. You should display an error. I work in a secluded area of the government with programmers and any programmer worth anything will make it so an error displays. I work with real higher ups. Me: Well we do have errors display which shows the exact cause. If we cannot determine the exact cause there is a general error. If nothing displayed their maybe an issue communicating with us. Customer: Well whatever it is fix. Me: Have you cleared your cache? Customer: I dont have a big cache why should I have to clear it? That does not make any sense. Me: Can you do it just to check and then we can jump to the complicated solutions and I promise to escalate once we determine the basic steps have been taken? Customer: {Clears his cache reluctantly and with a tude"). Yeah, I can get in now. This does not make sense. Why dont you guys anticipate this kind of stuff? Me: Anticipate that you had a corrupt cache? Customer: Yes, you need to anticipate this kind of stuff Me: You mean like have an FAQ for common issues and solutions? Customer: No, not FAQ, just create a program that displays text on the page to show people how to clear out their cache. |
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OHN |
OHN to BK3
Member
2009-Jan-12 10:03 pm
to BK3
Yeah me too. What I do find funny in my case are the cheapskates that took it to Geek Squad and paid $200 and the issue was not resolved or they messed something else up.
Then, they come to me and I tell them what it is and let them know I will charge them $30 because they are friends. I fix the issue in 5-10 minutes. Then when it is time to pay they say they will pay me next time. I cut them slack because they are so called friends.
They then have another issue and I tell them I will fix it for them for $30-$60. Again, this is the friend price and they ask if they can charge them less. WTF?
Sometimes I feel like telling them to leave their machine. Maybe if I hold on to their machine for a few weeks it will justify them paying me on the spot. I mean, I am not charging you much you cheap bastard. Just because I do the same work in 10-20 minutes that it takes Geek Squad to resolve or try to resolve in two weeks does not mean you have to shaft me. |
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OHN |
to popasmuerf
I have had that. No way to tell if they are being honest about their credentials though. I have schooled many programmers, network admins, MCSC, A+++, and even Ethical Hackers. I am not saying they are not worth anything but I have had many throw their titles in my face and then end up looking like idiots.
The funny thing is I started getting in to computers like 10 years ago. I am very obsessive about them though. Thanks to my old Compaq Pressario. Piece of crap would not work. I could tell people would try to BS me when I needed help so I decided to learn. The rest is history. |
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daTKnow thyself, be yourself. Premium Member join:2002-09-15 M6K XXX |
daT to OHN
Premium Member
2009-Jan-13 12:35 am
to OHN
said by OHN:Yeah me too. What I do find funny in my case are the cheapskates that took it to Geek Squad and paid $200 and the issue was not resolved or they messed something else up. Then, they come to me and I tell them what it is and let them know I will charge them $30 because they are friends. I fix the issue in 5-10 minutes. Then when it is time to pay they say they will pay me next time. I cut them slack because they are so called friends. They then have another issue and I tell them I will fix it for them for $30-$60. Again, this is the friend price and they ask if they can charge them less. WTF? Sometimes I feel like telling them to leave their machine. Maybe if I hold on to their machine for a few weeks it will justify them paying me on the spot. I mean, I am not charging you much you cheap bastard. Just because I do the same work in 10-20 minutes that it takes Geek Squad to resolve or try to resolve in two weeks does not mean you have to shaft me. A continual sore point for me. I charge a very reasonable CDN 120 to install and setup a Windows box. I even create an image for the inevitable call back. How many time I'm asked to 'maybe can I pay 100 bucks'... grr... We all know how many hours it takes to get a system up to snuff and if we charged what it costs us (in terms of time/energy... and listening to the whining) we wouldn't get any work. I just had a buddy call about his box, complaining the kids have done 'something' to it. Sorta like a mechanic... like this... Customer - My car is wrong, it's making this sound Mechanic - What kind of sound? Customer - Sort of a 'waaaa' sound'. What is it? repeat if needed. |
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OHN join:2003-02-05 Appleton, WI 1 edit |
OHN
Member
2009-Jan-13 12:43 am
So true. I image the machine using Acronis. That way if they mess it up it is up and running in 20-25 minutes.
In case I need to reinstall Windows,and dont have an image, I created an uNattended CD that installs the OS, new patches and a bunch of common apps i.e. ant virus, classic mode tweak, anti spyware. Done also in 30 minutes or so with no input from me. Took me a week or so to create the CD. Now that it is made it saves me so much time. That still does not mean they should expect to pay $20 or something. Just because I was smart enough to find an efficient way?
Truth be told, I started charging some friends because they brought me the machine back every month or so. Since I would do it for free I dont think they appreciated it. When I told them I would charge them, the machine comes back once every three months. One friend got mad I was going to charge him. He went to Geek Squad and they were going to charge him $150. When he saw that the $60 I was charging him was nothing he came back. |
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SnowyLock him up!!! Premium Member join:2003-04-05 Kailua, HI |
Snowy to Cthen
Premium Member
2009-Jan-13 12:57 am
to Cthen
said by Cthen:... Odd thing is the guy didn't even argue it. He just said "Thank you for your time." and then hung up. I'd keep his resume active. For sure on the job training needs to be kept to a minimum, but the person sounds trainable. |
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Sukunai Premium Member join:2008-05-07 |
to r81984
There likely are no actual 'Geeks' in Geek Squad. My friend is an actual Geek, a socially clumsy individual that simply has had too much time with too many computers over too many years College won't make you the equal of a real Geek, it will only make you in debt for a number of years while you pay off your student loan for skills you likely rarely get to use. You'll know a real Geek when you see one. The only person you should allow in your computer is a genuine Geek. |
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to dave
Right...if you cant get around knowing the practical stuff, then you wont last long. As far as knowing the ins and outs of a particular platform...not so much. |
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OHN join:2003-02-05 Appleton, WI |
to Sukunai
I disagree. I am a geek but I do not look like one. In fact, I used to bodybuild. Most people when they see me do not assume I am a Geek. This is an advantage especially when people try to BS me.
I am not socially clumsy but I do tend to be an introvert at times. I dont think you can label us geeks too easily. There are very different types of geeks for differet types of topics. |
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DrModemTrust Your Doctor Premium Member join:2006-10-19 USA |
DrModem
Premium Member
2009-Jan-13 11:15 am
Heh, I considered joining up with the geek squad to get some more practical experience troubleshooting computers than I get with my four machines here at home.
After seeing the comment the guy made about seeing geek squad on a resume though... I guess I'll reconsider that, since I don't want to be told I know nothing and rejected simply because I worked for them. |
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to r81984
I worked for geek squad for all of a month and a half before I quit. Reasons include much of what has been stated. While there as some that work there that are good, the good ones never stay there(ex. myself). Real quick list of why I quit.
1. I cannot stand to work with complete retards. 2. They force you to use there software to fix all problems, your not allowed to troubleshoot and fix your own way/ the right way. It's either fixed by there programs procedures or its falsely declared "fixed" and given back to the customer. Fix it correctly and get written up! 3. I refuse to work somewhere where i'm forced to screw people over hardcore all day, in any way possible, or get punished the following week with 8 hours total scheduled time. Ways we had to screw ppl include the following. -Target people that diddn't seem to know as much about computers and lie to them to sell them a bunch of extra stuff they do not need. (usually elderly) -Lie when selling warranties/service plans, these are a huge joke in almost every way. And you will not get what you pay for in them garunteed. -Prices....OMG have you seen how much they charge for things that take 10 minutes to do? Example, $50 for a NIC install. -They use a service they call Agent Johnie Utah to clean viruses remotely..which is a service they pay for..outsourced to foreign countries. So some guy half way across the world that cant even speak english is remotely messing with your computer. And when he's done..well it must be fixed, no need to check it or your in deep **** with the managers. I'm sure you guessed...they almost never fix it correctly. - The service center that they send your stuff to...well you have a bout a 70% chance of getting your stuff back, and a 25% chance of it being fixed correctly. They more times then not will purposely do something to your equipment claim it was you, and then charge you for it and say you voided warranty. I personally inspected alot of stuff that was fine, it then came back with water damage...which isnt covered. 4. 90% of my day was spent listening to customers screaming at me over stuff that others had screwed up, or because of being screwed over. 5. I, like some others thought it would be a good way to get my IT career going and get some real on the job experience after college, and years of working on pc's for money on the side for myself, but the final straw came after them hiring a girl, that knew absolutely nothing about computers..but they thought she could sell more by flirting with the customers. 6. One last thing not really geek squad related..customer service, some of the retards out there seriously need to just stay home..it scares me to death knowing that some of those people are actually driving vehicles out there....far to many people actually fall under this category.
Also your right this job is not an IT job, its just a job where you put in a cd, and let there software do whatever to the computer and give it back..still broken or not.
I however don't think you should not hire someone based at being at geek squad...there are a very small number that actually do know something, especially if you see they werent there long. I now work as an IT guy (Title: PC Coordinator) at a large factory. Leaps and bounds better then the trash that is geek squad. |
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Sukunai Premium Member join:2008-05-07 |
to r81984
Bill Gates is the original geek success story. Geek means computers. Keep in mind some people are not geeks, they're nerds and it's not easy to keep the details straight A nerd might also be a geek, or they might just be the guy that liked science tooooooo much. Bill Nye is a nerd, not a geek for instance. |
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dave Premium Member join:2000-05-04 not in ohio |
to Sukunai
said by Sukunai:There likely are no actual 'Geeks' in Geek Squad. Which is kind of a shame, since I'm sure biting the heads off live chickens would entertain the customers who were waiting for their computers to get fixed. It would probably violate some workplace safety law, though. |
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DrModemTrust Your Doctor Premium Member join:2006-10-19 USA |
to Swillx
said by Swillx:I worked for geek squad for all of a month and a half before I quit. Reasons include much of what has been stated. While there as some that work there that are good, the good ones never stay there(ex. myself). Real quick list of why I quit. *snip* Wow that finishes the decision. I'm not even going to think about working for them, ever. |
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OHN join:2003-02-05 Appleton, WI |
to Sukunai
So would Beakman from Beakmans World qualify as a Geek? How about the guys from Mythbusters? |
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OHN
1 recommendation |
OHN to dave
Member
2009-Jan-13 4:45 pm
to dave
I usually swallow swords or breath fire when I help people. That is more the magic part of me then the geek though. |
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1 edit |
to OHN
Heh yea I use an Antec PS tester. Very handy to have. No idea about the Geek Squad.
There are quite a few times machines came in with no video and sometimes I just needed to clean/reseat RAM. |
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