Are you really COMPLAINING that you got paid attention to at a retail establishment? And again, are you really complaining that Best Buy is pushy because they offered to provide Geek Squad services for free? I’m sure if you really wanted Geek Squad but they were trying to charge you then you would have just complained about how expensive it was. And I highly doubt that the sales person had enough gull to be so pushy about Geek Squad, yet he said “… and well… do your updates.” And your argument is that “the most annoying thing is… Geek Squad!” But the block quote that you provided to back that up is you talking with the computer sales person.

Find something else to complain about. And go to Circuit City if you want to be ignored.

I’m not complaining that they offered a service for free. I’m complaining that they pretend they’re just doing it to be nice. No giant company is nice for free and, in this case, the price is an invitation into your home, where Best Buy’s geeks will spend 4 hours marketing to you. Don’t believe that’s what will happen? Ask anyone who’s actually had them in their house.

So yeah, I hate Geek Squad. They’re taking advantage of people who don’t know much about computers, and pretending that it’s a favor.

RGS,
For the most part, I agree with you. I am a former Services Manager for a Best Buy (but I left to have a life!).

My responsibility was all things computers and Geek Squad (as well as home theater, appliances, mobile install and other serices offered, but that’s a different topic).

The agents and computer associates are driven HARD to close that sale and attach as much as they can (so their accessory rate will be high). The push for the complete sale is so intense, it reminds older associates of the days when Best Buy used to be commissioned sales.

The objective is to offer an end-to-end solution for people, which makes sense for the person who knows nothing and needs guidance from knowledgable people, but for the person who wants to shop on their own and be left alone, it is quite annoying.

The same thing goes for the Geek Squad agents in the home. They are tasked HEAVILY with attaching when in the home – looking to see if they have additional computers that might need updating or connecting to the network, etc. It also includes paying attention to the customer’s home – if they don’t have a HD television, they’re supposed to recommend a Home Theater consultation!
One expression they supposed to live by is “own the block”, meaning parking the Geekmobile in a highly visible location so that hopefully other neighbors will see that a Geek was visiting their neighborhood, and eventually the agent will get business from those other homes…

From a business standpoint, it is brilliant. From a personal standpoint, to many people, it is annoying.

I have a friend who does IT work on his own around our city, and he does a LOT of re-work for people who had Geek Squad agents in their homes and offices. Not to say that all agents are bad, but there are definitely ones out there screwing things up, either by ignorance or from pressure to do so much…

Matt

I just might have to pick up one of those shirts.

I really loathe squad. I wrote about them a while back.

http://mr.spoontr.com/2007/04/04/geek-squadcant-even-live-up-to-the-name/

Matt,

thank you very much for taking to give us some insights behind Best Buy and Geek Squad.

I am a geek and I just love snooping around and getting my hands on gadgets but it just drives me outside Best Buy stores by the constant sales pushyness.

What are you doing now?

I am a project manager for a large healthcare company – quite a departure from working retail management for several years! I love the 9-5 schedule, which allows me time to have a life – I am the editor of Pocket PC Louisville, which is small-potatoes compared to the larger mobile gadget sites, but it’s a labor of love!

Matt

So you’re complaining about Geek Squad being pushy, and how much you hate them, when it was actually a Best Buy Computer Salesmen who you should be upset with… I know they work for the same parent company, and work in the same building, but perhaps it was just this guy who was being push and not Geek Squad itself. At least that’s what your story says.

Hey Brain,

thank you for your comment. We went to Best Buy 4 times in 3 different locations and we experienced the same pushyness.

They make you feel bad if you don’t want Geek Squad and I just hate getting geek squaded. The hate for Geek Squad is because it takes advantage of glueless people and the fact that you have to let a sales rep invited into your house who tries to leech even more money out of you. And as you can see in Matt’s comment that they are even trained for that.

And if these are not good reasons for you to hate GS what about a little google search

http://www.google.de/search?hl=de&q=hate geek squad&btnG=Google-Suche&meta=

It will return 490,000 reason why to hate.

Just hate getting geek squaded!

I’ll admit that the experience you described above is not one I’d like to be involved with either.

I myself am a Geek Squad Agent (Part Time while working Full Time for a local University in IT), and I know that not all stores are the same, but in my store we offer the services, but our GS Agents do not push. If we don’t offer, most customers don’t even know all the options we could do to help them. Tech savvy people don’t need Geek Squad and usually find Geek Squad services too expensive, but for people out there who don’t have a clue as to why their computer blue screens every time they loading the Sims for their kids, it is helpful.

And think about it, what company which continually faces the public intentionally has “good press”. Most people who have good experiences leave it at that and come back when they want help again, only those who have bad experiences voice their opinions.

Well; without a doubt the USA is filled with these retailers, but Best Bay takes the cake at the worst……{especially GS;they BREAK, not fix your computer{happened to me AND 100′s[or 10000's] of others}}

{begin QUOTE}

I’ll admit that the experience you described above is not one I’d like to be involved with either.

I myself am a Geek Squad Agent (Part Time while working Full Time for a local University in IT), and I know that not all stores are the same, but in my store we offer the services, but our GS Agents do not push. If we don’t offer, most customers don’t even know all the options we could do to help them. Tech savvy people don’t need Geek Squad and usually find Geek Squad services too expensive, but for people out there who don’t have a clue as to why their computer blue screens every time they loading the Sims for their kids, it is helpful.

And think about it, what company which continually faces the public intentionally has “good press”. Most people who have good experiences leave it at that and come back when they want help again, only those who have bad experiences voice their opinions.
{end quote}

Umm, now let’s see,

Paying 300$ for a service that can be done BETTER at MOST[NOT ALL] local PC repair shop {it has been proven[by me];I doubt this would not apply elsewhere}…

All I know is that THERE ARE A FEW GOOD Agents, but I’m sorry to say, you did not experience the level of dissatisfaction that many of us have received…furthermore, you should watch out as well, http://bestbuysux.org/ should help you understand {emps. get harassed, etc.}

Like no one figured out from his first post that Bri was a GSA. How unGeek can one be?? (True Geeks don’t give a SHIT what people think about ‘em!)

Had I known in the first place that my comments would be responded to with flaming, I would never have bothered to post in the first place. I tried to provide a constructive alternate perspective for some of you out there to consider, one that is easily overlooked since many of you can do your own repairs, and these are the responses that come back. I’m disappointed, I was hoping to at least get some response from people who don’t just hate Best Buy / Geek Squad because they are a profitable company…

// END Brian’s comments
// NOTE: Further proof that only people who like to complain make the most noise.

I am on my way to Geek Squad in about five minutes. I was lied to by the sales people at Best Buy as well ae the Geek squad. They have now had my computer for six days and still don’t have a solution. I am not leaving the store without a complete refund. By the waty the computer is six weeks old.