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(KPTV)   News station tests Best Buy's Geek Squad by unplugging hard drive and saying something's not working. The result: $640 in repairs, telling them they have a virus and finally "let us help you buy a new computer"   (kptv.com) divider line
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32443 clicks; posted to Main » and Video » on 21 May 2009 at 6:09 PM (13 years ago)   |   Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook



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styckx [OhFark]
2009-05-21 2:31:10 PM  
Seemingly missing is the test of taking it to the 27 year old computer tech everyone has in their family and seeing if he give you the `your entire system is garbage" speech.
 
RichieLaw
2009-05-21 2:34:30 PM  
At least the station took off the kiddie pron first...
 
Earguy [recently expired TotalFark] [OhFark]
2009-05-21 2:43:23 PM  
"Obvious" tag might have also been appropriate.
 
Pocket Ninja [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2009-05-21 2:44:12 PM  
To be fair, the first Best Buy they took it to diagnosed the problem immediately, fixed it, and charged nothing.
 
benlonghair
2009-05-21 2:44:14 PM  

styckx: Seemingly missing is the test of taking it to the 27 year old computer tech everyone has in their family and seeing if he give you the `your entire system is garbage" speech.


Hey, i'm 28.
 
OlafTheBent
2009-05-21 2:44:43 PM  
I was once handed a laptop by a lawyer and told to "Fix it whatever it takes."

I fixed it and handed him a bill for $740.00... he freaked.

I reminded him that there were witnesses who heard him say "Whatever it takes..."

I didn't get any repeat business... he was a prick anyways.
 
KyngNothing
2009-05-21 2:45:37 PM  
Would their computer play "straight to video" links?
 
Blues_X
2009-05-21 2:48:23 PM  
It does vary from store to store.

At some, it's a Geek Squad. At others, it's an Ass Squad.
 
pwhp_67
2009-05-21 2:50:20 PM  

Blues_X: At some, it's a Geek Squad. At others, it's an Ass Greek Squad.
 
Biggs
2009-05-21 2:50:51 PM  

KyngNothing: Would their computer play "straight to video" links?


lol
 
styckx [OhFark]
2009-05-21 3:06:47 PM  
Asking advice from anyone at best buy you get exactly what you deserve.

List of common Best Buy characters you can pick up on if you hang in the PC department long enough.

1. The hard sell MAC guy who is a clean cut 20 something year old hipster who hangs in the laptop section, throws around stuff like "Better then Windows" "Never gets Viruses"

2. The old guy who appears to have been working there forever and hard sells warranties, service plans, and virus "suites". Usually seen circling the laptop section with an ad in hand.

3. The pseudo stoner guy who never does much except ask if you need any help "man" and hangs around the keyboard and mouse section

4. The lonely MAC specialist who no one ever wants to speak with

5. The douchebag fat guy who lifts weights but is still fat, always angry looking and pushes that rolling stairway around and isn't very nice about it when you're in his way.

6. The only guy that is never with customers at the little desk, but is always on the phone and acknowledges no one. Also can be seen busy standing in a isle talking to a boss or department manager and seemingly oblivious to anyone around him.
 
R.A.Danny
2009-05-21 3:08:49 PM  
I really need to get rid of the goatee.
 
gorgor
2009-05-21 3:11:33 PM  
To be fair, she does have herpes.
 
UNC_Samurai
2009-05-21 3:11:51 PM  
[image from api.ning.com too old to be available]
To be fair, he flashed, and realized the computer had been used to direct terror operations in Asia.
 
sleeping martyr
2009-05-21 3:19:36 PM  
So $70 + $580 = $640?

Subby fails at math.
 
Crosshair
2009-05-21 3:19:51 PM  

styckx: Seemingly missing is the test of taking it to the 27 year old computer tech everyone has in their family and seeing if he give you the `your entire system is garbage" speech.


I fixed my uncles 386 PC a few months ago with no snark whatsoever.

/I'm only 25 though.
 
OregonVet
2009-05-21 3:20:18 PM  
Link (new window)
/language alert
//oldie but a goodie
 
Kyosuke
2009-05-21 3:21:34 PM  
To be honest, as a troubleshooter I wouldn't be looking for anything internal that had to be physically unplugged as a cause. Otherwise, "It just stopped working/wouldn't boot/died." would be a complete lie by the customer.
 
real shaman
2009-05-21 3:29:21 PM  

Kyosuke: To be honest, as a troubleshooter I wouldn't be looking for anything internal that had to be physically unplugged as a cause. Otherwise, "It just stopped working/wouldn't boot/died." would be a complete lie by the customer.


this....

diagnosing sabotage can be very expensive....
 
styckx [OhFark]
2009-05-21 3:30:04 PM  

Kyosuke: To be honest, as a troubleshooter I wouldn't be looking for anything internal that had to be physically unplugged as a cause. Otherwise, "It just stopped working/wouldn't boot/died." would be a complete lie by the customer.


It should be looking you in the face though when the post screen shows no hard drives connected. "Primary drive not found" or something of the sort.

The post screen can solve most hardware issues quick, along w/ the post beeps if the PC speaker is hooked up.
 
Kyndig
2009-05-21 3:33:27 PM  

Kyosuke: To be honest, as a troubleshooter I wouldn't be looking for anything internal that had to be physically unplugged as a cause. Otherwise, "It just stopped working/wouldn't boot/died." would be a complete lie by the customer.


If the system isn't detecting any HD on boot (which, in this case, it wouldn't), which is a fairly clear error, and checking the power and IDE or SATA connectors on the drive itself isn't one of the first things you do, stay the fark away from my computer. It takes ten seconds at most to check, and if that winds up being the problem, saves loads of time and probably money for the customer, and gets the job off your desk.

I love the Geek Squad morons. I do a lot of tech work as a side job, and I get several calls a month that boil down to me fixing problems caused by them "fixing" the computer.
 
Chearl
2009-05-21 3:37:16 PM  

Kyosuke: To be honest, as a troubleshooter I wouldn't be looking for anything internal that had to be physically unplugged as a cause. Otherwise, "It just stopped working/wouldn't boot/died." would be a complete lie by the customer.


Wow do you work for the geek squad?
 
OregonVet
2009-05-21 3:38:34 PM  

styckx:
It should be looking you in the face though when the post screen shows no hard drives connected. "Primary drive not found" or something of the sort.

The post screen can solve most hardware issues quick, along w/ the post beeps if the PC speaker is hooked up.


I was at wit's end once, ready to fork over money to fix a problem. Then I googled 'beeps' or something like that and fixed it quickly.

Pocket Ninja: To be fair, the first Best Buy they took it to diagnosed the problem immediately, fixed it, and charged nothing.


I got my ass chewed over that once- I worked in a small shop next to campus and some hipster's laptop locked up (an early mac) and I explained the open-apple-whatever trick and it worked fine. My boss was pissed because I didn't open a ticket and take it from the counter to the back and have the tech do it. He was a dick.
 
satchel13
2009-05-21 3:40:47 PM  

sleeping martyr: So $70 + $580 = $640?

Subby fails at math.


Maybe there was a $10 off coupon in the Sunday paper for repairs involving analraping?
 
Biggs
2009-05-21 3:41:53 PM  

Kyosuke: To be honest, as a troubleshooter I wouldn't be looking for anything internal that had to be physically unplugged as a cause. Otherwise, "It just stopped working/wouldn't boot/died." would be a complete lie by the customer.


Stop troubleshooting computers.

If you get a "no boot device" check the bios, then check connections. Then troubleshoot MBR, etc. etc.

caveat: Troubleshooting some sabotage can be very expensive.
 
pnjunction
2009-05-21 3:50:43 PM  

Kyosuke: To be honest, as a troubleshooter I wouldn't be looking for anything internal that had to be physically unplugged as a cause. Otherwise, "It just stopped working/wouldn't boot/died." would be a complete lie by the customer.


True that it wouldn't be on my mind when I was diagnosing BUT it would get discovered quickly. First thing I'm going to do when the hard drive looks DOA is try it in another IDE/SATA port or computer/enclosure. Crack open the case, locate the HD and this problem would be glaring.
 
thalassatx
2009-05-21 3:51:25 PM  

styckx: Asking advice from anyone at best buy you get exactly what you deserve.

List of common Best Buy characters you can pick up on if you hang in the PC department long enough.


And which one were you? The douchey guy who makes lists like that and thinks he's so far above the rest of the blue shirts?

Seriously, I have no love for Best Buy, but that post just makes you sound like a total prick.
 
OregonVet
2009-05-21 3:55:09 PM  

thalassatx: Seriously, I have no love for Best Buy, but that post just makes you sound like a total prick.


I've never worked there, but that's spot on.
 
radiumsoup
2009-05-21 4:02:20 PM  

OregonVet: Link (new window)
/language alert
//oldie but a goodie


he sounded upset.
 
FNG [TotalFark]
2009-05-21 4:39:04 PM  
That was funny. Kudos to the honest workers.
 
MaxxLarge
2009-05-21 5:33:57 PM  

Crosshair: I fixed my uncles 386 PC a few months ago with no snark whatsoever.


What was wrong with it? Did the original hamster die, or something?

My dad tried to get me to fix his 900MHz Athlon last month. I got as far as patching the boiler, but I had to stop there. Mostly because the manual was printed in hieroglyphics.
 
make me some tea [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2009-05-21 5:43:36 PM  
In 1996 I had just gotten a job as a computer hardware monkey. Some old guy brought in his ancient CompuAdd 286, and wanted us to upgrade it. Being on the job for only a few days, I naively said "Sure!"

Ended up having to cut through the chassis to get the Pentium board in there, and had to make some new screwholes to fit the 3.5" HDD into the bay, but it worked perfectly when I brought it up front.

The job took me 3 whole days of fiddling, and I write 20 hours on my time sheet for that, having no clue how they did billing up front just yet.

I got hollered at for that one, and almost got fired except that the hottie receptionist up front seemed to like me and had the boss' ear, and asked him to give me another chance.

I ended up being their top network engineer by the time I quit there.
 
Tr0mBoNe [TotalFark]
2009-05-21 5:58:08 PM  
*selects random computer repair anecdote from head*

My neighbour came over the other day and said his computer is broken and won't turn on. I went over and checked his power supply... the fuse had tripped so I thought 'power surge'. His wall sockets looked like he gets shorts about twice a day so I figured his wiring is messed. I put on a spare surge protector and flipped the breaker. The computer worked for about 20 minutes and it died... this time it killed the power supply. I told him that he needed to deal with his wiring before I can replace it... that didn't impress him. Good thing the replacement supply is only $30 from a friend with wholesale connections.

Judging by the number of bongs and the tell-tale smell, I expect him to get the wiring replaced in about 6 years or after the next fire; whichever comes first.

/and I'm 25... not some grandpa, grandpa.
 
Ral
2009-05-21 6:13:22 PM  

Crosshair: I fixed my uncles 386 PC a few months ago


*sprays water all over keyboard and monitor*
 
OgreMagi
2009-05-21 6:13:42 PM  
I recommend the Geek Squad to people I don't like.
 
Somaticasual [TotalFark]
2009-05-21 6:14:43 PM  
clearly he didn't try turning it off and on again

//couldn't resist the cheap one.
 
Russ1642
2009-05-21 6:15:14 PM  

Kyosuke: To be honest, as a troubleshooter I wouldn't be looking for anything internal that had to be physically unplugged as a cause. Otherwise, "It just stopped working/wouldn't boot/died." would be a complete lie by the customer.


Maybe a car metaphor will help you: "My car won't start"
Now if the mechanic does hundreds of dollars worth of work before realizing the problem is an empty fuel tank then he's a retard, a scam artist, or both.
 
ilikeracecars
2009-05-21 6:16:03 PM  
So they take it to the shop, the tech sees that the drive has been unplugged and thinks what? That it did that on its own? Weird to me.
 
Gals Panic
2009-05-21 6:17:59 PM  
KPTV is the most ridiculous news station ever. That whole story was probably done because someone at the station is sleeping with one of the PC Paramedix employees. Half their stories feel like advertisements (Like how they actually reported on an article in Cosmo last week about ways to show your man that you want him).
 
Hollerin Charlie
2009-05-21 6:18:11 PM  
No different from having your wife take the car to the dealer to get the oil changed.

$640? Guy got off easy.

Look, you learn to fix your own shiat, or you pay the stupid tax.
 
PJ_the_Barbarian
2009-05-21 6:18:16 PM  
obvious result is obvious
 
OgreMagi
2009-05-21 6:18:33 PM  

styckx: Asking advice from anyone at best buy you get exactly what you deserve.

List of common Best Buy characters you can pick up on if you hang in the PC department long enough.

1. The hard sell MAC guy who is a clean cut 20 something year old hipster who hangs in the laptop section, throws around stuff like "Better then Windows" "Never gets Viruses"

2. The old guy who appears to have been working there forever and hard sells warranties, service plans, and virus "suites". Usually seen circling the laptop section with an ad in hand.

3. The pseudo stoner guy who never does much except ask if you need any help "man" and hangs around the keyboard and mouse section

4. The lonely MAC specialist who no one ever wants to speak with

5. The douchebag fat guy who lifts weights but is still fat, always angry looking and pushes that rolling stairway around and isn't very nice about it when you're in his way.

6. The only guy that is never with customers at the little desk, but is always on the phone and acknowledges no one. Also can be seen busy standing in a isle talking to a boss or department manager and seemingly oblivious to anyone around him.


I actually had one good experience at Best Buy a few years back. I was in the computer section and, as usual, a young guy walks up and asks if I needed any help. I told him I was looking for a CD/DVD burner that would work under Linux without a lot of headaches and I had a list of models that were good. We chatted a few minutes then said he would get out of my way since I obviously knew more than he did. I bet he got fired for not being an asshole.

Yes, they had one of the models on my list and for a reasonable price. Yes, I had to tell the cashier a few dozen times that I didn't want an extended warranty.
 
utardsRock
2009-05-21 6:18:57 PM  
any time you pay for a service that is not sex, you are wasting your money
 
Siskabush
2009-05-21 6:19:12 PM  
whenever im fixing a computer problem, I always follow the KISS principle.

KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid!

If its not unplugged, wrong setting, etc.. then at that point something failed and needs to be replaced.

/Im 25
 
DeadZone
2009-05-21 6:19:28 PM  
If it didn't boot, you'd see that.. worse case, new laptop HD, about 80-100 bucks. And when they went to install it, they would have seen the old one unplugged.
 
fuzzycuffs
2009-05-21 6:20:51 PM  
Protip: Make a friend who knows what they are doing with computers. Trade them beer + other services.

That's what I do. I got out of the fixing computers business a long time ago, but still work with computers every day. That makes me the "computer guy" to my friends, so of course I'm the first person they call when something breaks. I'm glad to help them, and at times glad to help them buy a new computer (as it's sometimes the best choice), but I never ask for money. I do, however, drink the beers in the fridge, and help myself to leftovers. ;)
 
ToeNipples
2009-05-21 6:21:00 PM  

styckx: Seemingly missing is the test of taking it to the 27 year old computer tech everyone has in their family and seeing if he give you the `your entire system is garbage" speech.


Holy shiat, that's me, how'd you know?

/27
//usually their systems really ARE garbage
///in my defense i only think about giving the speech, never give it.
 
Mattyb710
2009-05-21 6:21:22 PM  

Russ1642: Kyosuke: To be honest, as a troubleshooter I wouldn't be looking for anything internal that had to be physically unplugged as a cause. Otherwise, "It just stopped working/wouldn't boot/died." would be a complete lie by the customer.

Maybe a car metaphor will help you: "My car won't start"
Now if the mechanic does hundreds of dollars worth of work before realizing the problem is an empty fuel tank then he's a retard, a scam artist, or both.


I'm a mechanic and honestly the fuel wouldn't be the first thing I check. It wouldn't take me long before I got that far, and I sure as hell wouldn't charge hundreds of dollars for it though.

Sometimes we just take for granted some of the simple stuff and automatically think the problem is more complex.

If someone came in and said "Hi, my computer stopped working." Why the hell would you think a hard drive magically unplugged itself? Of course if they said "Hi, I bought this computer and it has never worked." then I would check the cables first.
 
utardsRock
2009-05-21 6:21:31 PM  
doctors' mentality and business practices in the tech industry... who'd've thunk???
 
sultros
2009-05-21 6:22:11 PM  
This is nothing new

I thought a consumer watch group did a test of BB and Circuit City and they both failed miserably. Ive cleaned up alot of BB's shady work including Ram not completely seated...loose screws...you name it.

Have you ever seen BB's hiring process?? You have to run through a Psych evaluation before you can even meet a person face to face and after shopping at BB, it's easy to see how well that is working out. Every dept there is filled with morons that dont know a damned thing and all they want to do is upsell you on crap. The only people in there that are actually trained are the Magnolia Home Theater folks. But at the end of the day, everyone in there is just trying to sell you something.
 
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