Wal-Mart Planning Its Own "Geek Squad"?
MarketWatch says that Wal-Mart is "very interested in expanding into installation and repair services in its fast-growing electronics segment."
"We are looking at different options," Gary Severson, a Wal-Mart senior vice president, told MarketWatch during a store tour with media.
The Consumerist would like to take this opportunity to thank Wal-Mart for ensuring the continuing existence of this site. This is going to be fun!
Wal-Mart eyes expansion in electronics services [MarketWatch]
(Photo: Ryan McFarland )
Attention, Walmart shoppers! This ad is for you! Woo hoo!
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Comments:
Oh god that would be a disaster, because they'd find techs willing to work for the lowest wage possible and would try to sell people stupid installation services most competent individuals do not need.
Oh no *head slap*
Well, they can't possibly be worse, right?
Senior VP? It's just in the research stage. They sent some analyst to look up geek squad's numbers. Wake me when a Prez makes a statement.
Initiate the Facepalm lol.
Walmart only has real old pc parts in there stores. Also wal-mart may also not want to pay cost of the tools and software that the tech will need.
Will Walmart pay the costs of sending people out to home or will make there works use there own cars and there own gas like pizza drivers do?
This will definately be great fodder for the comedy crew, but I feel sorry for all those people stupid enough to trust walmart, just because of the name.
Pffft, it's the same as people who buy their cellphones and contracts at Walmart. ''But the rep didn't tell me that!''. If you're too stupid to read, don't count on minimum wage slave to provide you with accurate information. Was the 100$ gift-card, given as a perk when you signed your contract, at Walmart worth it? Your phone doesn't suit you? Well that's too bad... (And that came from a neighbor's of mine, proving that stupidity rules.)
I hate stupid people. I'd never think that Walmart can provide me with any competent information. Neither Best Buy/Geek squad or any similar ''services''.
Great, making the greeters do one more task.
Oh, this is gonna be fun to watch.
Well, I didn't want to infringe on the Comedy Central show Freak Squad... but those are the guys who will come fix your "thinkin box"
@GenXCub:
'Tard Squad!While you probably don't need me to point out that the use of the apellation "tard" is considered grossly 'politically incorrect' (as it's surely hurting someone's feelings even as we read/write this), I will say that perhaps a better riff on that theme would be 'Tard Guard, with all of the fun double-entendre that implies.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAh!!!!!!!!!!!
This has bad written all over it.
Awesome, I'm always interested in lower-cost alternative ways of having work done that I could do myself in 5 minutes.
I honestly don't see Wal-Mart getting in on this, once they see what a tremendous scam Firedog and Geeksquad are. I know it sounds crazy to some of you, but I have faith in Wal-Mart.
sam's f***in A fixin Squad
I can't wait to see vans with giant happy faces getting lost on their way to "fix" computers :) The local graffiti artists should be able to make them a little more interesting.
@squablow: They probably have seen what a tremendous scam Firedog and Geeksquad are. That is why they are interested in getting into this market. High prices and low paid workers doing work that most people can do on their own, but don't want to hassle with it.
How often does someone buy a bigscreen? If they just want to buy it and then sit on their couch as soon as they get home and start watching it without doing any work, I would think a one time fee, (which is usually high in comparison to the actual work being done, but low in comparison to the purchase price), for someone setting it up wouldn't be to much to ask for it.
Maybe I should start my own installation service with a friend and troll the tv section at best buy and tell people I'll do everything Geeksquad does for $50 cash money.
Oh god this will be epic if it ever gets off the ground. I don't trust Walmarts photo techs with my pictures, and I'd fill my cases with thermite and video tape it before I'd let Walmart try to fix my PC.
This outta be sucktastic.
Wal-Mart needs to stay away from this business. I don't see a way that they can do this that makes sense for their low cost services. I mean its not like they have beat target or k-mart to the punch or something.
I can see the new Geek Squad/Firedog ads now: We suck less than WalMart!
Finally, a solution for the throngs who can't get the pork rind crumbs out of their keyboards!
I'd like to see Wal-mart enter the plumber or electrian business. Seems just as logical to me.
Hell, I saw in a local Wal-Mart some DDR2 1 gig sticks for about $50 and was floored. Great deal for ram. Now this, floored again (the facepalm was set to kill instead of stun.)
They'll steal your porn, switch your desktop background to the SS skull, and spray that flip-flop burning stuff on your keyboard.
Yuck...
Since it's WalMart, they will use actual bite-the-heads-off-chickens geeks.
I for one welcome them. I own and run a small computer repair business. I get about 1/2 of my business from ex-geek squad customers that are fed up or pissed off with the service. Usually I'm fixing the geek squads mistakes, so i guess this means more business for me...
oh goodie, just what we need, MORE inexperienced, untrained, unknowlegeable morons going around screwing up people's equipment. Maybe they'll just send out the illegal immigrant no speaka Ingles workers they have wandering the store
This REALLY makes me want to start a business doing what geeksquad does, but better.
The fact that they wanted to charge my aunt $400 to fix a computer that just needed a new stick of $30 RAM just proves how ridiculous they are. Even worse, AT&T were the ones who sent her there because they couldn't get their own internet service working on her computer.
Are their cars going to have NASCAR stickers all over them?
This is going to be some prime entertainment, I'll get the popcorn.
Good. Less poor losers for me to deal with.
This is totally legit. (This is gonna make Ben Popken Puke) They are going to be Dell Service Stations, and run by Dell technicians. You can find job postings all over the place in the Dallas market for Dell Technicians to be part of a new bench program at Wally World. They will also sell services for new machines and offer walk-in repair just like a GS/FD but also be a drop point for Dell warranty repair. All of the employees of the Bench will be Dell employees not Walmart.
This is so exciting. My boyfriend runs a computer repair business... and this is sure to triple his business!
'Tard Squad!