Geek Squad Agent Doesn't Have Time To Look For Multimeter, Let's Just Send Off Laptop For 3 Weeks Instead
The usefulness of Best Buy's Geek Squad depends entirely on the competence of the employee you get when you go in for help, and unfortunately Scott landed one of the lazier ones. Here's his sales pitch to Scott over a laptop that wouldn't start: "It's going to take at least 10 minutes for me to get the multimeter or another adapter. It's going to be a problem inside the computer, let's just send it in."
What's even better about this story, though, is how it ends.
The other day my laptop quit working. I noticed the LED display that shows that it is plugged in was not glowing. First I tried plugging my cell phone adapter into the outlet just to see if the outlet was working and of course, there was nothing wrong with the outlet (hooray for paying my electric bill), next I tried plugging the laptop into a different plug and still no luck. Through this basic troubleshooting I realized that either my AC adapter was bad or the problem was inside my laptop! Off to Best Buy and their Weak Squad, I mean Geek Squad.
When I got to Best Buy I told the Geek Squad / Mormon impersonator about my problem. I even suggested that all I needed for them to do was plug my laptop in with a different cord and/or check my adapter with a multimeter. 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); however he did agree to check it with the multimeter. He then looked around for about 5 seconds and could not find the multimeter, so he did the next logical thing, he picked up my laptop, stared into the AC adapter receiver and then told me "It is definitely going to be a problem with the computer, we are going to need to send it in for three weeks."
Obviously I was shocked. I told him before I sent off my computer for 3 weeks I would like to make sure it is not a problem with the AC adapter, could he please check it out first. "It is going to take at least 10 minutes for me to get the multimeter or another adapter, it's going to be a problem inside the computer, lets just send it in."
I thought for a second... 3 weeks vs 10 minutes... 3 vs 10... well, 3 is less than 10 (Shel Silverstein showed me that in his economy-based poem "Smart")... Despite Shel's frugal advice I decided I would wait out those ten minutes and see what happens.
Turns out, when plugged into a different adapter my computer turns right on! Now, I know all I need to do is buy an adapter, but to be honest I was pretty angry at the Geek Squad's lack of effort in troubleshooting my computer, so I did not purchase the adapter from them.
Instead I went across the street to "The Shack" and started to explain my troubles to the employee there. Before I was done with my story he had already pulled out a multimeter and another adapter. He first plugged in the other adapter and it worked, so then he took the multimeter to my adapter and checked it in two places, before the transformer (from the wall to the plug was 110v) and then post transformer to plug (3.5v, when it as supposed to be putting out 19v). Not only did he confirm (by using science!) that the adapter was bad, he then told me "I'll be honest with you, the universal adapter we sell here is more expensive than the one across the street at Best Buy." To me, his willingness to do the right thing (and not send my laptop away for 3 weeks) was worth the extra 10 dollars.
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Comments:
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?
Add one more reason to the long list of reasons why I will never do business with Worst Buy.
What a nice ending to the story.
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.
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.
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.
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.
as a mormon I take offense at being compared to the geek squad
@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?
Every time I'm at a Bestbuy, I see people bringing their computers in for service. It makes me cringe :(
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.
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.
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.
@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.
@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.
"The Shack" should appreciate all the positive publicity is can get!
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.
@Bittermormon: Well then, don't wear neckties with short-sleeved dress shirts when you go on mission.
@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.
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.
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.
@Raekwon:
I didn't understand the mormon comment myself. Is it a reference to clothing or something?
@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.
Highly recommend picking up a $5 Multimeter from Harbor Freight. They are great to have around.
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.
@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:
@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.
@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.
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.
@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.
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.
@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.
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.
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).
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.
thank god I own a mac. The Apple store is never this inept.
It's a sad day when Radio Shack ends up being the good guy in a Consumerist story.
@ShruggingGalt: When I worked at Circuit City, a local "geeks on call" business used to come in all the time for computer parts.
@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)
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.
Anyone who lets Geek Squad touch their computer deserves what they get at this point.