This is the ultimate Geek Squad insider confession. It’s 10 pages long.
computers
The 10 Page Geek Squad Confession – "Stealing Customers' Nudie Pics Was An Easter Egg Hunt"
By 5.2.07
Avoid Dell Hell By Ordering Through Dell Small Business
By 4.30.07
Ordering through Dell Small Business and you’ll never step into Dell Hell. They have vastly superior reps and techs than those devoted to the Home and Home Office lines.
eVGA, A-OK
By 4.30.07
‘Omaha Corrections Guy’ purchased two 256MB eVGA 7900 GT video cards. He was reveling in his “SLI-fueled gaming joy,” which can only be enjoyed with two video cards, until he began to notice artifacting, explained below:
I can’t game for 20 minutes without spikey jagged graphical flickering obscuring my view. I finally get annoyed enough to start fixing the problem. Evidently, 7900 GT’s, such as mine, are now notorious for memory problems which are causing (gasp) artifacting. They’re being RMA’ed left and right. So I pull out one card, test the remaining 7900 GT…yup, it’s….artifacting. I pull out that card, put in the other one…it’s fine. Ok, this is workable, I can still play on the one card while I send back the other for replacement.
The replacement that arrived was not the 256MG 7900 GT he sent away.
Stuck In Dell Hell? Try The Unresolved Issue Form
By 4.27.07
Chris said he was able to finally get his faulty Dell computer returned by filing out a report at their unresolved issue link. This was after a week of going through crappy Dell “trouble shooting” which treated him like a child and made him repeat steps over and over again. He writes, “I’m an advanced technician at my office, I manage over 50 computers and 8 servers, so when I tell Dell their box isn’t working, I mean it.”
Intro To Protecting Your Computer From Viruses
By 4.26.07
Ever wonder what’s really going on under all of that operating system? Under all the glossy veneer of Windows and the internet, a true battle is being waged: a battle for your computer. Every day you pass through a cloud of worms, viruses, and spyware as you surf the internet and do your daily tasks. Much of the time, you avoid contracting something terrible, but occasionally, you let something in.
Court Transcript Of "Peek Squad" Agent's No-Contest Plea
By 4.23.07
We just received the court transcript detailing former Geek Squad Agent Hao Kuo Chi “no-contest” plea in the case of his alleged setting up a cameraphone while on call in a customer’s house and recording a young woman taking a shower.
Man Gets Brand New Laptop After Suing HP In Small Claims Court For Losing His
By 4.18.07
HP seemed to have “lost” David Barzelay’s laptop when he sent it in for repairs. After a month of no laptop, HP wouldn’t replace it or return it.
40% Geek Squad Downsizing Memo? Not That I Know Of, Says Founder
By 4.18.07
When reached for comment, Geek Squad founder Robert Stephens said he knew nothing about 40% tech staff reduction / have-more-repairs-done-remotely-by-techs-in-India memo as described by our tipster. In fact, he said he’d like to see it if we did ever end up getting it. Anyhow, as far as staff reductions go Stephens said, “There has been restructuring since we launched within Best Buy and the most recent was back in Jan/Feb but that’s old news – and quite public.”
Geek Squad Peeker Plead "No Contest" To Privacy Invasion
By 4.14.07
When former Geek Squad Agent Hao Kuo Chi appeared in court on April 3rd, 2007, he plead “no contest” to one count of unlawful invasion of privacy, according to the LA County DA’s office. He received this sentence:
"Peek Squadder" Beloved By Customers, Colleagues
By 4.13.07
Though he stands accused of a disgusting act, secretly recording a customer taking a shower, Geek Squad Agent Hao Kuo Chi was held in high esteem by customers and among his fellow employees.
The Kind Of Cellphone Geek Squad Might've Taped Showering Customer With
By 4.13.07
If Hao Kuo Chi really did tape the 22-year-old daughter of a customer taking a shower, the phone propped up in the bathroom might have been a PPC-6700. These PocketPC phones are standard-issue to the Geek Squad techs who perform in-home repairs — known as “DA’s” or “Double Agents” in Geek Squad parlance.
Geek Squad Sued For Videoing Customer In Shower
By 4.12.07
Hao Kuo Chi was paying a house call when Sarah Vasquez says he set his camera phone up in the bathroom, left it running, and recorded her bathing.
Should Spyware Distributors Be Locked Up?
By 4.11.07
“Many of most serious wrongdoers we observed in this area, I believe, are only going to be deterred if their freedom is withdrawn,” so it’s important for the FTC to collaborate on its cases with criminal law enforcement authorities, Kovacic said.
What do you guys think? Lock ’em up? —MEGHANN MARCO
Botnets Take Over Your Computer For Evil
By 4.10.07
Red Tape Chronicles has an interesting series of articles about botnets, groups of hijacked computers that can be controlled remotely to send spam, viruses, conduct break-ins, host phishing sites, and of course, commandeer more computers. If you don’t take adequate steps to protect your computer, it could become some criminal’s slave.
80% Of Geek Squad Employees Say They Don't Use Anti-Static Wrist Straps
By 4.9.07
56% of Geek Squad employees responding to a poll on a company online forum said they found “no reason” to use anti-static wrist straps when repairing customer’s computers.
We're Always Looking For Porn On Customer's Computers, Techies Confirm
Looking through comments both here and on Digg, it seems that finding and saving customer’s porn from their laptops is one of the perks of the job, and it’s hardly limited to the Geek Squad.