Geek Squad

I was in a tight spot with lots of old external Hard drives so I went and bought a 5 TB external HDD from Best Buy. I didn’t have time to transfer all the files myself so I took them all to Geek squad.
What a giant mistake. It was terribly expensive. The work wasn’t completed by the time they promised. And they pretty much rendered my new 5TB HDD unusable. I gave them detailed instructions on how I wanted the drive set up and they failed in almost ALL regards.
I spent many hours fixing everything and had to reformat the HDD.

Is there a rating less than 0 stars? I’d like to rate GS that, especially at the Plymouth Meeting, PA Best Buy store. Everything you need to know was summarized for me when their post-​service online survey submission was not even working. I could stop the review here, but I need to give more details about how bad the overall experience was.
1. At check-​in a guy asked me my name no less than 5 times and seemed either high or brain dead or possibly both.
2. I self-​diagnosed the problem with my laptop for them. I really should not have even hinted at what I suspected could have been the problem. Instead, I said it may need fan replacement, but I wanted them to see why it was overheating and shutting down. Needless to say, diagnosis was fan replacement… and the problem is still not fixed.
3. I specifically asked multiple times, at check-​in and over the phone, to have them check heat sink compound integrity and if it needed re-​application. At check-​out the clerk asked «oh, were they supposed to look into that?»
4. The store was impossible to call in to. Phone just kept ringing forever for days.
5. Toll-​free number was the closest I came to getting some semblance of service. But, when asking them what it is that they are charging me $ 200 for I was told by phone rep that they had no visibility to details but would gladly take payment. When asked where do I get details of repair cost, I was referred to call the store. See line item 4.
If you haven’t slammed your head against the desk by now keep reading.
6. At no point during the entire process was I ever assured of or felt comfortable about my data security. The clown at check-​in said «oh we store your passwords in our system so you should be ok». Aside from that statement being a huge red flag, I was never asked for any passwords, but yet was told the laptop as fully tested.
7. My laptop, literally shows 0 improvement, but I have that re-​assurance that I can always bring it back for 30 days. Which I can’t wait to do considering everything I just described.

It is not their fault but they will con you out of your money by purchasing a protection plan. What they do not tell you is that you basically end up paying a «deductible» that is the exact price of the the device. They have very basic knowledge and excellent knowledge of corporate policy which is to fraud people out of their money by selling protection plans that are of no USE. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE PURCHASE A PROTECTION PLAY THOUGH BEST BUY! It would cost you more then purchasing a new phone if anything goes wrong.

DO NOT GET A WARRANTY WITH BEST BUY. This is the poorest customer service I have ever dealt with. First they screw up my replacement part for my Apple computer with the wrong part. Then they refuse to over night me the right part, so I wait another week. Then after 2 weeks without a computer, and dealing with 888bestbuy for over an hour to get it right. They send me half of an Apple power adapter and half of a white extension cord that isn’t even an Apple product. So I immediately take whatever that is to Best Buy and they replace it. Next I find out that UPS is trying to pick up the original cord they sent that was wrong and the company 888bestbuy hasn’t even sent me the return shipping label yet. So I call the idiots again and am on the phone for an hour trying to get a return shipping label. Issue still not resolved.

Such a waste of time and money. I bought the «service» because I had an old laptop I couldn’t part with that was suddenly struggling to connect to the internet. After charging me money for the «need to remove your antivirus and install this new antivirus, do some clean up etc», I got the computer home and it still wouldn’t connect to the internet. After several visits back, I finally gave up. I realized these people are shop assistants who have been transferred to the geek squad department. They know nothing.
So, my tale of woe ends with me having paid $ 60 for a useless anti-​virus program, $ 110 for the service, $ 80 for upgraded RAM (which thankfully I returned), all to result in a $ 500 purchase of a new laptop (and I now have to buy anti-​virus software for that laptop).
With this customer service, I can see why so many best buys are going under. Why not just go to amazon — save a lot of money and get the same aggravation.

Horrible! I scheduled an appointment two weeks in advance to hook up our DVD, stereo and surround sound. They gave me a 4 hour window and the technician showed up after the 4 hour window and complained he had a hard time finding parking. Anyhow, when he found out what needed to be done he stated that he mostly works on computers. I needed speaker wire for one of the speakers and he said if they would have sent the right technicians, they would have had it with them. He tried to call his supervisor to see if they could send someone else out the same day but there wasn’t anyone available until the following week. He also offered to go buy some wire and do it himself. Sorry, but if this is not your specialty, I do not want you messing with my TV and stereo. I then had to call the 1 – 800 number to get a refund since they made me prepay when I made the appointment. So after 5 hours wasted on a Saturday, my system is still not hooked up and I have to wait 3 – 5 days for my credit card to be reimbursed ($ 169). Stay away from these Geeks!

NEVER EVER AGAIN!!! My computer actually came out in worse shape then it went in because of these inept people. I bought a very expensive laptop from best buy 4 months ago and they failed to load the antivirus software they were supposed to load, which led to my getting a nasty trojan virus that wiped out my entire computer. Best Buy had the nads to charge me 350.00 to fix it. They didnt even fix it right. Now I am going to have to try to find someone to try and fix the thing correctly.

geek squad in the best buy Skokie IL not helpful, total turn off in person after I point out the computer and printer are less than 6 mos. old tek said computers dont know time and can breakdown any time.
I paid extra to have best buy set up my comuter, printer combo.
less than 6 mos. later I can not print. doc load showing they are printing but dont print. online chat with the support center (also purchased at an extra cost) 25 minutes waiting to connect.
called the 1 800 number they will call me back in OVER three hours.
it is the weekend the time when most people are likely to call in for help.
beef up the staff.
MY PREVIOUS COMPUTER PRINTER WERE FROM DELL ONLINE.
I SET THEM UP WITH THE CONVENIENT COLOR CODES CHART DELL PROVIDES.
I OWNED THE PC PRINTER COMBO FOR MORE THAN 8 YEARS WITH NO PROBLEMS. UNUSUALLY LONG,
I WANTED WINDOW 7 FOR THE SNAP FEATURE. SHOULD HAVE STAYED W DELL AND XP! should have stayed away from best buy greek squad too.

Why on earth would you take a product here when the «IT» guys are sitting back in a tall chair at the chubby window reading «html for dummies»?
They are not specialist, well, not anymore then the same basic training that is received to become a TSA employee, granting the same base hourly rate.
But hey, if you feel comfortable with some possible diploma holding TSA employee groping you and viewing the goodies below the belt, then I bet it’s safe to take your expensive computer to the same quality worker in a best buy.
Save those extra 20 – 40 dollars you spend to service it in a best buy and seek out the right person who locally owns a IT repair and diagnostic shop. Added benefit… you are helping create dollars back into our local economy, that should be enough to walk out feeling prided on.

I simply couldn’t get any help from them, I went in ready to buy all the things needed to hook my 360 up via wireless I knew what I needed, but I figured they would know: sigh: they did not, what a shock. They kept trying to sell me the service and the shtick, when I knew how to install the wireless card and the firewall… so when I asked them if i would need to purchase a hub they knew nothing even when I went into detail pulled out the schematic printed from
and still nothing… there GEEk squad it’s an XBOX 360… it’s geek! then why don’t you know this?! It should be something you know. Nuff’ said

WOW — I quite literally cannot believe these bilious reviews on Unilocal,as I had an entirely different experience from start to finish!
My computer system basically had been running on toothpicks and band-​aids for years, and I recently realized time was rapidly running out before the whole thing spontaneously imploded and left me with nothing but a pile of sticky rubber and wood splinters.
The situation, which became progressively and expontentially worse, left me feeling utterly nauseous with worry; as a small business owner, my company’s success relies on my computer system working well (to say nothing of working AT ALL).
I called the Geek Squad via the generic 800 number, was prompted to answer a few questions, and in a matter of moments had made an appointment with Agent Matt for the very next day.
Agent Matt showed up within the alloted time parameters, asked a few questions, did a quick once-​over, and got to work. After tinkering with the system for a bit, he suggested I install more RAM rather than attempt an entire data transfer to a new machine.
I said sure why not. Agent Matt left, purchased the items for me at a neighborhood Best Buy, and within a two hours my computer system was running about eight billion gazillion times better, stronger, and faster!
He also made some suggestions for a timeline concerning the data transfer and gave me very profesisonal notes as to what to do in the future to ensure a smooth transition.
Ultimately, Agent Matt saved me a shit-​ton of money and an even bigger shit-​ton of anxiety. Agent Matt was personable, helpful, and cute to boot. Agent Matt, if you are reading this, thanks again!
I am a cheerleader for the Geek Squad! Goooo-​OOOOOOO GEEK SQUAD!

From the «Are you kidding me?» department, comes a tale of frustration and strained necks.
I recently bought a flat panel from Best Buy the morning my old TV was fried by lightening. I wanted to have the TV mounted in my Rec Room where my children play so that they wouldn’t be able to touch or break the TV. So, Best Buy gave me a good deal on the Geek Squad installation services. Well, you get what you pay for.
First, the 800# experience is by far the worst experience I have ever had. Far worse than getting transferred to India by Dell. It sounds like you are getting transferred all over the Country. You enter your phone number for «better service» and at every transfer you have re-​give you information. Come on. So, I had to call them to schedule the appointment. This took 35 minutes. Then, once the they came to my house, they neglected to call in advance since they gave a 4-​hour window. Therefore, I had to leave for work and my wife was at home. Once they got to my house, I talked to them on the phone and instructed them where to put the TV on the wall. Long story short, these idiots put the TV 3 inches from my ceiling at about a 60degree viewing angle from my couch. Unreal. It isn’t even pleasurable to watch the cool, new TV I bought.
When I got home eager to see the new TV and watch the Red Sox game in HDTV, I almost passed out. I couldn’t believe these knuckleheads put the TV that high up on the wall. My first thought, was shit I knew I should have called a 3^rd party to install and never trust a Geek to do anything except load software on my computer. And then, I dreaded calling the 800# again. Well, another 45-​minutes on the phone in customer service hell I re-​scheduled to fix the TV.
They came to the house and proceeded to tell me that I would have to pay for them to remove the TV and re-​place on the wall. What? You should be paying me for all the time I’ve wasted dealing with you people and the fact that my neck hurts now from watching the TV at that angle. You messed up, not me. I’m beyond pissed.
This is a perfect example of a brand that has done some things right with creating a great brand identity and then it falls down on execution. The customer service # and quality of service and satisfaction guaranteed should be part of their brand. Not just cool cars, pocket protectors and bullshit lip service.
So, I find myself using my public platform to steer people away from Geek Squad and maybe even Best Buy.

I gave this place 1 star for lack of not being able to give it 0. My friend recently tok her computer to the Best Buy @ the North Ave location. I used to fix computers back in high school and in college in order to earn some extra cash. So before she took it in I had a look at it to see what was wrong. «hmmmm» I said to myself
FADE OUT.
FADE IN.
She takes it to Geek Squad and this is where it al begins.
Let me let you guys in on a little secret. As a Geek Squad employee you are expected to meet certain budgets regardless of hours worked and complete X number of units in a day or risk immediate termination. In order to meet the budgets they constantly deceive customers. When I c hecked Sarah’s computer I found that it suffered only from a minor Windows problem that might take less than 30 minutes to complete however on the ticket they were charged her for an OS repair, malware removal and tune-​up which at the time cost of $ 118. Her unit only had one tracking cookie or some temp files and there was no sign of a malware problem and no need for a tune-​up. […]
Then I saw that they intentionally removed her anti-​virus or and told her that in order for them to guarantee the work completed that anti-​virus had to be installed. In addition to trapping many people with the threats of stolen data and virus infections causing further damage I almost sure that they target older customers (when I went there they treated this older lady so rude it was almost unreal), first time computer owners.
Threatening to terminate employees if certain quotas are not met? I never believed in that whole Geek Squad service.
Needless to say I paid for her computer service took it back to them and laid it all out in front of everyone they were stupified! Someone that actual knew what they were talking about! GASP! The 4 people behind me all of sudden started saying agreeing with me about the treatment of customers and they all left. Needless to say I was asked to leave by security, lol. Not before getting my friend back her money.

the worst business in chicago.
look, there are a million people who know computers. TGS advertise on national tv. that means they charge enough to spend millions advertising. that means, basically, they suck. you don’t need a techie with a huge corporate overhead and a dumb custom vw bug.
our story:
we had a temp who, not knowing we had an IT department and being an idiot, called TGS when I wasn’t looking, to do something asinine.
first, he had no qualms about showing up and having a temp lead him into a office she wasn’t authorized to be in and work witha computer with much sensitive data. When I showed up he had an external hard drive plugged in doing some long automatic process which involved him sitting and, in a flagrant display of nerdism reading a late installment star wars book.
anyway, after a few hours, he declared the problem was unsolvable, he left, and I asked the temp what the problem was– basically a dying computer with a bunch of non-​backed up stuff that had to be transferred before the computer actually died. I spent an hour shuffling files back and forth with a thumb drive. I mean, that’s how you move files, right? you copy them and them put them somewhere else.
I tried to contest the ridiculous bill and the utterly incompetent service, but there was literally nobldy to call. the store doesn;t do customer service, the hotline doesnt either.
stay away from the geek squad.

I brought my laptop in to Best Buy to be looked at for repair (since I bought it there) and the geek squad member that «helped» me wasn’t helpful at all. He said they couldn’t fix it, which is fine, but then he referred me to Just Service at Clark and Wellington, who totally screwed me over.
So, please, do not listen to any referrals from anyone in this store.