Geek Squad AKA Best Buy Previous employee thinks Geek Squad are crooks. Unsafe data practices and lying to customers! Carmel Indiana

As a former employee of the Geek Sqd/Best Buy this is a one sided report, as many are. This is how the Geek Sqd works or used to work a year ago. Right after katrina I was hired as a Special Agent for the Geek Sqd and I was the only one in the State and I supported all South Ms, La and parts of Southern Ala. In my position you had to have verifiable Microsoft Certifications and A+ or a BS and also be certified in Misrosoft Small Business Server. Best Buy started a program called Best Buy for Business and they hired many (around 50) Special Agents nation wide to support this new program. But after 6 months they started getting rid of us because of the expense of high end techs in the low profitable areas. I alsways met my numbers but company wide they got rid of people. I was let go because of too many absences and I did file a claim with Workers Comp and Best Buy Settled out of Court to close my case. It is very true that the guys behind the counter can not do anything but install anti-virus, anti spyware, or assist in teaching the customer how to use their new computer. The Techs that run the the VW are supposed to be the certified techs and basically all they do is install simple networks and add a additional hard drive or ram. All warranty work in our area is done in Ky at the depot because the vender requires this, the vender being HP, Gateway etc.... I have been a Microsoft partner since 1998 and got my first industry certification prior to that. When I got my A+ I tested Windows 3.1 and have since then tested on every Microsoft OS. I am currently enrolled in college to finish my BS in Computer Science. For those who feel you do not need a certification to work in this industry, you are dead wrong. In the 90's it was OK but way too many people wasted too much time and warranty money trying to repair PC's when that simple test would have shown you exactly what you do not know. While I do agree that a test is not proof of what a person knows or does not know; it is something this industry requires and without a certification (even a simple A+ certification which by the way is two complete tests, software and hardware) that limits what you can do in this industry. No warranty work, and every vendor out there requires that you at the very least has A+ and pass their Warranty Verification Exams. I am warranty certified by Compaq, HP, Dell, Netgear, Sonicwall, and Quickbooks. One thing I did not agree with when I worked at Best Buy was that I was also required to sell anything the business owner might require to include furniture. I had many reasons to leave but I also enjoyed the fact that I was a member of the Geek Sqd on my level; too bad they had tied the hands of all techs to include mine and would rather I sell a chair than fix a server.... A job I was originally told was my primary responsibility...

Do want hear another joke!!!! I have got back ,From Best buy/Geek Squad, I am computer techincian, my self, for 10+ years, w/A+ certicate, I went in and bought, an demo computer, from the self, and the computer work great!,,,So the sales person, point out, this computer was the amoung the fastest computer this low cheap price of $550 buxcs. This good for Quad Dual Core, intel computer. So, everything was great, until, they said, I couldn't take the computer out, yet. Geek Squad has to delete their software off the hard drive, first, before the computer leaves the store.

This , was on Friday, I had explain, to them, I was going re-format the hard drive, and my own os software, and put ,my programs. So, problems esculated, that Best had their polices, etc.

Saturday afternoon,
So, Geek Squad, did not, do any of the work, on this system. They lost the paper work, on this system. So, they finally, got on my system, and so how, they broke it? My computer dosn't work anymore. So, the store manager, refunded me, the money back on credit card.

This Computer work! on the self, I was playing around with, for long time., This system was fast. this was intel quad core computer. Now, Geek Squad, got to it. This system just worthless big paper wieght, piece of junk.


C K

""most of their employees didn't even hold a A+ certification (A+ is a very basic computer certification, you can't be hired for just about any IT job without one).""

IMO, A+ certification isn't all that much or required-it's EXTREMELY BASIC computer orientation stuff and about the Windows OS. I've done just fine in the computer business since 1972 (started on main frames) without any such certification, but plenty of schooling. An AAS in computer repair is worth more than A+ certification. I've seen a textbook for A+ used locally (community college) and was surprised at the amount of ERRORS in the text. The book doesn't even address the proper use of a dc voltmeter.

IF you wish to be a true IT Manager, you'll need either vast experience as we old timers have or your going to need a BS degree in computer science.