Hot on the heels of its earth-shattering(ly bad) Buy Back program, Best Buy is set to launch a new service, called Geek Squad Tech Support, that will allow computer and tablet purchasers to pay a flat fee for service from the Geeks, not just on the computer they purchased at Best Buy but on all computers that customer owns.
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sorry for the lengthy post, but this is my story...
In January of 2010, I bought a computer from a local Best Buy store. Not being entirely computer savvy, I went on the advice of the salesperson who told me that the computer I was buying was a “gaming computer”.
After a few months, my computer developed problems while playing my game (freezing and severe lagging). I took the computer into the store to have them look at it. I was told I wasn’t keeping it in a well-ventilated area. I objected, but they insisted. They cleaned the exhaust fan and sent me on my way.
I continued to have similar issues. I took it back in September. They said it was probably the graphic card burning out since this was not really a “gaming computer”. I conceded that as long as they could fix it, that I would accept it. They sent it to their repair facility. Approximately 2-3 weeks later, I received a call saying I could pick it up because it had been fixed.
Unfortunately, that same night, I took it back to them saying the problem was not fixed. The explanation I received was, “it really couldn’t be fixed since there was nothing wrong with it”. Further explanation revealed that the graphics card was built into the computer itself and could not simply be replaced. However, they sent it back to their repair facility asking the facility to replace the hard drive itself with a better graphics card. In mid to late October, I got the machine back. I tried to suffer though the poor quality. However, in late November, I took it back again.
It was suggested that I try a larger memory card to improve the quality. I complied, again. In February, I brought it back along with a second computer that had a virus on it. I wanted to trade in the first computer for an upgrade and get the second computer cleaned. The store manager said there was nothing he could do since my computer was now out of warranty. I tried to explain that they never fixed the original problems and I was gracious enough to take their advice every time they lied to me. I would buy an upgrade, but I wanted some sort of compensation for the issues that were never fixed. He sent me on my way with nothing.
While in the parking lot, I called their corporate office. After 2.5 hours on the phone with them, it became obvious that they would do nothing for me (offered 500 extra points on my Best Buy card which equals a $5 gift card). While on the phone with corporate, I was told that if I had brought the computer back 3 times, they would’ve had to replace it. I explained that I had brought it back not just three times, but multiple times. She said I should’ve known the return policy and requested a replacement.
I needed a computer. Being two computers down and being the only computer place in town, I bought the upgrade from Best Buy without any compensation. However, the man at the front desk manually cleaned my computer for free. Which I thought was a small gesture, but nice nonetheless. Unfortunately, when I got home, the second computer did not work anymore. How ironic. BUYER BEWARE…ALWAYS!
(First few visits, names escape me. However, Avery was my salesperson for the upgrade. Ryan is the tech that cleaned my computer manually. Finally, Tina was the ‘non-caring’ customer service representative that I spoke with from corporate).
So true, the Geek squad is a scam. Had the same problem with a Gateway problem even after buying extended warranty. They never fixed the monitor problems. Rip off indeed!
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