Call The Geek Squad? (yes or no) - Comments Page 1

I use the Geek Squad. I have never had an issue with them and they stand by their work. I have their tech support which covers virus removal and fixes thing up when I make a mess of things, which happens more times than I can count.

I have mixed feelings about these "well-known" repair companies. I have spent several hours "cleaning up" after such companies said it was unrepairable and got them working again. I find the best way is to check with a local computer user group and find out who in the area has a good reputation for during repairs and contact them.

I have been with Geek squad for over three years as a full tech support member. These people provide excellent service and pricing is very transparent. They cover all things technical including home appliances. Initial diagnosis is usually free and you pay for parts if they are eneeded but labor is alwys free for members.
They will even come to your house at a fixed upfront price. Of course , online diagnosis is also free.
The money I have espent on membership is worth every dime!!!

My senior village has a large computer club and a tech group that freely works on all technical problems. The free part sure beats the transparent pricing of the Geek Squad or other pro shop. We estimate our local geeks save our large club over $25,000 a year in service and they also offer free tutorial sessions and other training classes. Try visiting a local computer group or starting you own.

I have a need to take the info from a zip disk. Most places cannot do it and the quote from the one that can is $150. It's only 100MB of data!

I have mixed feelings about Geek Squad.
I am 74 years old and in a former life, worked in IT. But I no longer enjoy staying up with cutting edge technology.
I live in Sun City Texas which has a huge Computer Club and help desk. I have found that, "you get what you pay for." For simple virus removal they are quite adequate, but usually when I need a machine "cleaned" or "reloaded" it is past that point.
I had a wonderful local computer shop the last place I lived, but have been using Geek Squad since moving to Georgetown.
I have a Dell Precision Laptop that I bought refurbished at least 6 years ago and I use an Asus 32" monitor. Something in that setup goes haywire off and on and the sleep function starts malfunctioning. That is my usual problem that I have Geek Squad try to repair.
I have had only one bad experience - - the technician REMOVED many programs that I use - but infrequently. Things like FreeFileSync which I use to sync with my network drive, Privazer which I find is a good disk clean up . . .
But I learned my lesson and will specifiy when I use them again that they are NOT to remove installed programs without specific approval. And otherwise, I have been very pleased.

I had a bad experience with the Geek Squad. When I purchased a new laptop, I took my old one to the Geek Squad to have my files copied. They gave me a disk that contained someone else's files. They did then copy mine then but I did not get everything.

I first purchased a Geek Squad contract when my son moved out of state to college knowing I could not help him remotely. He needed it a couple times a year and they fixed the problem promptly.I have have continued the contract ($99 renewal for up to 3 computers) going on 9 years. It seems my wife, son, and mother all need some time of help on a yearly basis and the contract takes care of all problems. Worth it to me since all of them use it.

Geek Squad got its reputation when it was a local group that could fix anything. They created the attitude and image, then they were bought out by Best Buy and taken national.
Only had one experience with them and it was bad. Computer was bought at Best Buy by a friend (now my wife) and had horrendous issues with the Virus checker that they installed. Massive issues while they mucked things up trying to get it working. Appeared to be just hires off the street going through pre-canned solutions trying to find something that worked.

Almost all of the 10 computers used at the church I pastor were purchased at Best Buy, and we ALWAYS pay extra for Geek Squad warranties. Yes, it costs more. BUT, we have had all repairs done at no charge. GS updated all the computers to Win 10, at no charge. We have always had outstanding service. Bottom line: when you don't have super-techie friends or church members, having access to super-techie help is worth it.

Sometimes making sure everything is plugged in is good. Turning the computer off and then on has sometimes helped.

I have just one Windows machine, an HP Win 10 Pro desktop and an HP Officejet printer. Everything else, laptop, iPad, iPhone is Apple.

I've not had much need to do anything with the Windows machine but HP support is pretty good. Mixed success with the Geek Squad, they'll set up a new tv quickly but don't take much time to explain anything. I did buy my first MacBook from them and set up a support session, even then I knew more than the Geek Squad guy. So I don't use them at all.

The Apple devices occasionally give me hiccups, especially the MacBook Pro. But I have to say Apple support is bar none the best I've ever experienced. I wish all support services were as good as they are. I've an app, I click it, call them, they call back instantly, never waited longer than a couple minutes and if the first person can't handle it, they kick it to an advanced specialist who will screen share on multiple devices simultaneously, if need be, and stay with you until it is fixed. Not once has that not happened. Professional, courteous and knowledgeable. I don't "get" the Mac OS as I do Windows but those folks are just perfect. No need for anything else. Which is why I stay Apple but for the desktop machine and printer.

Like Mike - I belong to a Computer Club.
I have belonged to the local computer club for the last 23 years - and the help I have received is incredible.
I also learned there how to take a computer back to just the tower case and build it again - and get it working.
And by the way I'm over 90 - the oldest member of the club.

I've never used The Geek Squad since the last time I bought a laptop at my local Best Buy.

Every time I bought a computer from Best Buy (as in the first one ran on Windows 3.0), I had to spend half a day removing their software that ensured I received their latest ads. I responded to an ad for a laptop and the box had a sticker, saying I should take it to the Geek Squad desk before paying.

The man told me I'd have to remove their ad software and it would ONLY cost me $75 to do so. He added if I tried it myself, I'd probably screw up the computer. I took it home, removed the software easily, and started shopping elsewhere when I needed a new computer.

I work for an independent computer repair store. Our local Geek Squad is joke, they either ship jobs out for a fixed fee or they just say, it's UN-repairable, buy and new computer from us. This may be just the local one, but we even recommend our competitors over them.

We once received a laptop computer that was diagnosed by the local Geek Squad as a bad hard drive. It had been opened with a crow-bar - every screw in the bottom had either been ripped out or the plastic pulled out. And oh-by-the-way, the HD was fine, the problem was Windows was messed up by "potentially unwanted applications" (PUPs).

It's a whole lot more profitable to sell the customer a new computer. Geek Squad was a wonderful and great repair service before Best Buy bought them and turned them into a profit center.

Yes, we charge a diagnostic fee. Our time is not free and we need to pay the rent, heating & AC, electric, and employees; plus social security, health insurance and (no surprise) taxes. Learning how to fix things is a whole lot different than just learning how to work these little boxes of magic.

Ask around a don't be afraid to solicit help from your your local computer store. They are sure to know more than the millennials in the Best Buy.

I have never bought something from Best Buy (owner of 'Geek Squad)that I haven't had to return at least twice. Doesn't make me really anxious to try Geek Squad.

I discovered a local gentlemen in our area that replaced a hard drive in a notebook for us. He works out of his home still, I believe, but seems to have reasonable rates and service fees. He has an online presence for his business of repair and building/selling new machines. I did a local search in our area and decided on him after all the positive reviews. (all 5 star) Thanks to "the PC Smith1". If I find myself in need of a new machine, I want him to build it for me :). Have not used Geek Squad, but after quizzing a person at a best buy in a different state we lived in, I ended up doing the repair myself and ordered what I needed from Newegg... (power supply) I was just not feeling confident at the time that they really new what they were doing, especially for what it would cost for them to diagnose and potentially repair an older tower. I also replaced a cpu and again used Newegg for my part supplier on a different machine... A 266mhz Cyrix. Whew what a speed demon...

Or, y'all could do what we did at our home. About a dozen years ago (when our daughter started college) we went ALL Apple. Laptops, phones, everything is Apple. And, everything works. I was SysOp of a BBS for several years when I was younger so I was pretty literate with tech, but those skills have not been needed for a dozen years now. And the $$$$ saved from not having repairs done has been worth the extra cost of going Apple. I'm typing this on a 10 year old MacBook Pro.

I am in the feeling that never missing to read AskBobRankin automagically keeps my computers in tip-top shape! YMMV

Some years ago someone had taken a computer to a repair shop. When the technician at the shop went through the computer, he discovered child p*rn on the machine. Don't know if the owner is out of the greybar hotel yet. Just sayin'.