Is the Geek Squad overpriced?

[QUOTE="QuistisTrepe_"]

[QUOTE="JigglyWiggly_"] Yes if you use Unix you are smart. I am not talking about Linux, I mean straight on Unix os's like Solaris

JigglyWiggly_

That would be well outside of Geek Squad's demographic.

That's because those are a different breed of techs. Those are people who have literally been doing it all their lives. Not all GS techs are inept. The problem is Best Buy putting the uniform on non-technicians who are actually good sales people.

[QUOTE="RobboElRobbo"][QUOTE="QuistisTrepe_"]

That doesn't make people morons, that means they have a lack of knowledge in a particular field.:|

QuistisTrepe_

Hence why he said "technophobic morons". :lol:

Still doesn't apply.

Dude, a technophobic moron is someone who doesn't know anything about technology. Sounds like a lack of knowledge in a particular field to me.

[QUOTE="JigglyWiggly_"][QUOTE="QuistisTrepe_"]

That would be well outside of Geek Squad's demographic.

QuistisTrepe_

That's because those are a different breed of techs. Those are people who have literally been doing it all their lives. Not all GS techs are inept. The problem is Best Buy putting the uniform on non-technicians who are actually good sales people.

I can fix anything a geek squad guy could. I've only been working with computer problems myself for a few years.

[QUOTE="QuistisTrepe_"]

[QUOTE="RobboElRobbo"]

Hence why he said "technophobic morons". :lol:

RobboElRobbo

Still doesn't apply.

Dude, a technophobic moron is someone who doesn't know anything about technology. Sounds like a lack of knowledge in a particular field to me.

The term "moron" is completely unnecessary.

[QUOTE="RobboElRobbo"][QUOTE="QuistisTrepe_"]

Still doesn't apply.

QuistisTrepe_

Dude, a technophobic moron is someone who doesn't know anything about technology. Sounds like a lack of knowledge in a particular field to me.

The term "moron" is completely unnecessary.

Moron means you don't know anything. I don't know, maybe I'm missing something here?

[QUOTE="QuistisTrepe_"]

[QUOTE="JigglyWiggly_"] Which is why I am saying if I can't fix it, nobody at Geeksquad can. Hell most people in the pc hardware section of this site are smarter than geeksquad.RobboElRobbo

That's because those are a different breed of techs. Those are people who have literally been doing it all their lives. Not all GS techs are inept. The problem is Best Buy putting the uniform on non-technicians who are actually good sales people.

I can fix anything a geek squad guy could. I've only been working with computer problems myself for a few years.

And you're precisely the consumer that GS doesn't cater to. It's the people who wouldn't know what to do with a router, who don't understand basic computer maintenance, lack internet savvy, etc. If there weren't so many of these people among the populace, computer repair services wouldn't be doing so much business. Identity theft wouldn't be so prevalent either.

[QUOTE="RobboElRobbo"][QUOTE="QuistisTrepe_"]

That's because those are a different breed of techs. Those are people who have literally been doing it all their lives. Not all GS techs are inept. The problem is Best Buy putting the uniform on non-technicians who are actually good sales people.

QuistisTrepe_

I can fix anything a geek squad guy could. I've only been working with computer problems myself for a few years.

And you're precisely the consumer that GS doesn't cater to. It's the people who wouldn't know what to do with a router, who don't understand basic computer maintenance, lack internet savvy, etc. If there weren't so many of these people among the populace, computer repair services wouldn't be doing so much business. Identity theft wouldn't be so prevalent either.

Exactly. Those people are called technophobic morons. :D

[QUOTE="DANTE12345"]

This should be enough for you to make your decision.

urdead18

Anyhow TC you can fix this yourself you need to hunt the nasty things out! Try AVG, Spybot, using Spybot go to advanced settings and go into start up items! You can disable ALL programms that start when Windows begins and SPybot tells you which ones are unknown / Virus or Root Kits this is how i fixed some PCs at work.

I think Spybot also tells you the location of said files allowing removal! Lets put it this way its not game over for your Harddrive yet! I recently loast 2 Hardrives set up in Raid 0 Config to a Trogan Horse that annhilated both of them! You have to be careful i suggest AVG, SPybot, and Spyware blaster to prevent further infections.

Google works much better than geeksquad, and it is free.SF_KiLLaMaN

Try AVG, Spybot, using Spybot

jwsoul

Wow, you just named two programs that I would never use. I'd go with Microsoft Security Essentials. 2.5MB for real-time security, tough to beat that. If people would right-click and scan whatever they download, that alone would dramatically decrease the rate of infection.

[QUOTE="GTbiking4life"]

[QUOTE="JigglyWiggly_"]

Honestly, if I can't fix it there is no way someone there can. Unless magically there are super smartass UNIX users... which would make them overqualified.

JigglyWiggly_

What? Unix is a different OS. Why would they need to be smart Unix users? I just don't understand what you are getting at here?

Geek Squad Agents fix computers running the Windows OS, not Unix (Solaris) which is why your post makes no sense. I was a Solaris System Administrator before I decided to change careers. Solaris has nothing to do with what Geek Squad Agents repair.

So is backing everything on my hard drive up and then re-installing Windows the best way to solve the problem, rather than spending way too much on a geek?

[QUOTE="Tigerman950"]

[QUOTE="DANTE12345"]

This should be enough for you to make your decision.

taj7575

Haha that's crazy. Believe it or not I purchased my PS3 and HDTV from Circuit City (back when it existed) and the guy from there came and installed both things for free. I even felt like I could've done it myself, so this is just unbelievable.

Yeah, CC did a lot of things for free and had a lot of deals. I never understood why people hated them.

Yeah, I never understood that. Years ago, when I used to live near one, I thought they had some good deals. I didn't know about the free installation stuff, though.

Not to offend, but I really think Geek Squad is only geared toward idiots. The prices they charge in proportion to the product you're buying the service on is so high that someone who takes a minute to think about it would realize that it's simply not worth it. Like the PS3 installation example above, Even at $1000, that price would be insane. I could buy a 5-year warranty for a ~$700 product at another store for around that price.

[QUOTE="jwsoul"]

Try AVG, Spybot, using Spybot

QuistisTrepe_

Wow, you just named two programs that I would never use. I'd go with Microsoft Security Essentials. 2.5MB for real-time security, tough to beat that. If people would right-click and scan whatever they download, that alone would dramatically decrease the rate of infection.

Any anti virus can do that. And I reckon that most anti viruses would be real time as well. I haven't even heard of this M$ Essentials you speak of.

This should be enough for you to make your decision.

DANTE12345

Oh my god. That can't be real.

:lol:

Make a backup of important files and reformat.... If you can't do that, just look for a computer geek at school and offer him 50 bucks for the job. :)

They charge 150 bucks to setup your PS3/360 and make you an xbox live/psn gamer tag. What do you think?

[QUOTE="Cherokee_Jack"]

Geek Squad preys on technophobic morons. They most likely are the last people to go to with serious problems like yours, regardless of their fees.

QuistisTrepe_

That doesn't make people morons, that means they have a lack of knowledge in a particular field.:|

If your computer is that comprimised your better off just to nuke and pave the drive.

Anyone who turns a screw or plugs something in and bills you for itis overcharging you.

Anyone who turns a screw or plugs something in and bills you for itis overcharging you.

MagnumPI

Their prices are still ridiculous, of course.

Geek Squad is probably the most overpriced tech support service you'll find. Any non-chain computer store or self-employed PC repairman will be able to do it for you for much less.

However, virus removal isn't difficult. In a worst-case scenario you just wipe the drive and start over after backing up your data. Here's what I would do (in order):

1. If it really is a rootkit get an antivirus program that removes rootkits. Just about any AV worth it's salt these days will be able to do this which is why I doubt that your problem is just some standard rootkit virus.

2. Find out what you're infected with (if you don't already know from virus scans then use a program called "hijackthis" and post the results on a tech forum). Then search for removal instructions on google. More often than not you can also find specific removal tools for your infection.

3. Failing all else you can wipe the drive. When you have to wipe because of a virus though I recommend using a program called DBAN. A normal reformat just labels all the data on the drive to be overwritten, it doesn't actually destroy the data and because of that sometimes a really nasty virus can reinfect the next Windows installation too. What DBAN does is rewrite the entire drive with junk data so that absolutely nothing survives (this is also very useful if you ever want to sell your PC/HDD and have data on it that you don't want to risk getting recovered by the guy you sell it too, like financial or business documents). Then just reinstall Windows. Remember to back up all the data you need before you do this or else it will be gone forever.

So is backing everything on my hard drive up and then re-installing Windows the best way to solve the problem, rather than spending way too much on a geek?

Tigerman950

Yes, TC, it is overpriced. I would never buy anything from BB unless it's really a great deal. I bought a laptop there before and they were so pushy with getting you to sign up and get the Geek Squad guarantee and other things. I had to get the manager to stop them from pushing all their crap that I didn't need. Maybe that stuff works on old grannys or noobs, but I explained to them that most of the crap they're trying to push down my throat I can easily do myself, or have the system check for updates on its own without charging me $150.