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    <title><![CDATA[Discussion on Does Geek Squad give a good or bad impression of IT consultants? ]]></title>
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        <title><![CDATA[Ever heard of Organized Crime? The Geeks commit disorganized crime!]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2640869]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[I've heard that Best Buy deliberately dumbed down the GS. BB moved the GS into sales staff category. It didn't matter if their GS people were as dumb as stumps as long as they could mislead customers into paying for uneeded repairs and parts. GS once sent out a promotional photo of their ultra high-tech lab. It showed a GS staring at an oscilloscope while reaching for what looked like a Radio Shack soldering iron. Amazing!]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2640869]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[newsplan1@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:14:16 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[RE: Does Geek Squad give a good or bad impression of IT consultants?]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2639105]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[GS &amp; IT professionals?  The words should never be used together.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2639105]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[Gordon Gordon]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:43:12 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[RE: Does Geek Squad give a good or bad impression of IT consultants?]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2636660]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[I spent a month at a Mom and Pop store that used to farm some extra work out to GS from time to time, they thought they actually did a good job for some reason. In the month I worked there I never got a good reliable computer, I was always given computers that had been abandoned by customers, so I ended up going through a computer a week give or take. The last computer I built only had 256MB of RAM if I remember right, so after I installed Windows and got everything set up I put more RAM in the computer. I have a feeling it wouldnt be compatible, but I tried it anyway. The next day I come in and the lead tech is reinstalling Windows on my computer, I asked him what he was doing and he said the RAM I put in wasnt compatible and had corrupted the System32 folder so he had to reinstall. How in the blue hell can the System32 folder get corrupted if the computer fails POST? Needless to say I left shortly after that.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2636660]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[cbader@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:48:08 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[What equipment?]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635961]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Most retailers do not allow store workers to perform direct maintenance on local data equipment.  They see it as a conflict of interest.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635961]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[NickNielsen]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:46:21 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[As an independent]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635864]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[I was contracted to work at a Best Buy on a couple of things in-house. The Squad stayed out of the way, but whether they were avoiding me or just busy I don't know. I was just intrigued that they would call in an outsider to check out the equipment that GS works on all the time!?!?]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635864]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[thezar]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:52:53 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[Geek Squad is a rip!]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635848]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[I helped a lady set up her notebook for wireless.  GS had sold her a decent laptop running Windows Vista, a good broadband card, and a firewall program and an antivirus program which were not compatible with Vista- an extra $100 she did not need to spend.  It toome 30 minutes to get her wireless card setup- they also provided no instructions nor apparently did they offer any!  SHe was able to return the software, but I had to spend some time explaining why it would not work before she would take it back.  Taking advantage of the uninformed to this degree is bad press for all us who provide support.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635848]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[jeffo@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:04:36 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[LMAO :^0]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635822]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Everybody knows that only dot matriX printers will work with LinuX.It's the X that did it, you know...]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635822]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[NickNielsen]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:53:00 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[Career Trajectory]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635759]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Some rare people, God love 'em, like working with desktops.  Some people want to become the manager of the desktop support group.  Everyone else wants to get as far away from the end user as possible.  Pretty much anyone who didn't start out as a programmer has done time on the help desk, but after putting in the hours we move on to server or network.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635759]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[Joe-Swanson]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:24:36 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[Marketplace Video: Getting Gouged by the Geeks]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635774]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Excellent video - a lot more realistic! Marketplace Video]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635774]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[Marty R. Milette]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:09:33 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[In the UK,]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635757]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[we have something called the Tech Guys, a sub branch of our most prolific computer retailer; PC World.Some while ago, just for a laugh, I wandered in my local branch and casually asked the sales assistant; &quot;which of the many displayed printers would work with Linux?&quot;All credit to him, he gave me an immediate and honest reply; &quot;I'm terribly sorry Sir, I've never been asked that question. I will go and find out and come back and let you know.&quot;So far, so good. The guy had given me an honest answer, told me what he was going to do and what I could expect - full marks.He went over to the Tech Guys and soon came back with the response. &quot;I'm sorry Sir, the only printers that work with Linux are 'dot matrix' and we don't have any of those in stock.&quot;I thanked him for his time (after all, he had done nothing wrong) and left the store.I'll leave you to work out the quality of advice from the 'experts' that call themselves: Tech Guys!]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635757]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[lastchip]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:05:19 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Geeks Then &amp; Now]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635754]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[When Geek Squad was first formed, it was highly skilled techs and good customer service. The management was deeply concerned about both skillsets and customer service. During the early years, I took in my locked-up laptop. I had it back in 24 hours with the several problems fixed and an explanation of what was done and how to avoid problems in the future. The tech was polite and considerate.When Best Buy bought the Squad, they needed to staff a lot of stores and didn't seem to be able to find techs of the same caliber. I took in a different laptop with a different problem. After a week of calls with no response other than &quot;we're still looking at it&quot;, I was finally told they couldn't deal with the problem. I took it to a small, private company that had the problem diagnosed, fixed, and the computer returned in 48 hours. They were very friendly as well, unlike the BBGS &quot;agent&quot; I had to deal with.The Best Buy Geek Squad is good with simple problems, but don't seem to be able to handle the more complex problems that businesses sometimes have. IMHO &amp; YMMV]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635754]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[sperry532@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:37:18 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[RE: Does Geek Squad give a good or bad impression of IT consultants?]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635693]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[They are under qualified tech newbies who show that arrogance and ignorance are a deadly combination.  I have had to clean up one of their messes before, but I guess they are a tad bit better than some remote call center where the techs barely can speak english]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635693]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[wanman_2]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:07:52 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[I was hoping a GS'er would chime in.]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635669]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Sounds like any other franchise; some are great, most are okay, a few suck chunks.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635669]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[CharlieSpencer_Palmetto]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:55:14 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[A former GSer's view]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635600]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[I worked for Geek Squad at the beginning of my IT career, and I found that the quality of GS service for any one customer depended on the caliber of staff.My first store had a weak crew at first, and we saw all the problems listed here (awful turn-time, shaky service, etc).  After a skilled supervisor revamped the department, however, the situation vastly improved.I followed in that man's footsteps and took on leadership of a different store's Geek Squad.  After some months of hiring good talent and getting them up to speed, we got our turn-time to 24-48 hours, dramatically reduced customer issues, and started racking up positive feedback.  Not to mention sales...good service definitely helped retention levels.After I jumped from that to network administration (gatekeeper job indeed), I kept in touch with my old crew.  By the time the last of them had left the store, a string of weak leaders had turned it back into the hell that other people describe.So, don't judge the brand so much as the individuals.  Stores with competent people lead to good service records, while those without result in the messes listed in other people's tales.Of course, I agree that management could do a far better of screening job applicants and getting good leadership.  But, such is the peril of most retail chains...]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635600]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[aathey@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:10:41 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[You get what you pay for.]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635595]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[I have customers willing to pay me more to resolve the issues left by the Geek squad. Thye hire the young and inexperienced, which is a good starting point, but you always get what you pay for. And if ANYBODY ever calls me a &quot;Geek&quot; I gently inform them that a &quot;geek&quot; works in a sideshow, eating garbage and biting the heads off of chickens. I am a &quot;wizard&quot;, because I make seemingly impossible stuff happen.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635595]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kyser Soze]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 07:27:40 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[Uh, you realize that's just a TV show, right?]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635525]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Also, there isn't really a planet Vulcan.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635525]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[CharlieSpencer_Palmetto]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:06:53 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[Geek Squad is cool]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635496]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[&quot;Chuck&quot; makes the Geek Squad look really cool!]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635496]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[svosnakis@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:08:42 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[What's your experience with the folks at Geek Squad?]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635493]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[I didn't do the video of the Geek Squad. I have had too many bad experiences from customers who have used them and spent WAY too much time cleaning up after them. Hey! That could possibly be a interesting way to market yourself. &quot;We clean up Geek Sqad's mess&quot;. Like Zappa said beware of people wearing &quot;short neck ornaments&quot;.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635493]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[seckel109@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 04:57:30 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[An Old Geek speaks]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635487]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Though I have never had to use Geek Squad services, I have heard and read similar complaints and horror stories about the &quot;quality&quot; of their service.  Whenever I walk into Best Buy (which I call Worst Buy due to their high pricing), I have noticed that all of the Geek Squadders I see have some visible acne, speak incredibly fast, and those that I have overheard with other customers are dispensing disturbing tech advice.  I am 54 years old, and all of my tech knowledge (mostly pertaining to hardware installation/troubleshooting and resolving software conflicts) is self-taught.  When my first computer's hard drive took a dump in 1998 and Gateway said I needed a new computer, I started tinkering, reading, blogging, and building my own custom systems...a lot of hands-on learning.  My &quot;education&quot; continues with each new problem I tackle for friends and family, and with every tech publication I read.  The agents of Geek Squad and other tech store services don't seem to have the same depth of experience.  As far as their image to IT professionals: I'm not concerned...we all know true &quot;geeks&quot; now rule the world!]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2635487]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[johnnymando@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 04:02:45 -0800</pubDate>
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        <title><![CDATA[It depends on your need]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2634983]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Geek Squad is recommended for our new work at home people because all they have to do is set up the new computer and IP phone. And all they have to do is follow a script that is given to the new work at home person.  The only reason we recommended them is because they guaranty the service, if it is not right here they will make it right with out charge.   But I have had no joy with working with them. I have had to reimage computers because of bad installs of software. And I do not want to accuse the Geek Squad of not training their techs. But I have found malware, Trojans and key loggers on ten computers after they were gone.  I started looking at computers after I saw an article that said the Geek Squad was copying pictures and music from computers they worked on.  And all the computers were imaged by me or by corporate now have image capture ether by snag it or another company so we can check our remote users. We do not let remote software to be installed unless it is approved by corp.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-278127-2634983]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[zlitocook@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:46:22 -0800</pubDate>
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