- Report: #557463
Complaint Review: Geek Squad in Best Buy - Quakertown Pennsylvania
Reported By:
Jen -
Quakertown, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Not Confirmed
Why?
Geek Squad in Best Buy
646 N. West End Blvd Quakertown, 18951 Pennsylvania, United States of America
Phone:
215-804-0039
Web:
Categories:
Business Rating:
(0)
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good?
Geek Squad in Best Buy charged me for services not performed, added costs as I went, did not fix my computer! Quakertown, Pennsylvania
Long story short: (which is hard to do!)
Computer was freezing up and blue screen crashing for a long time. Finally convinced husband to take it to Geek Squad. BIG mistake!
Should have known from the person in front of me in line, who was complaining to them, (inside Best Buy store) not to deal with them, but I was desperate.
Said I wanted computer totally erased and Windows reinstalled. They said first they have to diagnose it for $69.99.
So I did that.
They said there were 3 viruses and one of my RAM sticks was bad.
I bought a new RAM stick at Best Buy, which cost over $100.
To install it would cost $39.99.
As for the viruses, I said to just erase entire computer and start new, as I said before.
They said it would be $129.99 to erase viruses. And $129.99 to erase it and re-do the computer.
I said just re-do it.
Got a call a few days later, saying they can NOT install my new RAM stick, without cleaning the inside of the computer out first, which would cost $29.99.
I begged for them to just leave it dirty and I'd clean it out later. That's too expensive.
They said they could NOT work on it. So I said FINE, clean it.
I was stuck, ya know?
A few days later, they called and said the computer was done.
I went to pick it up right away.
When I got there, I could tell they didn't use the computer discs, or my copy of Windows that I left for them, or anything.
They said they erased the viruses, and changed the RAM, and it was fine.
:(
Right away, I was MAD, because they did NOT do what I asked them to.
But...if the computer worked now, then maybe it was fine.
When I carried it out to my car, (yes, they made ME carry it out. And I'm a girl, and it's a VERY heavy tower!!) I noticed the CD drive was hanging out, crookedly and bouncing around.
???
At this point, I was sooo mad, I just left, before I went back and caused a scene.
When I got it home, I told my husband to fix the CD drives.
He had to take the tower cover off, and figure out how they went back in. A screw was totally missing, and the looseness, and the way it was just hanging there, bouncing with each movement, was.....obvious!
So after he found a new screw, he got a flash light, and that's when he noticed how DIRTY and DUSTY, complete with actual DUST BUNNIES, the inside of the computer was!!
Didn't I just pay $29.99 to have it cleaned out?????????? Yes I did
There wasn't a speck of dust MISSING!
My husband called them right away, and complained about the CD drives, and the lack of cleaning, which we paid for.
They didn't say much. They barely said sorry, actually.
They said by paying the bill, I agreed that everything was done to satisfaction.
Was I supposed to TAKE IT APART right there at the counter, before I paid?????
So the viruses WERE gone...I think.
But not even a week later, it was still blue screening, and crashing, and the browser window kept disappearing....SAME stuff as before.
And several months later, (we still had the old RAM sticks they took out and said were faulty) a friend needed some RAM, so we said they could try ours, since they probably worked anyway, and we probably got ripped off on that diagnosis, too.
SURE ENOUGH, his computer works FINE, with my "faulty" RAM sticks!!!!! Perfectly fine.
So, basically, I paid around $400 to get 3 minor viruses removed from my computer.
I've told everyone possible about Geek Squad, and I hope you don't make the same mistake I did, and trust them with ANYTHING!!!!!!
Recently, I filed a report with the Better Business Beauro, and I got a letter from the BBB, saying they've tried to contact Geek Squad SEVERAL TIMES, and never get a response. So, they're going to try one last time, and then I'm basically out of luck, besides the fact that Geek Squad will get a "black mark" on their BBB profile.
Oooooooooh. Wow. (no offense to the BBB! They've helped me before!!)
It just doesn't seem like enough, considering I could have bought a NEW COMPUTER for what they charged me to do basically NOTHING!!
I just want my money back. Every single penny.
And I'll never get it.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Brad
Evansville,Indiana,
USA
Wow
#2Consumer Comment
Fri, February 12, 2010
Sorry for your luck. Sounds like you got ripped off completely. 69.00 dollars to diagnose a computer is crazy no matter what the cause. As for the guy who responded i would agree with him although 30 is a little light most will charge 40. But the problem is people don't trust regular non business people with there pcs. This is a bad thing because consumers end up going to high dollars places and paying way high prices for simple services. 40 dollars is plenty to restore any computer. All you do is delete the drive reformat it and reinstall windows with drivers. As for cleaning and nonsense things most people can do that themselves. If not 10 dollars is plenty for that plus costs of compressed air. I would take them to small claims court. Most likely if you file the petition in the court which i think is around 50 dollars. Geek Squad won't even show but if they do just bring pictures or the actual tower. Bring your receipt and prove your case in court. Sue for cost of repairs minus the cost of the ram stick your actually using. Plus sue for court costs.
Mrtim
Worth,Illinois,
U.S.A.
lesson Learned
#3Consumer Comment
Fri, February 12, 2010
I'm sorry that you had to go through that ordeal. It really seems that the Geek Squad is the current equivalent of shady car repair shops; they knowingly decieve and downright lie to make a buck. After reading through your report, it is clear that they did just that - they outright lied to you to make money.
If you brought in a PC for work and told them to format and reload windows, they should have done just that. A few weeks ago I saved a customer when I was in Best Buy who wanted the exact same thing you wanted. The guy behind the counter said that there was a $69 dollar fee just to look at it, and then he tried to push over 200 dollars of completely unnecessary work. Also 3-4 days required to do it. I approached the customer and told him I would do it for 30 bucks, complete. Guess who made $30 bucks?
Now the price for the RAM was non-negotiable, it has a set price and there is no way around that, short of buying it yourself at another store. But to install it for $39.00 dollars? Horrible. The truly worst part of this is the charge for cleaning, and then they didn't clean it. I would take the tower in with a can of compressed air and then clean it out on their counter.
I have yet to see a good reply about Geek Squad, from family, friends, etc. In one case I went up to a local BestBuy with a friend and berated the geek squad until they refunded her money. Yeah, they had the nerve to remove parts that I installed and then charge her for parts that they DIDN'T install.
Whenever I see Employees defending their beloved geek squad I can't help but laugh. They look down on people as if they were superior, yet most of them can't do the most simple operations on most computers. I hope you get your money back - charge into that Best Buy with the reciept and the tower and show the store manager that the geek squad is full of inept thieves and liars. That whole "Your receipt means you were satisfied..." is garbage. Even if you don't get your money, maybe your display will prevent other customers from being ripped off by Geek Squad.
Good luck.
