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When my Dell starting slowing down and having a lot of pop up ads, I took it to my local Best Buy.
I paid the Geek squad $60 for a diagnostic exam of my computer. The repairman told me my computer needed a new anti-virus and to be cleaned up. He assured me it was fixable. I paid another $260 to have my Dell repaired.
Days later I picked it up and took it home, only to find that it still ran slow, still had pop ups but now turned off on it's own.
I took my computer back to the same store and insisted they hadn't fixed it right. Several days later, I was told my computer was not fixable because the motherboard was fried. I asked why the repairman didn't discover this during the $60 diagnostic exam, why they took my $260 for something that couldn't be fixed?
The management in the Poughkeepsie NY store and the customer service dept at the company's corporate office, both told me to forget about a refund, that they didn't give them.
I'll never spend another dime in Best Buy under any circumstances.
Sorry to tell you, but it sounds like they didn't remove the viruses that are most likely on your machine and it almost certainly isn't a hardware issue like they claim.
Really all I can recommend is to find out if the Circuit City Firedog techs in your area are competent. (Unfortunately it does vary from market to market) or find a reputable computer repair tech in your area.
Will it cost more money? Yes.
Will it get you a working computer? Probably. There are not guarantees in virus removal.
I live in poughkeepsie, and the Best buy there is A JOKE!
I bought a Nikon DSLR cammera last summer, and the lady assured me I could return it (If I did not like it). Well it was horrible and I went to take it back, the manager refused and told me I Needed to pay $50 for the 15% restocking fee. No way was I going to pay $50. I calmly told him about the girl that I spoke to, he gives me BS saying that I am lieing.
I told him I would go find her (he then tells me he will call the police if I go near her), I leave the store angry.
2 days later I jammed the cammera lense and I went back to the SAME manager and told him ABOUT MY PROBLEM!
Reguardless he had to give me a refund :)!
I live in AZ and I have had the misfortune of dealing with Geek Squad a couple of times via my computer warranty which was purchased at the time of buying my computer from Best Buy. Let me state right here..I will NEVER buy anything of any consequence from Best Buy again. I have had better service buying major electronics from Costco and Sam's in comparison!
They failed to show up at the appointed time when i bought my computer to set it up and network it. Then blamed it on me, after I had already waited 2 weeks for them to show. When they did show, I wasn't here and did they call me? Uhm...no? would be the correct response.
Now, I'm having major problems with my PC and I took it in. It's been there a week. They finally call me today to tell me this...It needs a new IT card and there's something wrong with the processing unit. I ask what..they don't know that it just failed the test and all the while talking like an idiot 3rd grader..my 5th grader knows more about computer talk than these so-called "geeks"...anyway, I digress..They don't know how to fix it..they don't have the tools..they need to send it to CA for at least 3 weeks to see what can be done. Uhm...excuse me? Out of state to where I have no control..and they have nothing here to deal with it, can't tell me why it failed...
I'm done with these people. They have done nothing to earn my trust or respect and I threw several hundred dollars away on a piece of paper that's worth nothing. Is there nothing that can be done to put these people out of business?!
Best Buy - Vallejo CA - GEEK SQUAD
I brought my HP PC in for service because it kept shutting down. I paid $69 for diagnostic and was advised that it was a virus problem. I paid another $129 to clean it up ($200 total). 35 days later, it crashed again. I called up and they said that the initial problem/repair was 5 days past the warranty.
I again brought it in, paid another $69 and was told my hard drive crashed. I advised that it was probably the initial problem and they said no, that it was merely a coincidence.
I paid more money for a new hardrive and was told it would take 2 days. I laughed and said that it would take longer because they never finish anything on time. Eddie promised two days.
Two WEEKS later we still hadn't heard anything. Rueben said that they didn't think that our recovery disks that we provided were the right ones but he'd keep checking and call us back.
Another two WEEKS and nothing! Mark now says that our computer is in pick up but he doesn't know the status - They are the computer experts, but they don't have information in the database about the status of the computer? BBB, here I come!
I will agree with what Eric Tech said. The issues doesn't sound like a hardware problem (but then again, I haven't looked at the PC myself).
In response to Basim Hanif, always look at the warranty on the receipt before leaving the store. Usually it is something like "electronics are not refundable and will carry a 15% restocking fee if found in working order". I am paraphrashing of couse, but you get the idea. I once had a manager sign the receipt for me indicating to me that I could return the item if there was something wrong with it. Granted, I only had three days, but at least it was that. Then again, the camera stopped working after two weeks. So even then, you can't get service.
In regards to K. Damito and for usdalton, I would say to give Geeks On Call [protected]-GEEK) a try. They may service your area. They are a different level of expertise with the Geeks On Call techs. I have never had a system more than a few days when I am repairing them. And that includes backing up the data and reloading the entire operating system. They can probably hook you up with a same day appointment. In fact, if you click go to http://www.geeksoncall.com/downloads/tenforten.pdf you can download a 10% discount on their labor charges.
Good luck
Geeks On Call
[protected]-GEEK
I had almost the exact same problem with my local Geek Squad.
My Dell laptop was acting funny, and I know NOTHING about computers.
I took it in thinking "oh these guys are professionals" and figured it'd be a quick fix and I'd have my computer back no problem.
Wrong.
These guys charged me an arm and a leg ON TOP of keeping my computer for NINE DAYS.
Now, I use my computer for a lot of things, nine days is a long time.
Whatever - I figured it was just more messed up than I thought.
Upon getting my computer back I noticed it was still running slow and had (what seemed like) more popups and problems than ever.
What the hell?! What did I just pay for?!
I figured I wasnt the only one with this kind of service from the geeks, and found COUNTLESS reviews online about their faulty service.
I'm relieve I'm not the only one who's been ripped off and I'm happy I'm not the only one speaking out about this injustice.
If you pay a "PROFESSIONAL" to DO THEIR JOB it should BE DONE PROPERLY.
Upoon reading various reviews I found a site called "Secure Remote Support" and their technicians found the problems quickly and RESOLVED the issues.
Not only was my computer fixed, but I only paid pocket change compared to what the geeks' highway robbery.
The service was 1 on 1 and I felt comfortable and understood by the employees.
www.SecureRemoteSupport.com is who I'll go to with ALL my future computer needs.
I am VERY WORRIED that the Geek Squad Data Recovery Department is trying to rip me off. My cat tipped my laptop backward and it fell on the floor. The first computer place said the hard drive was broken and I'd need to get a Data Recovery place to get into it somehow to get my data from it, then I went to BEST BUY which is where I had purchased the laptop, and they said they'd send the hard drive to tjeir own Data Recovery Team, who sent me a notice they'd need $1450 up front just for LABOR to get in there to remove data, and they wanted to know WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT STUFF, as if they are trying to act like they can pick that stuff out THIS SOUNDS LIKE A RIPOFF TO ME, folks. Please find me on Facebook and message me if you know about this con. Thanks. Amanda