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Geek Squad

The Geek Squad VS The PC Support Source

Well, the geeks have finally arrived. At the PC Support Source, we saw it coming a very long time ago (We petitioned Best Buy in 1994 to franchise us as their in-house support outlet and was roundly ignored back then…but that’s another story.) So, Best Buy Inc. has now purchased a Minneapolis outfit and christened it Geek Squad, and is spending a fortune in marketing bucks to get your support business.

Since we’re always itching for good competition around here, (and we can sure hold that grudge about being snubbed!) let’s talk about The PC Support Source VS. the Geeks, and then you can decide.

...the combination of pricing and experience ultimately determine whether you get the best bang for your support buck.. but spotting inexperience is the problem...

In the support business the combination of pricing and experience ultimately determine whether you get the best bang for your support buck. Lowest prices or rates mean nothing if the technician is inexperienced. But spotting inexperience is the problem for most people. After all, anyone who "knows the lingo" more than you do is likely to seem experienced. Individuals vary, but in the industry overall, years of field service does make a difference. Here's a good benchmark, including how to identify them and what they are paid:

Field Technician Experience Guide

1 - 2 yrs. - No real experience: This is a tech in training, and needs supervision to do the most basic services. Finished work often incomplete, unprofessional, or even damaging.
Base Pay: minimum - $10 hr.
Likely Employer: Best Buy/Circuit City

3 - 5 yrs. - Some Experience - "Just enough to be dangerous" is how we categorized them when I worked at a major reseller. The danger is that while this tech has had some success, and seen some problems, he/she often jumps to conclusions based on limited experiences, and still often needs supervision and backup to complete jobs correctly. Often recommends replacing systems with new due to bias on existing knowledge. Heavy use of "geek lingo" also alienates customers. Finished work often incomplete, or even deceptive.
Base Pay: $10 - $15 Hr.
Likely Employer: Best Buy/Circuit City/Comp USA

5-10 Yrs. - Maturing Tech. - In these years, newer and older technology experience begins to blend, and daily use of advanced concepts becomes clearer. Real confidence in skill set develops. Dealings with customers is more straightforward and intelligible. Finished work generally complete, if frayed in the details.
Base Pay: $15 - $30 hr.
Likely Employer: Field Service MFG/Contract (I.e. GE)

10 - 20 yrs. Pro Tech. - Technology, business acumen, customer skills come together. Tech is able to troubleshoot and solve virtually any problem. Relies on experience, wide base of existing resources, and the ability for find information quickly. Finished work complete down to the details, and guaranteed. Can explain even complex ideas to customers clearly and without lingo.
Base Pay: $30 - $75 hr.
Likely Employer: Contract Consultancy or Independent

20+ yrs. - Top Professional - With few peers, many of these people write their own tickets, and many become independents like the PC Support Source. In addition to advanced skills handling software, hardware, network, internet, security and the like, they often offer real insight on behalf of their customers in solving problems and applying technology to best advantage.
Base Pay: $75 - $200 hr.
Likely Employer: Independent Contractor/Self-Employed
(We are in this category - see our list of 20 years of professional qualifications, .)

Geek Squad Experience?

In most Best Buy stores, techs for the Geek Squad are simply the same workers manning the sales floor. That's obvious from their own input (Two lively debates between Best Buy and Geek Squad critics, current, and ex- employees are here and here ).

A sampling of The Geek Squad Agent roster (from their site) also tells the story:

Agent 0595:
Specialization: “I can tweak the game Oregon Trail to 100 frames a second or less.”
Agent 0116
Experience: (showing a man obviously in his early twenties) “twenty six years”
Agent 0124
Specialization: “Other than the Xbox, I specialize in Windows 95 and Mac OS 9.2”
Agent 0142:
Experience: “Since agent 148 got an Xbox.”
Agent 0699:
Experience: "Since 1997 when I bought a PC and people began assuming that since I owned a PC I must by a tech”

Best Buy’s cute, glitzy marketing is hiding a decidedly huge lack of experience and depth of knowledge.

If you’re reading between the lines, you’ll clearly see Best Buy’s cute, glitzy marketing is hiding a decidedly huge lack of experience and depth of knowledge. The best we could discern from the agent profiles overall was that most agents were indeed geeks - young, with 3 to 5 years of experience doing something related to computers. In the experience intensive world of professionals, this group is defined as knowing just enough to be dangerous. Ask yourself – for the same money, would you rather trust a computer professional with over 20 years in the business, or a geek with 5 years?

The Pricing Issue: Fixed Pricing VS Hourly Rates

The marketing strategy to counter this lack of experience would seem to be the issue of fixed pricing VS hourly rates. Long a hot-button of contention in the computer industry, Best Buy's fixed menu of service pricing would seem the best alternative to hourly rates. Understandably, people want firm pricing. And, after all, what does it matter how many hours it takes an inexperienced tech to get something fixed if the price is set in advance?

Well, as it turns out, Best Buy's answer to the inherent complexity of the computer industry that makes fixed pricing so difficult for everybody is not likely to save you any money for a number of reasons:

Pricing set for any on-site service call always first assumes at least $129.00 for simple services and up to $229 for Windows Issues or Data backup. If we can fix a Windows problem (at our hourly rate of $70.00) in an hour and a half because of our experience, you pay only $105.00 - and save $124.00.)
Any tech worth his salt knows that services will often need to be added (like backup, re-installation of software, Spyware, Virus cleaning, etc.) to do the job right. these Ala Carte line items ($69.00 for one and $49.50 each for two or more) can also quickly add up to more than regular hourly service rates from The PC Support Source.
They expressly state "Additional Charges May Apply for All Services" on their "fixed" price list. What does that mean? It means when something goes outside of what they expect from their internal rate of return, you pay. And what can go wrong with inexperienced techs? Plenty.
There is no mention of warranty for their services anywhere. We stand behind all our labor for 30 days.
They assess a $129.00 fee if you don't call to cancel an appointment. Good way to keep a customer happy, huh?

To Geek Or Not to Geek?

For the luxury of their cool cars and enormous advertising budget, Best Buy is giving you an entry level tech and charging you for a 20 yr. veteran.

As you can see, the pricing issue isn't really an issue at all. It's an issue of profit and overhead. For the luxury of their cool cars and a enormous advertising budget, Best Buy is giving you an entry level tech and charging you for a 20 yr. veteran.

Who in their right mind would prefer that to The PC Support Source?

You'd have to be a Geek.