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Video: Computer repair fraud and incompetence
Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 12:05 pm
by greggh
Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 2:34 pm
by snarkout
We get shit like that in our shop daily, and generally send the folks home w/o charging. But the bottom line is that diagnosing issues takes time, and time is what our techs are paid for. Example - a lady cam in a week or so ago after moving out of her ex-boyfriend's house, and her computer no longer worked. Our tech opened up the case and discovered manuals, power cables, and actual folding money inside, along with instructions from her ex-boyfriend stating how to reconnect all the cables so her computer would work. We, of course, didn't charge her. However, if it takes 2 hours to diagnose a simple problem on an ancient piece of shit like was in that clip, we *have* to charge - computer repair isn't a charity.
Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 1:28 am
by Anonymous
Every once in a while, the local news stations here will do things like that as well and it's not only computer repair services they check. In the past, they have done stories on local home repair services ranging anywhere from in home handyman services to appliances. This is one area that has always concerned / bothered me, being a tech myself and seeing how many places try and find ways to get away with over charging or gouging the consumers for the simplest things. Making up false excuses or stories as to what the problem is/was disturbs me the most.
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 7:05 am
by dlz
I just checked out the Digg article, and I had someone bring in a machine with a
"faulty hard drive" that Geek Squad had replaced some time ago.
Well, they installed the new hd, but didn't test it (never even powered it on I believe) and didn't reinstall the OS for the gentleman. It ended up in my shop (along with the old hd.) I cracked the machine open, and took one look at it, and grabbed a new IDE cable (they didn't give him any of the packaging from the off the shelf drive.) His old hard drive was also fine. I charged him a couple bucks for the IDE cable and he was on his way.
We're not all corrupt. A big problem with services such as Geek Squad is who they hire. I know a few people that work for the local one (or did at one point) and I wouldn't let them near my computer. These are the "wanna-bes" that installed a hd once and all of a sudden think they know everything about computers. It's unfortunate, mostly for the consumers that get the shaft because of it.
