Geek Squad is a comin'

Today I had lunch at a local burger place. I try to eat a hamburger a week just so I don't forget how bad they are for me.

While I was eating six Geek Squad guys came and set down at the table next to me. For those who don't know, the Geek Squad is Best Buy's computer repair team. Essentially they are a bunch of kids with book learning but little real-world experience outside of the routine jobs that they do on a daily basis.

As I heard them talk I began to wonder if it is truly possible to Wal-mart-ize computer help. This comes from a very biased point of view admittedly. My business is in direct competition to the Geek Squad.

There is one major difference with what I do though. I limit the kinds of jobs I take. I don't build computers, I don't install or replace motherboards, I don't build fancy networks, I don't even buy and install RAM. I don't believe that an expert can be an expert in all things. If he tries, he usually does a mediocre job at all things and a great job at none things (yes, I know that's bad grammar).

Most of my day is spent working on problems that are exceptions to the rule, not problems caused by breaking the rules.

For example, I had three calls this week about printers that wouldn't print. In every case, the person had uninstalled and reinstalled the software, installed new print cartridges and disconnected and reconnected the cables. Each of these things had been done in every possible sequence. At this point most experts would say that the printer was shot and the only solution would be a new printer. However, in all but one case I was able to save the printer.

One other thing that ruins a good computer business is retail sales. Rick and I don't sell any parts or sofware as a part of our business. If the client needs something, we go to Circuit City, Best Buy, Office Depot, online, or the local computer store depending on who has the best stuff for the best price. This keeps us neutral. If we buy the part, we just pass the cost on to the client, we don't charge any markup.

By not selling stuff, we stay neutral to brands. If we recommend somthing it is because we have had a good experience with it, not on any kind of commission we get. To us installing a new hard drive or reformatting an old hard drive is the same since we don't charge for the part.

I really wonder about the alterior motives of computer retail stores that happen to do computer repair. Too often, I think the solution is a new part or a new piece of software when the old stuff would work just fine.

If any of our readers have had good or bad experiences from using the local computer store's computer repair (this doesn't count stores that specialize in computer repair that also sell parts), post your comments.

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