Archived Geek Squad National Roll out?

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I work in the electronics department a Denver Area store where Geek Squad has been being tested since October. I started in November and so I've never known an electronics department without geek squad. I guess my question is how electronics TMs in areas where Geek Squad hasn't yet been introduced feel about the possibility of a national roll out? (I'm 99% a national roll out has not occured yet as I haven't heard about it, if I'm wrong let me know though) I guess I can also answer any questions you all might have about what having geek squad present is like
 
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Nope. There hasn't been a roll out yet. I'll take all the help we can get so I wouldn't mind having Geek Squad in electronics. Never been too impressed with them at Best Buy though, to be honest.
 
I work in the electronics department a Denver Area store where Geek Squad has been being tested since October. I started in November and so I've never known an electronics department without geek squad. I guess my question is how electronics TMs in areas where Geek Squad hasn't yet been introduced feel about the possibility of a national roll out? (I'm 99% a national roll out has not occured yet as I haven't heard about it, if I'm wrong let me know though) I guess I can also answer any questions you all might have about what having geek squad present is like

Be careful about how much info you give about your location. I know what store you're in just based on the info in this post. Corp watches this site like a hawk and I would hate to see you loose your job.

No rollout has been announced, though it's no big secret that Target is forming a partnership with Geek Squad.
 
I am not looking forward to this.

Those guys know what they doing about 50% of the time. Plus the horror stories of their "customer service" are legendary.
 
I work in the electronics department a Denver Area store where Geek Squad has been being tested since October. I started in November and so I've never known an electronics department without geek squad. I guess my question is how electronics TMs in areas where Geek Squad hasn't yet been introduced feel about the possibility of a national roll out? (I'm 99% a national roll out has not occured yet as I haven't heard about it, if I'm wrong let me know though) I guess I can also answer any questions you all might have about what having geek squad present is like

Be careful about how much info you give about your location. I know what store you're in just based on the info in this post. Corp watches this site like a hawk and I would hate to see you loose your job.

No rollout has been announced, though it's no big secret that Target is forming a partnership with Geek Squad.

There are 28 stores in the Denver area that have Geek Squad, how do you know what store he is from? @ OP, I wouldn't worry about it. Unless your doing something against company policy, how could they fire you from posting on a cite about your work? (especially since it's obvious everyone here cares enough about their job and the quality of it to discuss Target outside of its doors). If you can tell what store I am at based at all the information I've given out on this site PM me, I want to see how accurate it is.

Anyway I am also in one of these Denver stores with GS, and my stance on it hasn't changed since I made this thread back in October. I love having Geek Squad and to Talan123, our GS manager knows pretty much every single thing about anything electronics that I have come across. All are great with customer service and are natural salesmen, and seem to care more about the attachment rate than our own team members. Of course I'm sure every store is different, but even with agents that have covered our store have all been great with customer service.

Plus, they are rarely fixing anything seeing as everyone still seems to go to the local Best Buy so they are always out on the floor. All of our scores have been up since they joined Target.
 
My guess is, in April. That's when radio shack contract ends.

While it would make sense for them to utilize the space that Target Mobile will leave for something else, from what I understand, Mobile has been taken over by another company, and will remain in Target stores.
 
RadioShack decided to jump out of the Mobile partnership, and now MarketSource is picking up the pieces. Brightstar will be handling the logistics, while MarketSource handles the administrative part. Same song, second verse yadda yadda. Nothing really changing there.

With that aside:

I do NOT want to see a national rollout of Geeksquad! Our Electronics team does fine on our own thank you very much! GS would be more of a hinderance than help IMHO.
 
hey if that means they get off my back about AAR, im great with it.

AMEN...they are driving us crazy at our store.....ALL they care about is AAR....we get a lecture about it every week.....sales down the tube for the year? No problem
if we only sell 1 camera a day.....as long as we sell an accessory with it the company will be rich....NOT!
Penny wise and pound foolish as they say......
 
We had over an 80% AAR a week or two ago. The LOD at huddle nearly danced a jig when he announced it.
 
Goodness, at this point all that's even left for Electronics to do anything is just unlocking video games. I suspect it'll become a PG 3 position by next year.
 
This is just another example that Target is a company being run by morons. The attachment rate thing they are borrowing from Best Buy, which is a company that is struggling to not go out of business.
 
Heh, not very related, but I would love to see GS in a Target because of this:

I'm a Target employee, shopping at a *different* store than mine because my girlfriend needed something. I'm standing by electronics as she browses cosmetics, and I start to overhear a conversation between a customer with a coupon and the girl working the electronics boat. She gets on walkie to say something along the lines of, "A guest has a coupon for something called Windows 7 with the purchase of a laptop...does any team member know what Windows 7 is or where it's located?" That was repeated about three times with no valid response. REALLY? No team member on walkie knows what a "Windows 7" is or where it might be located? OMFG, I would have intervened but the term "operating system" would have just confused them more. I would hope Geek Squad could cover those bases at least, but I don't know personally so don't hold me to it. =)
 
The six month pilot of GS would end April 1, so they have about a month to make an announcement.

I hope they roll out the program. I can definitely understand the benefits having Geek Squad in store would provide.
 
Benefits? Just another dude in a black shirt hiding in the backroom on the phone or staring at the chick shopping in infants
 
Heh, not very related, but I would love to see GS in a Target because of this:

I'm a Target employee, shopping at a *different* store than mine because my girlfriend needed something. I'm standing by electronics as she browses cosmetics, and I start to overhear a conversation between a customer with a coupon and the girl working the electronics boat. She gets on walkie to say something along the lines of, "A guest has a coupon for something called Windows 7 with the purchase of a laptop...does any team member know what Windows 7 is or where it's located?" That was repeated about three times with no valid response. REALLY? No team member on walkie knows what a "Windows 7" is or where it might be located? OMFG, I would have intervened but the term "operating system" would have just confused them more. I would hope Geek Squad could cover those bases at least, but I don't know personally so don't hold me to it. =)

Your mistake is assuming that geek squad would be any better. Here are the qualifications to work at best buy's geek squad:

1. Ability to sell lots of service plans/extended warranties/"virus scans"/"speed up" software (to name just one of their scams)
2. Ability to lie and manipulate to accomplish qualification number 1.
3. Ability to meet crazy high quote of sold service plans/extended warranties/etc.
4. Ability to lie and manipulate senior citizens and others to accomplish qualification number 3.
5. Ability to format the hard drive & do a clean install of windows to solve 99% of issues
6. Ability to tell senior citizens and others that they have a "virus" and the only solution is to upgrade their RAM, hard drive, and video card at 300% markup.
7. Have a pulse.
8. Tell us how much you like to sell during the interview.

The above are pretty much the unofficial qualifications. Now, here are the *actual* qualifications from the best buy careers website to work for geek squad:

- 3-6 months working experience in customer service
- 18 years of age or older


Yeaaaa....... 3-6 months in customer service and 18 years old. What other qualifications could a computer tech possibly need? Looks like geek squad sure has some tough standards to get in.....
 
Oh, and for anyone who thinks Geek squad doesn't scam....

Take a look at this video. An undercover reporter disconnected the IDE cable from her hard drive, and then took it to the store pretending she didn't know what was wrong with it. Geek squad charged the undercover reporter $70 for a "diagnosis" and then told her that her hard drive was "broken" and it would cost $580 to fix it. Then they told her she had a "virus" and recommended getting a new computer as the solution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZq4UnkgZQI

Here is another undercover video in which they did the same thing - disconnected the IDE cable. This time, Geek Squad told them that their motherboard was bad and were happy to charge them $400-500.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCRPI-1dHQw

Obviously, as these videos showed, there are some honest/competent geek squad people out there.... but just search Youtube and you can find tons more videos full of geek squad idiocy. Basically, it is hit and miss. Seems they are lucky enough to get some qualified techs (who could probably pull in way more money some place else), but also hire plenty of idiots who probably got promoted to geek squad after selling the most service plans as a cashier.
 
Yeaaaa....... 3-6 months in customer service and 18 years old. What other qualifications could a computer tech possibly need? Looks like geek squad sure has some tough standards to get in.....

Do they get training on the job? Not that it would do much if their training program is anything like Target's.
 
Yeaaaa....... 3-6 months in customer service and 18 years old. What other qualifications could a computer tech possibly need? Looks like geek squad sure has some tough standards to get in.....

Do they get training on the job? Not that it would do much if their training program is anything like Target's.

From what I heard when I was a playstation rep and took some time to talk to geek squad employees, from what I heard, basically training consists of learning how to insert company provided DVDs that run scripts for them. Think they might have a virus? Insert the company provided anti-virus DVD that automatically runs an anti-virus scan. Need to reinstall windows? Insert the company provided automated install DVD. Need to install drivers? Insert the company provided driver DVD and let it try to auto-detect and install from the drivers on the DVD. These are basically the teenagers who think working with computers are fun, but actually have no clue.

Apparently if that doesn't work, they pass it on to a "double agent" (or some other idiotic name.... basically the more intelligent geek squad employees get a special title like "double agent"), and they actually make an attempt that doesn't involve putting in a DVD that runs a script. These are the ones that usually actually have qualifications of some kind . (I.e. used to work IT at another company, have certifications/degrees, etc)

If that fails, they call in to India on the phone and the agent on the phone runs them through steps to try.

If that fails, they ship it off to a non-best buy store location staffed with people who have 4 year computer science degrees. They then fix it, and ship it back to the store.
 
I work at another store with GS and I have worked in electronics before we started the pilot program. I have found them to be a huge help because they are pretty much a team member who just helps guest and stays near the boat, it allows us to zone without a lot of interruptions. Our attachment rate has shot up from up being in yellow to above 80% recently and they try to spend as little time in the backroom as possible even when they have multiple computer. The district manger comes in every week or so and talks to the electronics team to make sure everything is going smoothly. The new warranties are also a lot better and only a few dollars more but they allow guest to bring the products back to the store and get it replaced on the spot. The only downside that I have seen is that the responsibilities for the electronics team has nearly doubled because we don't have to worry about guest service so much (then we get in trouble for not being at the boat).
 
The hate for GS here is ridiculous... we have team members who are telling you guys how much help they are and you're dismissing them because of what some random reporter on YouTube?

I think people are putting too much emphasis on their computer repair. Their GS Protection Plans are what Target wants and is pretty much all they sell anyway. And they do a damn good job at it. People are happy since they can just bring a defective product back to the store to get it replaced instead of having to ship it off. And they come to the guests house for TVs bigger than 40".

And usually for computer repair, they sell a one time fee of $200 (or $100 if they buy it with a laptop/computer bought at target) that lasts for a year and they can bring it in whenever they want for that year for pretty much anything.
 
What about stores that have best buy in the same strip mall? I know of a couple in my area that have that
 
What about stores that have best buy in the same strip mall? I know of a couple in my area that have that

My store has a Best Buy pretty much across the street. What usually happens is that most people still take their computers over to Best Buy (even though this partnership pretty much took the best agents to put in Target stores since they wanted this to be a success) to get repaired since they are not aware Target's GS does the same thing and usually much quicker seeing as hardly any computers come our way. But it makes selling protection plans a lot easier since you can mention that the guest can take the product into ANY GS location, including Best Buy, to get the item replace/repaired. Also if there is a Best Buy nearby, they are generally aware of the name Geek Squad and trust the plans a whole lot more than your typical Target-branded service plans.

Stores without a nearby Best Buy are doing a whole lot better in terms of computer repair, but even with a Best Buy they still sell a lot of protection plans. We've already had people come in to replace dropped cameras/ipods, etc and they leave happy with how easy it was.

Better than before when we had to reject people (who apparently didn't understand how the ESPs worked) by telling them that they would have to send in the product and wait weeks before getting a replacement.
 
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