Re: Cost of getting computer help in your area

dooBdoo · ‎06-27-2010

@bonnielu, I've spent most of my life working in the tech community so I don't use local tech support. From the experience of others, however, I'd say the quality of and price of good support is going to vary widely from one geographic location to another. (Just as you see with the variety of comments on this thread about the Geek Squad -- I know people who received great service from them, others who were not treated well.) Sometimes a local university or community college can provide good references for reliable support, so you might try a call or two to their computer departments. Just be sure if you give anyone access to your device you've made sure they have good references and are clear, up front, about their knowledge base, experience, prices, follow-up support, that sort of thing. For the most part, as others have said, it's good for all of us to take time and familiarize ourselves with the devices and software we use -- and the internet, and the good folks here on the Q forums, can be wonderful help. I wish you the best.

Few things reveal your intellect and your generosity of spirit—the parallel powers of your heart and mind—better than how you give feedback.~Maria Popova

Wannabeincali · ‎04-04-2017

Spoiler

@bonnielu

Wow. Where to start?

First off, I am so sorry to hear how you were treated!! That is inexcusable, and it sounds to me as though that computer tech is unstable! At the very least, he was verbally abusive. I do not know how old you are, nor if you are a male or a female, but I have had neighbors and friends (an elderly male neighbor, and another who is a single mother, close friend of mine) go through similarly scary situations with service people in their homes. Please be careful. Honestly, I do not think you should allow that jerk to fix your computer anymore. You never know how the next visit might escalate.

A poster said it cost a friend of theirs $300 to remove malware from a computer, from Geek Squad? Huh?? It is only a $99.00 setup fee, plus a $9.99/month for service online, via a remote tech! ??? I do not know where this $300 for 5 min charge is coming from. ?? GeekSquad ONLINE REMOTE TECH SUPPORT is what I posted about. Maybe their friend had IN-home service? I do not know.

I do NOT understand the negative comments, nor experiences, that some here are saying they have had from Geek Squad. I am not afilliated with them so I have no reason to give them a fake positive review. I swear on a stack of bibles that OUR experiences with GS over the past several years, has been wonderful! I am speaking about their ONLINE TECH SUPPORT, which they do remotely, not an in home service call. My GS service contract also includes in store repairs, and I can see where that service may depend on the employees at members' local stores. We have only had to take one computer into the BestBuy store to be worked on. That happened years ago. We paid a nominal fee to have it serviced there. I think it was $40? The motherboard was fried, so nothing could be done on that laptop. Aside from that, the ONLINE remote tech support has been excellent. I am sorry that others seem to have had bad experiences, but I have only HIGH praise for Geek Squad.

Prices:

The current price for 24/7 ONLINE Tech Support is only a $99.99 set up fee, plus a $9.99/mo credit card charge. So, figure around $220 for the FIRST YEAR ONLY. After year 1, it is just the $9.99/mo. I think that is what we pay....maybe $12/mo? This includes the virus protection. And I think they now cover tablets...but that may be in store only.

You get a discount if you sign up for a full year and pay at once.

Info From their site:

Internet Security software is included at no extra charge.

Plans-1Yr $199.992yrs $279.993 yrs. $349.99

If you want to sign up, I suggest you sign up for the month to month plan only! I think you can cancel at any time on the month to month. This way, if you want to cancel, you only lose $100 or so, NOT $200 for that entire pre paid year.

INFO:

I wish I could just post the link, but qvc might delete my post, aaaargh!

So, I will try to guide you to the post.

1. Go to the GeekSquad site.Type the GeekSquad web address into the url bar .It will automatically redirect you to the best buy site.

2. Once at the site, scroll down and select the COMPUTERS & TABLET icon. You will be taken to the COMPUTER AND TABLET SERVICES page.

3. Scroll down to the 2nd pic (showing a white guy and a black guy by their computers).Click on the link under the photo. The link says: GET GEEK SQUAD 24/7 SUPPORT. Click the link. It will take you to a page called: NEED TECH SUPPORT? You will see a pic of those same 2 guys.

On this page, you will see ALL of the info regarding what your GeekSquad Service will entitle you to. There is even a button further down the page, where you can CHAT WITH AN AGENT. It is a BRIGHT YELLOW BUTTON BAR, you cannot miss it.

Right below that button, is a tel number you can call. If you chat or call, ask all the questions you want. Do NOT feel pressured to sign up. But DO have all your questions written down so that you do not forget anything! Also, ASK if the service includes in store service. Ask what it covers, and the charges, etc.

NOTE:I think you will love GeekSquad, provided your computer is up to date with its OPERATING SYSTEM. It is so nice to just get on chat, tell them the issue, and then let the tech connect to your computer and fix it. Done! There is limit on calls, nor any extra charge per issue! Your monthly fee covers it. Again, this is a service to FIX computer problems. It is NOT a tutorial. They will NOT teach you how to work your computer.

BUT.....

IF you are running an OLD, unsupported Operating System (Win 7, Win XP, or older), they might not be able to help you with their service. So ask questions about your exact computer issues.

*****Ok, well Good Luck! I hope this helps! I hate to hear of people being disrespected by any business or employee. We have owned our own company for over 25 years. We were brought up in the business with the old addage that The Customer is ALWAYS Right, and while that really is not necessarily so ---- we ALWAYS treat our customers with the utmost respect! And we do our best when it comes to customer service! You cannot always please everyone, 100% of the time, but we do try! If we did not try to please our customers, we wouldn't still be in business. And again, I am NOT affilliated with GeekSquad, nor computer companies in any way. We are in the commercial fitness industy business.

I hope the above info helps you!

(sorry for any typos! I am on a tablet, ugh....hard to type a lot of info)

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

Too much, IMO.

In the way past I've spent anywhere from $80 to $200 for tech help and more times than not they weren't able to fix the problem anyway.

For the last 8 to 10 years, I just try to find out or figure it out for myself. My record for 'fixing' things is much better. hehe If I can't find out or figure out a problem, much of the time, I just have to move on.

It just gets too frustrating trying to get somebody else to figure something out. Heck, if I'm on the phone with a company many has been the time that, while they have been checking into it and I'm on hold, I figured it out for myself.

They come back on the line without an answer and I explain the 'fix' to them so that maybe they can know it for the next person. What the heck - send ME a check, huh? hehe

lulu2 · ‎03-09-2010

I find it is easier and faster to take the computer to Staples.

bonnielu · ‎03-11-2010

@dooBdoo

Thanks so much. I appreciate the time you took to write this. I am still in distress as the young man who supposedly HELPED ME actually helped himself. I was not a senior when I met him. Actually he was looking for a stable job and was in training. I helped him out in many ways. Over the years he called me and wanted to UPDATE UPDATE and I let him. He seemed reasonable and fair. I thought we were friends. But within the last two years he seemed to escallate and be over the top. I figured he was being honest with me. To explain... I am intuitive... I can handle my software but the hardware is not my thing. He kept TALKING ME INTO THINGS AND THIS TIME the last straw.... literally the LAST STRAW... so even ole trusting me got really upset.

I have simply decided NO MORE. I called Geek Squad and a local tech (a gal who was highly suggested). I am not sure yet but I know HE AIN'T COMIN BACK HERE! PERIOD.

I am okay for now.... but I am going to replace his security software that is warning me too often and I am going to have someone make sure my connections are solid as in adding an extra router that I don't think I needed (Comcast combo should have been good enough). And it goes on and on. Anything he could sell me for double the price I figure. I am almost afraid to check since I am already angry, upset, disappointed... etc.

He even talked me into a new printer.... it sits in a box and I am going to give it to my daugher who needs it. I just wish I had my grandsons around or even my granddaughers. Or even young me..

Once again thanks for the advice... and thank you everyone who has answered me.

Nuttmeg · ‎03-09-2010

@bonnielu wrote:
@dooBdoo
Thanks so much. I appreciate the time you took to write this. I am still in distress as the young man who supposedly HELPED ME actually helped himself. I was not a senior when I met him. Actually he was looking for a stable job and was in training. I helped him out in many ways. Over the years he called me and wanted to UPDATE UPDATE and I let him. He seemed reasonable and fair. I thought we were friends. But within the last two years he seemed to escallate and be over the top. I figured he was being honest with me. To explain... I am intuitive... I can handle my software but the hardware is not my thing. He kept TALKING ME INTO THINGS AND THIS TIME the last straw.... literally the LAST STRAW... so even ole trusting me got really upset.

I have simply decided NO MORE. I called Geek Squad and a local tech (a gal who was highly suggested). I am not sure yet but I know HE AIN'T COMIN BACK HERE! PERIOD.

I am okay for now.... but I am going to replace his security software that is warning me too often and I am going to have someone make sure my connections are solid as in adding an extra router that I don't think I needed (Comcast combo should have been good enough). And it goes on and on. Anything he could sell me for double the price I figure. I am almost afraid to check since I am already angry, upset, disappointed... etc.

He even talked me into a new printer.... it sits in a box and I am going to give it to my daugher who needs it. I just wish I had my grandsons around or even my granddaughers. Or even young me..

Once again thanks for the advice... and thank you everyone who has answered me.

You can not and do not need another router with a combo unit supplied by Comcast.

Nightowlz · ‎03-11-2010

It's free. DH has taken care of any computer problem that we have had. He uses Team Viewer to get remote access to my dad & sisters computers in other states to help them.

SaRina · ‎04-17-2015

I've been fortunate so far. My 7-year-old Toshiba laptop has had only one incident of a virus. The Geek Squad (my place of purchase) was going to charge me a small fortune to fix it. When I told them I might as well buy a new computer for that price, they shrugged their shoulders. Perhaps the difference is that I did not have an annual account with them -- I just walked in for this one-time help.

I wound up utilizing an on-line free malware support group (there are several). It took many hours of creating and sending files to them and even though it was completely over my head, I managed to do it and the problem was fixed. I know there are those who wouldn't recommend such on-line services, but this happened a few years ago and it was fine for me.

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

SaRina wrote:
I've been fortunate so far. My 7-year-old Toshiba laptop has had only one incident of a virus. The Geek Squad (my place of purchase) was going to charge me a small fortune to fix it. When I told them I might as well buy a new computer for that price, they shrugged their shoulders. Perhaps the difference is that I did not have an annual account with them -- I just walked in for this one-time help.

I wound up utilizing an on-line free malware support group (there are several). It took many hours of creating and sending files to them and even though it was completely over my head, I managed to do it and the problem was fixed. I know there are those who wouldn't recommend such on-line services, but this happened a few years ago and it was fine for me.

That's great! I bet you learned a lot. That's what I like about figuring stuff out, if I can, or getting help to do it yourself. You often learn ways to preclude things from happening again and know much more about operating your computer.

I always recommend people trying to figure things out if they can, or Google problems and getting information and ideas, and the bottom line is that you learn more.

So many people just go through not knowing ANYTHING about operating and maintaining a computer and then when things go wrong, it's 'what happened?'. Well, what happened is that you paid all that money for a computer and didn't commit to knowing how to take care of it.

ALRATIBA · ‎07-15-2016

I don't need "user support" (I did that in a previous life) ... but with software issues I can't resolve (like restoring system), I just bring the laptop to the Geek Squad at Best Buy. I think I pay about $100 a year for coverage. So far, so good.

When there's a major hardware issue, I just have them transfer my files to a new laptop. Technology moves ahead so fast, it's just not worth repairing something - so I buy a new one.

Same with printers. Not worth repairing.