All I wanted to do was to fix computers. That’s the “career” I decided to pursue way back in 2005-2006. It’s the reason I went to a Technical school and got certified as a Computer Technician/IT Support guy. The job I thought I was going to end up getting was as a Help Desk in an IT department in some corporate office. What I ended up doing was handling a cash register at a store while and angry customer insults me.
I started working for Best Buy in November of 2009. I was hired for the Geek Squad department as a Counter Intelligence Agent(CIA). (Yeah, I know. Just bear with me.) Before I started working there, while I was in the process of being laid off from the now defunct CompUSA, I remember how badly I wanted to work there. The whole Geek Squad thing, with the uniforms and the custom-painted Volkswagen Beetles was kind of cool. It seemed like a “fun” job. And Geek Squad is what has made Best Buy notable.
I told myself that I finally found an entry-level tech job, when the reality was that I was working in retail. It took me some time to let that sink in. Entry-level implies that there are higher levels to move up to. But unless you wanted to be a a manager, that wasn’t the case with Geek Squad. Most Geek Squad agents are part-time. Almost all the employees at the store are part-time. To get a full-time you metaphorically, and sometimes even literally had to suck a cock.
The fixing computers part of the job in Geek Squad was probably 15% of the job, maybe even less. If the computer had bad hardware, the “unit” got sent out to Geek Squad City in Kentucky, were computer parts were ordered and installed. The only thing that is done at the store are software fixes. This means running a disc that had diagnostic software. Geek Squad even has remote agents called Jonny Utah, which run the software from their homes so you don’t even have to do anything other than to hook up the computers to a KVM switch.
The remaining 85% of the job is attending customers and selling them services. I always knew that I had to deal with people, but I never thought through how much I actually had to deal with people. This is a key point because I’ve always been an introverted person. Like any human being, I enjoy the company of other humans and like having conversations with them, but there’s only so much I could take. As an introvert and as a true geek, we don’t have the best social skills. I think a lot of you can agree with that. When Steve Jobs was pitched the idea of the Genius Bar he said, “You can’t call them geniuses. They’re geeks. They don’t have the people skills to deliver on something called the genius bar.” No one knows what changed his mind, but I like to think it was because of the success of Geek Squad in the electronics retail biz.
And now we’re in the age of the geeks and The Big Bang Theory fan-girls that think you’re sexy because you know how to reset their routers. But no one really likes real geeks. Sheldon is a funny character with a script. Real geeks are rarely funny, they’re awkward in conversations, and are annoying with their obsessions. You know who really likes geeks? Your Grandma.
This marketed idea of the geek made our jobs particularly difficult because we had to handle unrealistic expectations from the customers. The types of customers we got, mostly people over 40 and the elderly, thought we knew about everything. They associate the word geek with someone who knows how to fix anything that runs with electricity.
Another thing that made the job so difficult was dealing with extremely incompetent managers. They were mostly young guys that didn’t know what they were doing. There was one in particular that was a sad sorry sack of a human being. I don’t want to get into details, not because I want to avoid burning bridges, because I don’t even think there’s a bridge left to burn there, but suffice to say the guy didn’t try to hide the fact that he didn’t like me.
So you wear this costume to work. You’re under-paid. In 2011 I made less than 13,000. You get around 20 hours a week, 28 if you’re lucky. You have horrible bosses always writing you up because that’s the only way they know how to be a manager. You get threatened to be fired about three times. The customers are always angry because as one my favorite quotes from David Sedaris says, “People waiting in line are afraid they are no longer living in a democracy.” And to put the cherry on top, a customer asks you which hair dryer is better. You endure this for three years. I should have quit sooner.
I was listening to one of the Quit! episodes, a new show on the 5by5 network with Dan Benjamin that deals with quitting dead end jobs, and they were talking about how your first job should be in a fast food restaurant. These jobs suck, and everyone’s first job is suppose to suck, but they teach you essential skills you’re going to need for future jobs and hopefully help you get better jobs. My job at Geek Squad wasn’t my first job, and it definitely was not a fast food chain, though sometimes it felt that way, but there’s no doubt I learned skills that will help me in the future. I learned to listen. To really listen. I learned to be patient, tolerant, and non-judgmental. I learned to simplify “problems”. I learned that sometimes the problem is not with the computer, but what’s in front of it.
On December 15, 2012 I finally submitted my resignation letter. I took me some time to go through with it. Quitting is hard because sometimes it means giving up, but sometimes it means moving on. I’m moving on.
The most important thing I learned was that you really have to think through and visualize as best as you can what is it you’re going to dedicate most of your time to make money. It’s the biggest cliche in career advice, but you should find something you like doing, even love doing, and forget about the money. My advice to people thinking about getting an A+ or other related quick certificates: Don’t. If you really love technology and computers, go for a BA in Computer Science and take your time figuring out which path you really want to go in the industry. Really do the mental exercise of visualizing yourself doing it. There are no shortcuts to real success.
Tape Noise Diary 
Totamente en acuerdo…
Well it’s clear it isn’t “confessions of someone who got an A in English class”…
There’s always a grammar Nazi lurking somewhere !
This is beyond Grammar Nazi, it brings in several other German officers into the mix:
Spelling Himmler
Shorten Sentences SS Trooper
Clarity of Thought Luftwaffe
It was an interesting article but it really needed a ton of editing and shows the writer needs to spend more time and effort learning to write well. They seemed to have a decent talent for it, but must learn how to make the writing better.
I’m guessing you didn’t either. “Well” is an interjection, which you’re supposed to put a comma after.
Just a thought for the next time you grammar-troll an article.
After which, you’re supposed to put a comma.
This sentence is apt: “I should have quitted sooner.”
“Quitted” is geek-speak and used properly in that sentence. It’s how we know he’s real.
“You’re Grandma”
I am not.
“Iām not running away from my responsibilities. Iām running to them. Thereās nothing negative about running away to save my life.” -Yossarian the Assyrian of Catch-22 fame
well played- one of my favorite novels.
I found your post kind of ridiculous. I started my IT career at Best Buy as a tech in 1997 and now I make low six figures as an IT Manager in the aerospace industry. It’s a stepping stone. Maybe it’s not the best job anymore, maybe you don’t do as much tech work as they used to but if you’re smart you’d try to learn what you can and move on without bitching about it. I’ve done some horrible jobs and put up with gross incompetence from managers and co-workers alike. It’s not just at Best Buy, it’s everywhere, it’s people. If you don’t like customer service, you shouldn’t be in IT Support. SUPPORT being the word I’m stressing here as it indicates you will work with people. I don’t hire support people who don’t like customer service, even if you’re supporting my internal employees they are still your customer and you’re still giving them a service. If you’re lucky a hiring manager won’t track this down when researching you because I sure wouldn’t hire someone with your attitude. Also, most people do not get an IT cert and walk into a job at a corporation on an enterprise network, rather they work their way up from other jobs. If you want to walk into a corporate office then get a degree.
Ty,
I think the whole entire point that he’s trying to make is that he wasn’t actually able to do the “troubleshooting” portion. So my question is, when someone like him comes in for an interview is he going to lie to someones face about what he did?
“Essentially 70% of my job was selling, 20% was putting a PC on the shelf and the other 5% consisted of me cashering”
As someone who does hiring at an IT company, I would disqualify him immediately!
Ty- The author is sharing his experiences working at Best Buy. His experiences are obviously different from yours. I didn’t take this article as a bashing of Best Buy nor do I believe it discredits the author. He brought up some very good points including certifications and degrees. His point was clear- that if you want a good job you need to work toward and invest the time. If I was in the hiring process and the author came across my desk as a candidate, I’d want to talk to him. He seems like the type of person who takes pride in his work and wants to better himself professionally. I do agree that being able to work with people is a vital skill but we all have our weaknesses. It’s something I’m sure he’ll work on.
You’re a loser. I’m sorry.
LOL, sounds like the author struck a nerve picking on Best Buy š I worked there to back in good ole 1997 when it was still the “Tech Bay”, and I can relate to how much it sucked then too doing customer service. Like everyone you grow up to be a l337 IT Pro if you stick with it, so no need to give him crap for it. It’s a process… BTW, why drop a note about your Salary level? Guessing you just felt like a quick internet brag š
There was no nerve struck. I just get tired of these kids who go get a cert and think they are going to walk into a network job at a corporation and do help desk. It generally doesn’t happen this way. Did I love my job at Best Buy? Dealing with the public and customers is difficult. My point to my reply is that rather than spend time bashing the process and complaining spend time learning and take away what you can from the job and move on to the next stepping stone in your career. Instead the author chose to complain about doing 85% customer service. Well, IT is customer service, even on a corporate network. My help desk employees must treat our employees as customers because it’s our job to make their job easier and to make technology work for them so they can efficiently do their jobs and make our company money by doing engineering, production, shipping, etc. If this were a post about what he took from doing this shit non-tech job that the thought were a tech job then yes as a hiring manager I would talk to him. Since you’ve said you would talk to him regardless I can only assume that either you don’t really hire people and you’re still stuck in either lower IT and you don’t ever hire people or you’re terrible at hiring.
Ty: Well aren’t you special?
Ty, his Best Buy and yours are very different. Furthermore, he mirrors your own ideals about using it as stepping stone. This is clear if you read the last paragraph. It even starts off with exactly what you say the entire post lacked.
“The most important thing I learned was that you really have to think through and visualize as best as you can what is it youāre going to dedicate most of your time to make money.”
He took something away. it wasn’t simply a rant, nor was it much of a confession beyond the very true part about the job being almost devoid of actual “tech work.” I have worked in an actual computer repair shop, and even run one of my own. I now work at Best Buy and I can tell you that, though the amount of selling has dropped as other departments have taken over the sales side of things, most of the job involves busywork and customer service, NOT problem solving. Nothing wrong with pointing out that this is true.
he did not really confess anything did he?
I enjoyed and can relate to this artcle. IT is a passion, its easy, fun and i get paid for it!
I was a wiz growing up and started my own free-lance computer repairs where someone from the 5k people that lived in my town would call me up and i “fix” their computer. Got a (paid) internship at the townhall for IT. Tried working at Staples as the Easy Tech (but it sucked for the exact same reasons you mentioned about BB). I then went to college, quit college, and am now pursuing my IT dreams another way.
Im currently employed at an international patent lawfirm as the IT specialist. Im making a comfortable salary, benefits, and there is tons of room to grow all while turning 21 a week ago. My plans are to get my A+ and maybe a Cisco cert and eventually move onto to a different company while i do networking. IT is the one field anyone can succeed in without a college degree, doesnt mean its easy, but very do-able!
—–
I will admit there is a small amount of luck involved, but most of it is geographical location. Where i am, IT is booming. i crossed my fingers and sat in front of craigslist for 5-6 months before i landed this job. No degree, no certification, just 3 years worth of experience with references from another 4 years ago. If i can get hired, you can too!
I was a Mac Genius for Apple for a number of years. Luckily, we got to fix computers there at least half the time. I feel your pain, such a bullshit job and a bullshit title. One thing, when you say bare with me, it means get naked with me lol!
I worked for a small computer shop near where I live for 2 years and I have to say, We had a very large amount of people come in over time saying how terrible the service at Geek Squad was and that they’d never go back. The same was also said from every big-box store in town offering a “computer repair” service. My assumption (no offence to you personally OP at all) is that Best Buy and all these large conglomerates only care about money and what they offer as a service adds “value” to the company. They hire people with little to no skill-set whatsoever, and I be If I walked into a store resume in hand and got hired, I would never have had my kinaesthetic abilities, people skills or even my freaking IQ tested. They hire people blindly to make a buck with dollar signs in their eyes. That is the bottom line. If you want quality service, take your computer to a local shop, or take it to many. There isn’t one “perfect” place out there.
I was an EasyTech at Staples and I piloted the program in the second market that they pushed the ‘EasyTech’ branding out to. I opened the first easy tech kiosk at my store. While I had been working for the company for a few years I can tell you that your statement about money is exactly correct. Most of the real tech work was done by ‘Mobile Techs’ that went around their own little districts and took care of workorders we could not. Most of the instore techs had questionable tech skills. Most were simply gamers or self proclaimed geeks that struggled to handle the most basic of problems. We were required to walk around and try to sell services even as computers sat in the tech area that could be turned around quickly to the customer. Most managers didn’t even embrace the EasyTech program and those that did forced us to do things that were just silly. Perfect example of that is when my Sales manager and General Manager made a rule that all techs have to answer the phone for the electronics department. So if you have an electronics guy stocking and me talking to a customer the phone would ring because the electronics guy would just shove a thumb up his ass and not answer the call.
I can feel with the OP and his pain. I went through it and I did not quit Staples in a graceful fashion. But I am glad I did. Now I am what amounts to the IT Director for an entire town. I have my own little kingdom. And I can thank the customer service background for it. Most hiring managers look for that background and so will I when I have to hire someone.
I would have to say that the author is spot on. I started out working in a grocery store at the age of 14 and it taught me many responsibilities as well as being able to be social and connect with others. Many kids do not realize what its like to work until 18+ years of age and by that time they are just about as clueless as someone like myself when I was 14 or at minimum display immaturity while in a work setting.
As I progressed I ended up working at Best Buy myself, just like you Jay. I actually did contract work through marketing firms (i.e. HP, Epson, LG, etc) making good money part time around $16-$22 per hour. The best part was the experience and not having to deal with managers like you had while working at Best Buy. Although, after doing that for approximately four years, I also was in the same position and getting tired of the same crap.
The author does pinpoint good notes on continual education. I’m not sure who or what school sold you into getting your A+ cert, but now days its pretty much worthless. Hopefully you have moved on to bigger and better things. I’m glad you had the ability to stick it out as well. Most people can’t handle it.
just do the MS and cisco certs.. dear not got A+.. I make 6 figures with a high school education
wow, that takes some enduring. and thanks for the tips
I worked at Geek Squad for 2 years from 2007-2009 and I would have to agree that when I started it was more about fixing computers and helping customers with technology questions. When I left the company it was completely flipped and we focused heavily on selling (usually unnessecary) services to people who didn’t know any better. The job is a stepping stone like Ty said. I am now a programmer at a major US corporation because I was getting my degree while working at Best Buy.
My 2 cents about the IT industry: get out while you can. It’s becoming the new trend for tech schools – “get a MS or cisco cert and we’ll find you a job!” All of these “qualified” candidates have entered the market and are willing to make much less. The whole field is oversaturated with people who are willing to learn. So if you’re not established as someone who really knows what they’re doing you’re not going to have great prospects. Everyone with a few years of experience will probably be fine because they have the know how.
True,
I’m not sure if you have ever listened to the ITT Tech commercials over the radio, but wow they are making people in the IT field look bad LOL. It all depends on where you end up, I’m in networking with an Associate’s degree and love my job. Regardless, customer service is always an important skill to learn and utilize!
Good point!
I knew that the college degree these days is worthless (unless youre becoming a lawyer or a rocket scientist) because everyone and their mother has one and it saturated the market. Didnt even dawn on me until now that the IT field is saturated with ITT tech, A+ certified dweebs! Time to get Cisco and JNCIA cert instead
Cant get out, i got nothing else to fall back to but i better work my ass off and climb high enough to the top im no longer in the muddle
fall back to.*
so im no longer*
I can not agree with you more Jeff. It does help to be “Book” smart, however, exp is beyond what any piece of paper can offer from any MIT or “Tech School”.
This post is so DEAD ON! I too worked for CompUSA and then BestBuy GeekSquad. I was a Geek Squad Agent for over 5 years.Everything, from the loser managers to the customers who expect everything is so true. I had to move mountains in order to get full time. I expected, like CompUSA, to do actual repairs(including hardware) when I went to Geek Squad. I left the company to move on Nov 3rd, 2012.
All I can say, CHEERS TO US MOVING ON
This post is so DEAD ON! I too worked for CompUSA and then BestBuy GeekSquad. I was a Geek Squad Agent for over 5 years.Everything, from the loser managers to the customers who expect everything is so true. I had to move mountains in order to get full time. I expected, like CompUSA, to do actual repairs(including hardware) when I went to Geek Squad. I left the company to move on Nov 3rd, 2012.
All I can say, CHEERS TO US MOVING ON
Thanks to all for all the great feedback, even the negative feedback. There’s no doubt that I’ve been bitter about my experience working there and when I set out to write this post that was part of the idea. The first drafts where even more angrier, but I toned it down as much as I could. I’m glad that most of you get it and just don’t see a guy ranting and bitching. People that work in this industry know or have an idea how bad these jobs are, but I’m sure that most people don’t have a clue. While I agree that an entry-level job like this is not going to be greatest thing in the world, I think it shouldn’t suck as much as a job at McDonalds.
I also appreciate all the grammar corrections. But I’m not going to approve all the mean you-suck-at-grammar-thus-your-argument-is-invalid comments. Only clever ones like iamcc88’s.
I agree with you completely. I am about to finish my M.S. in Computer Science. I have watched many people drop out or go with a technical certification. I am always saying that you should get your B.S., it will be worth it in the end.
So sentimental with lots of spelling errors. You don’t have to be a grammar nazi to see them. You’re the idiot for thinking that this was going to be a good job anyway, should have asked around on message boards or people working there before you go and cry about it for 3 or whatever years. You remind me of the losers who don’t do anything much with their lives but when they do something it’s always so sentimental and naive, acting like leaving there was ‘such a big step in my life’.
The fact that you dreamed of working as a geek squad guy says enough about what kind of loser dreams you think up.
Jambo, a little bit bitter? What we hate in others is what we see in ourselves, no?
Wow man, you totally hit the nail on the head. I have my A+, Network+ and my MCSA. I have worked in large hospital environments for about 15 years and have almost got my CCNA. I went through a spell where my wife went back to school and I took a part time job at Best Buy, $14.75 an hour (half of what I at hospitals) to help out, I couldnt believe it. I was nothing but a customer service rep and all I did was install AV software, Microsoft Office etc..etc.. What a joke. Sell Geek Squad services! Doesnt matter if the customer needs it, jsut sell services! Blah Blah Blah. Not only are the managers idiots, the Corporate/District people are complete and utter morons. I cant believe they have been in business for so long. I suspect there is jsut so much profit involved, they can afford to be stupid. They hire 20 year old kids in geek Squad with ZERO computer experience, but if your cute and can sell, its all good! Pathetic. I always thought Geek Squad would look good on my resume, NOT. I quit after two months and will jsut omit it from any future resumes lol.
Jamob, wow… while I will agree, geek squad sucks, trying to discredit his “Big Step” is pretty rude and down right asinine. Despite his lack of experience and his learning with his best buy failure, Grammatical Natizi like yourself can go entertain themselves on Facebook posts. Moreover, the weight of his best buy job only illuminates your past jobs as well. We have all had “SHITTY” jobs and for what they are worth, we always try to take something away from them..
In the this case of the OP, a lesson learned regardless of its origin, is still that, a lesson learned…
GTFO
Welcome to the real world. If you can’t handle customers in a retail environment good luck anywhere else. I am an IT expert at the company I work for. I also do customer service for them. I manage a call center phone system and the web based software systems and the respective servers they reside on. If I couldn’t handle the customers I wouldn’t be where I am.
Sorry, but this is kind of a silly article. Exactly what “confessions” are you sharing? You didn’t like your job? You were paid an entry-level wage?
You complain that you only spent 15% of your time in the back room “fixing” computers, and that the “Johnny Utahs” fixed things remotely via telecommuting. So why didn’t you pursue this? Those teleworkers can work a lot cheaper than you can onsite. Or why didn’t you go to that corporate office to actually fix things that were sent in?
You say that your manager was “incompetent” but you give no reasons why other than he didn’t like you. I don’t deny that they were incompetent (as most of the floor staff at any Best Buy most likely is), but what evidence do you put forward?
You don’t seem to want to get out and improve yourself. Did you expect the world to come to you? We have a few “wannabe” students at our high school who think the world is at their feet for IT jobs. Many of them have frighteningly piss-poor grammatical and spelling skills (which in itself is a real demerit on our K-12 system, and this is in Wyoming which is in the top five of per-pupil spending in the US). And these kids expect to find a job in a field like IT when they can’t coherently communicate?
Getting a Cisco certification doesn’t mean much – there is such a saturation of paper certificate holders out there already. What will make you stand out? Places aren’t hiring paper certs anymore — ever hear of SDN, Software Defined Networking? In a few years, networks will manage themselves and they won’t need introverted geeks in the back room keeping things running.
I guess my point is – PEOPLE SKILLS are critical, even in IT, if you expect to earn anything higher than minimum wage. If you think you’re going to have a career hiding in the back room away from people, think again. Those are the IT workers that are effortlessly laid off or “downsized” by companies because they provide no real value, they’re just workers.
My advice is (and this is coming from a K-12 administrative perspective) that if you want a career in IT, don’t choose IT. Start with education in a field and add IT to it. Make yourself valuable in the business first, and in IT second. And also be aware that IT jobs are going to disappearing rapidly with outsourcing, SDN, self-programming equipment, easy things like IPads replacing traditional expensive-to-maintain PCs, etc. You had better be the VERY BEST to get and keep your job.
I do like your advice about your first job being a “throwaway” job. My first one was at a Country Kitchen for two months. Ugh.
“In a few years, networks will manage themselves and they wonāt need introverted geeks in the back room keeping things running.”
On a corporate level, sure. Try selling that crap to a small business with no IT department. Old people with money will always need people to solve problems for them, regardless of what networking framework they are building their entire operation on.
I enjoyed your tale, keep looking good jobs are out there.
Hey Man really eye opening what you wrote here I am actually a DCI and have gone through the same road you have. I actually made the difference from the day I started until the day I took over as a DCI. There are several stores in our company that do not care about one of the reasons why Best Buy is still around so… Geek Squad. I just wanna say that I appreciate everything you have done for our company I know that we only hold your skills for a little bit, better things will happen to you.
Hope you have a nice day.
I know exactly how you feel, been there and done that. Now I’m just a freelance contractor going from site to site fixing mostly printers…
Was with you up until the end, going for a BA won’t help you find out what you want to do. School shelters you from the reaility of the workplace, very few people that I know with BA’s or above work in the field they trained in, because, frankly, it may sound good on paper but is boring and depressing to do on a daily basis.
I will say, however, that getting a BA is good for ensuring a better paygrade no matter where you go, even outside your field, but that was the opposite of the point you were making about not following the money.
The value in a college degree isn’t just the certificate that qualifies you for a technical position. It’s the fact that the road you travel to get the college degree changes you. All those requirements for a Bachelor’s Degree (and fyi, you don’t want a BA, you want a Bachelor of Science) force you to travel down roads you might never travel otherwise. The exercise of attaining the degree changes the way you think and in particular, how you solve problems. Go back to school and don’t let anyone tell you that you are too old, or that it’s a waste of time or that it’s not worth the expense if you don’t go ivy league. Do it for yourself. Change your life for the better. I’m a software engineer who didn’t attain a degree until I was in my mid-30’s. Never looked back except to marvel at how much better my life was after I graduated.
Give the guy a break. He paid good money for specific technical training that he thought would land him a decent job. He wasn’t expecting miracles. What he didn’t realize was that all the decent technical jobs have been outsourced, leaving only retail garbage for young American workers.
I respect this guy and wish him well.
Being over 40, electronically challenged, and also having a MIL over 80 who is trying to learn how to use a computer, I can only say that we wish the younger generation of geeks could learn that everyone needs to learn how to do electronic stuff (that IS the world today), but we just don’t get the lingo. Service people could help a lot if only they prepared themselves to use language from the mid-20th century to explain 21st century objects and problems.
Have pity on us. We all have areas in which we are lost. I’m an introvert too, and I don’t enjoy asking someone for help and trying to explain what went wrong. If you had to learn color theory and painting techniques and design (I am an artist), you would be nonplussed too. Our vocations are a lifestyle and though process, ad we all of us need to have mercy on one another as we try to communicate with each other.
Having said all that….I had rotten jobs when I was fresh out of school too. It’s the learning curve of life. It’s great that you COULD move on. Not everyone gets that blessing.
I worked at Best Buy myself, in Columbus Georgia. The first year it was a wonderful experience under a guy named Leroy. Apparently he stepped down from district to help the store out. However, as soon as he left the store became hell. My favorite job then became my worst job. It literally changed the person I am. It absolutely eats your soul. In Mobile, we had a meeting and told our CM or whatever it was that they called themselves now after the change about our feelings and how we were unhappy. She responded by saying, “If you hate your job and the grass is so much greener, than why not find a new job?” We were shocked. If we as a group are telling you that we are Unhappy, and instead of being a sympathetic and caring boss to help your team out- you tell us to get new jobs. She told one of us, who had a degree, that degree holders are pretty much like penny holders and that she will not be considered for a higher position (lead) just because she had it. The person in question also had 8 years experience at BBY and pretty much ran the department along with another gentleman. It took me 9 months to get my induction money from mobile. All they care about is making the sale, regardless of the situation. And then when you feel empathetic with your customers and suggest them to buy else where because what you’re selling is the perfect fit or match- you get in trouble. My morals and my self being are way more important to me than doing the unjust to make a profit for this company who didn’t give a shit about. We had two store managers quit within 2 weeks of each other. The new GM keeps bringing in his people from his old store to fill the store. One thing for sure is, If BBY took care of their Managers the managers would take care of their employees and the employees their customers. One of the absolute worst experiences in my life yet I did learn a lot.
I believe everything about this. I worked retail for years and it was absolutely miserable, filled with know-nothing managers and idiot customers. I wrote a book about it if anyone’s interested…The Thin Green Line. Glad you’re out of this life, bro.
You really did hold back! I did 15 years in retail, and I can’t wait to get into those stories. The things I had to deal with really made me scared for humanity.
But it’s true the only way to get hours, is be a manager. There’s no full time associates. So the bulk of my years was retail management. Then once you’re in management you’re pushed to be a store manager. When I got my own store it was cool for about 3 months.
It was a good article. I would never point out grammatical errors. Mainly because I rely heavily on editing software. I also avoid writing too much. I tend to write like I talk, very casual and all over the place. I just warn people first! š
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I had a totally different experience with my A+ cert. It got me my first help desk job. That job was tolerable. and I would probably still be in that field if it was not for a set of freaky situations that moved me into data warehousing. but I have to say a BA would have been a waste of my time and money. All I am saying is it is different for everyone, sometimes is just how the cookie crumbles. In any event having an A+ cert and a BA cant hurt š
I worked for Best Buy for 14 years. In 1997-1998 it was a completely different beast. There was no “Geek Squad.” The techs actually did fix computers. However to save money units would still be sent out to service centers where parts could be acquired cheaper. The Best Buy world in the last two years has become a stagnant swamp of idiot managers who only care about filling their pockets with bonuses. The Geek Squad supervisor at the location I worked at in Georgia knew nothing and I mean absolutely nothing about computers. The most the salaried managers cold not tell you what was included in a service that was provided by the Squad. They were only interested in if you sold something more. The bad thing was that the something “more” was not essential for the customer and in my opinion only left a bad opinion for Best Buy and the Geek Squad in the customers minds. I can tell you for a fact that 90% of the customer issues I got called up front to deal with were issues with that the services Geek Squad provides. Over promising services and turn time were major issues because you have the agents selling instead of fixing. A simple virus removal would take three days. Basically Best Buy as a company has made to many over complicated changes to its business model. All they needed to do was make simple changes and be competitive with their pricing and they would not be in the fiscal slump they are now. And as far as the managers writing people up left and right…it’s true…it is called CYOA. They merely have to show documentation to their superiors and they are doing their jobs…
I thought about working for Geek Squad back in 2005 when I moved to a different state. Luckily I had enough techy friends that warned me that the job is horrible and under paid so I knew to stay away.
I am not sure if this post is just littered with IT professionals who are glorifying their positions, or just flat out lying about what they do. The funny thing is that most likely, they found this post because they were investigating some form of Geek Squad support they needed. If you are truly good at IT, you will not be dealing in customer service. Period. The ones who do are being overlooked for meaningful IT jobs. Strong IT pros are not needed in customer service jobs, they contribute much higher. The strong IT professionals will agree, the weak will complain about this comment. The author will end up doing just fine.Coming from someone who oversees 4,200 network administrators, globally, for one of North America’s largest companies. Personally, I love places like Geek Squad. It gives a lot of good, but adequately skilled, people jobs to fill. The good ones will do just like this author did, get out, and not take customer service any longer. The poor will continue to deal, move into some outside customer service IT job, and say it they are a huge success.
Very neat article.Really looking forward to read more.thank-ok-it
Here’s a perspective I haven’t seen reflected in any of the responses here. I’m someone who has spent time standing in the Geek Squad customer service line at Best Buy over the past couple of years. Frankly, as an “outsider” relative to the rest of you responding here, I was very surprised to see how the techs — (it’s been a while, so I forget what the designation was on their lapel, but they were the same people who worked behind the curtain “fixing” computers) — I was surprised to see how their time was monopolized as retail sales and customer service people. It seemed like a misallocation of resources to me, but I guess I understand a little better what was going on after reading everyone’s input here.
But back to standing in that line, I was shocked by what I saw versus what I’d have expected from Geek Squad literature. I thought I’d actually walk up to the counter and speak to the same person who would be diagnosing and repairing my computer, maybe gaining some tiny bit of knowledge for myself about it, while in reality they were very busy ringing up sales and listening to customer complaints about general products. In fairness, there was one person – older – who said he was substituting temporarily from somewhere else, and he seemed to “get” what my problem probably was and seemed more like someone you’d find in a small-town repair shop. But I never saw him again.
After two or three trips there, it felt like some kind of “cognitive dissonance” experience in terms of what actual place am I in here, and I finally gave up trying to understand it and just hoped for an eventual good outcome. I never did understand why one of my computers ended up having to be sent to some regional repair site to be fixed, since I saw young men in Geek Squad suits standing right there carrying computers back through the curtain to the work counter in the back where I assumed there were people working on computers.
So all I really started out to write here is that based on my observations as the next-customer-in-line, I’m totally sympathetic to the writer and his experience and how he felt about it if he thought he came there to work on computers.
It appeared that one of the worst aspects was the horrible experience of having to key long series of numbers and codes from sales receipts and contracts into the Best Buy store computer system and having it glitching back at you. I cringed just watching them try to get it right. Have you ever really looked at one of those receipts? Nightmarish.
I continue my $100-a-year Geek Squad service contract, though, because I don’t have technical aptitude and I can get live help online from people with diagnostic ability and software any time I need it, probably a couple times a year. It’s definitely worth the cost to me to be able to get immediate help at a critical time. But from the perspective of the people working at that counter, I have to say they certainly appear to be in retail work, according to how they spend the majority of their time. At my local Best Buy, they’re even processing merchandise returns.
Just a side note … I work as an editor, and so naturally I care about things like grammar and sentence structure when it matters, but criticizing the writer of this piece as was done here seems a bit small and out of place. He’s self-expressing, not publishing, in my opinion, and deserves some latitude.
Best of luck, and thanks for sharing.
Great article with a great point made. I don’t care about the freaking grammatical errors. It’s the point the guy was making. He was spot on.