Originally posted by: aplefka
I was looking through the Best Buy ad today, and on the second page they list the prices for their Geek Squad tasks. Some of it is the biggest waste of money ever. How much would you charge for the tasks below (be sure to read their Best Buy description)?
$29 - Install More Memory - Speed up your PC and run more applications at the same time.
My complaint: RAM most likely not included for that price, so this is an additionl $30, which is half of another stick. A fair price to me would seem like $10 if they bought the RAM from BB, $15 for out-of-store purchases.
$59 - Diagnose Your System - Check for PC-crippling viruses and verify the hard drive and processor are in tip-top condition.
My complaint: Doesn't McAfee or Norton do the same thing for the same price, except that it can be used an unlimited amount of times and updated for a year? This seems like a $20-$25 job to me, at the most.
$89 - Back Up Your Data - Save up to 4GB of your important information to DVD.
My complaint: For $89 you could get 200 blank DVDs. That's 800GB. Yes, it does cost money for the burning software and burner itself, but $89 for one DVD of data? That's ridiculous. That's high for even 10 DVDs of data. I'd do the same for $10 plus $1 for each DVD.
$118 - Advanced Security Setup - Installation of anti-spyware and antivirus software (includes Precinct versions of software). Plus customize your PC to meet performance and security needs.
My complaint: Again, McAfee or Norton anyone? $118 is probably at least a 2-year subscription, maybe even 3, to either of those services. I don't understand what they can "customize" to up performance for $118. Another $20 job, maybe a little more if they explained the customization process.
$159 - Install A Wireless Home Network - Get standard setup and encryption of 2 PCs on your network to help keep it secure.
My complaint: Now this one is a bit more reasonable. Most people don't know much about securing their networks or even how to set them up. However, after spending $50 or so on a nice router, that's a bit more than I would want to pay. I'd feel that $70 plus $5 per PC hooked up would be a fair amount.
$229 - Transfer Data From PC To PC - New PC? No problem. Keep all your old files, favorite digital photos, and important papers.
My complaint: How hard is it to hook up the new hard drive in the same system and copy some files over to it? This is the most overpriced task, though the $89 DVD comes in a close second. For $229 you could choose to either upgrade your processor, get another 1-2 gigs of RAM, add more storage space, or get another optical drive, or a mix and match. After shelling out $600-700 for a new computer, are people going to want to pay another $229 to recover their old stuff? Hell no. I'd say this is a $125 job at the most.
So there's my little rant. Sorry it's kinda long. But seriously, based upon those descriptions, Geek Squad is the biggest fvcking ripoff ever. How much would you guys charge for one or all of the above tasks? Am I just being too nice and unrealistic?
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