Geek Squad is really a company that is run by people that know how to "market" an idea and form relationships with large companies, like Best Buy. It has yet to be proven if they can actually sustain the company and make money in the long term. So, don't lose any sleep over them.
Geek Squad's leaders know the biggest problem is where to find network engineers or computer guys that can actually do the work they are oferring and get it right most of the time without wiping out a customer's system. I've never seen or read their service agreement, but I'd be willing to bet that someplace in there it says, "Customer is responsible for making and keeping a backup of the contents of all information stored on the computer..." so that when the geek-tech wipes out your Quicken database with five years of history, they say, "...it's your own fault! and 'No Refund'"
The bottom line is, who do you think they are actually hiring? It's the guys who went to Dr. PC Professor's DVD-based Crash Course in computer technology, make $75K per year courses you hear about on the radio all the time. These are the guys, who in high school learned how to fdisk and format a hard-drive on their own, and were considered future "Bill Gates" or "Steve Wozniack" geniuses by their PC illerate parents and teachers. And, they are too lazy to get a college degree in IT, so they borrow $12,000 or so and sign on the dotted line to get A+, or Network+ certified or maybe even paper-MCSE certified. The reality is that they graduate from Dr. PC Professor's DVD class with nothing more than a sheet of paper and a new student loan payment of $350 per month for the next 10 years and some friends ready to cash in and make it big with their new-found cerification.
Then, they get a reality check/reconcilation with a person at the school they just "graduated" from who says, "...You are among a select group of 100,000 IT experts who just graudated today!!! And we are here today to help you get a job anywhere in this wonderful field of computers 'if you are willing to do what we say'".
Basically, they are telling them they qualify for the worst entry level positions out there for whatever minimum wage + 10% is in their respective states. So, Geek Squad comes along and partners with these schools and says, "how many [sheep] do you have for us today?". And they hire these guys without even meeting with them.
Then, Geek Squad sends out their "Master Geek" to train the new recruits on how to get a customer to sign an agreement, and process their credit card payment in such a way that they will never need to refund them their money. The last thing they try to do is teach them how to memorize a list of things you should never do on a customer's computer: fdisk, format, deltree, del, ren, xcopy, copy, never touch anything in c:\ and below, do not use regedit or regedt32, and no right-clicking anything, etc. And, when you answer the customer, always use the words "...it should...", "...I can try...", "...it is supposed to...", and lastly, "...the manufacturer says..." instead of anything else they might make the customer think they will be able to solve their problem.
Now their recruit is taught how to dress, shake hands, smile and get their geek mobile washed. Oh, and we can't forget how to put gas in it either. And, "don't break any traffic rules too."
So, if you wonder why us guys at $125 per hour network engineers (take home pay) are booked for five days in advance, with multiple college degrees, with more than 15 years of experience on at least two platforms, live in million dollar gated communities, can work anywhere in the world on any project, own four cars and don't mind paying our $900 Mobil Gas Credit card bills with the cash we carry or keep in the vault at home, then you'll know why we laugh when the "Geek Mobil" is next to us at the traffic light.
The first rule of intelligent tinkering is to save all the parts. -- Paul Erlich
