So a couple weeks ago I called Geeks on Call to help me with a problem I have been having on my home network. Those guys broke my stuff more than fixed it.. All I wanted was a Virus removed from my computer and to be able to log into my D-Link again. They sent out some guy named Gary Moonan. He was a courteous guy but I strongly question his technical ability. All he did was yap about his friends at the Vienna Chamber of commerce and not focus on the problem. Long story short $295 later he “fixed” my problems. Later that night I found my computer was running 10x slower and still had the virus. I had a friend reformat my HD and fix it properly.. Make your own decisions on the company, I am sure other franchises of GOC are not as bad but I wanted to share my experience.

NOOOOT a Technical kind of guy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So a couple weeks ago I called Geeks on Call to
> help me with a problem I have been having on my
> home network. Those guys broke my stuff more than
> fixed it.. All I wanted was a Virus removed from
> my computer and to be able to log into my D-Link
> again. They sent out some guy named Gary Moonan.
> He was a courteous guy but I strongly question his
> technical ability. All he did was yap about his
> friends at the Vienna Chamber of commerce and not
> focus on the problem. Long story short $295 later
> he “fixed” my problems. Later that night I found
> my computer was running 10x slower and still had
> the virus. I had a friend reformat my HD and fix
> it properly.. Make your own decisions on the
> company, I am sure other franchises of GOC are not
> as bad but I wanted to share my experience.

I can't speak for this dude or GOC, but most of these tech service guys don't seem to know shit about what they are doing. If they did, they wouldn't be working for these kinds of outfits. They would have real IT jobs.

GOC is a joke, I did a similar job and I was a joke as well. The legal limitations imposed so they can avoid being sued by morons who caused their own problems to begin with are so daunting as to make fixing simple issues a total bitch.

I have to ask, though: if the GOC tech had done all he could and finally decided that formatting was the answer, would you have gone along? In most cases, they have a mandate to not make major changes like that unless the customer is asking specifically.

RESton Peace Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> GOC is a joke, I did a similar job and I was a
> joke as well. The legal limitations imposed so
> they can avoid being sued by morons who caused
> their own problems to begin with are so daunting
> as to make fixing simple issues a total bitch.
>


Sounds like all these guys do is check to see that wire A is plugged into slot A. Other than that, you are out of luck.

I would have done what he recommended. If he told me he needed to reformat it probably would have been cheaper too. You live and learn I guess

All kinds of red flags here:

"Those guys". You mean Mr. Moonan, not GOC? Have you filed a complaint with GOC, the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, the Better Business Bureau?

A self-admitted "non-technical guy" questions the technical ability of someone else. That's ironic.

Why didn't you call your friend first?

JayBee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> All kinds of red flags here:
>
> "Those guys". You mean Mr. Moonan, not GOC? Have
> you filed a complaint with GOC, the Vienna Chamber
> of Commerce, the Better Business Bureau?
>
> A self-admitted "non-technical guy" questions the
> technical ability of someone else. That's ironic.
>
> Why didn't you call your friend first?

I take it you work for GOC.

No. I'm a creative and that's all I'll say.

Not a fan of GOC, but my sister in law USED to work for them and I don't have many positive stories from an employees point of view. The customers were usually dimwits from the stories she told. So-it-yourselfers are dangerous for the most part, especially when dealing with electricity (or electrical issues).

NOOOOT a Technical kind of guy,

I am the person to whom you referred. I suspect that this is not a real situation, but that you are trying to discredit GOC and me.

I reviewed our service calls for the last 4 years and none were exactly $295. In fact, there is no way work such as you described would be charged at $295.

If there was any problem following work done my Techs or me, there is a 10 day warranty which would address the issue at no additional cost to you.

If you were not satisfied with my work, I'd give you your money back.

In the 5+ years operating this business, my complaint rate is less than .00025% meaning fewer than 1 person in 4,000 had a complaint.

If this is a real situation and the problem re-occurred some weeks later, it is not a situation I can control or prevent. Blame your anti-virus, anti-spyware programs or your web browsing habits.

Your use of "NOOOOT a Technical kind of guy" is curious. Most "Technical kind of guys" do this kind of work for themselves and do not need my help.

Do not post false and misleading statements. If you believe that you did not get your money's worth - call GOC and ask to speak to me directly. My goal is your satisfaction.

If I were in your place, I would not post on a board, I would call. It is your responsiblity to act.

I think this is the point in the thread where someone posts Gary Moonan's arrest search results.

Arrest/ticket search:

Searched for: Last: moonan
0 matches found, up to first 500 displayed

What are the odds of THAT!

thats okay, almost all you'd every want to know about him is here:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/gjmoonan

Damn, I thought it was Greeks on call....soooo wanted it greek style.

I agree with RESton Peace. A good computer guy for $295? Hell, you can't even get a plumber or HVAC guy to visit your house for that.

Gravis is better. he's got spare 9800GTXs everywhere

for virus removal, expect to pay a lot and lose some data. people can only do so much.

sdfas Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Gravis is better. he's got spare 9800GTXs
> everywhere

actually, i am highly skilled in dealing with windows systems (i used to be an admin for a bunch of windows systems) but i do not have high end spare hardware. however, if you need a modem, i got some spares. :)


"the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

Can't believe the crap I'm reading here. You shouldn't have to remove a virus if you have antivirus software. Not going to criticize NOOOTY but for all you technical wanna bees - go take some fricken classes, get an A + Certification and you're in business! Da!

And yes, the idiots who call GOC should be spending their money on classes and learning something not making NOOOTY wealthy!

RESton Peace Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> for virus removal, expect to pay a lot and lose
> some data. people can only do so much.

Ok, lets be clear. Firstly, virus removal rarely ever involves losing data. These days, most "viruses" are really just spyware/adware. There isn't a market for old school blow your shit up viruses these days. Sure, you'll get the occasional blaster worm, but nobody cares about targeting individual systems anymore so every virus/worm that comes on scene is world-wide news.

Removing spyware/adware never involves losing data. Even if your system is so badly infected that you need to reformat and reinstall, you can still always back up your documents and such because those are not infectible.

Or....

Just stop surfing porn sites. Or use a virtual PC windows installation. If you get overwhelmed, copy off your porn, and copy over the backup copy of your virtual PC. Problem solved.

WashingTone Locian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> I can't speak for this dude or GOC, but most of
> these tech service guys don't seem to know shit
> about what they are doing. If they did, they
> wouldn't be working for these kinds of outfits.
> They would have real IT jobs.


Ding ding!!

Real IT Techs may do small sidework gigs based on word of mouth. I would NEVER take any of my laptops to a GOC service or similar for help.

Normally I would agree, but the latest virus and trojan threats are effective at causing system data loss.

But, I was also just speaking to the worst-case scenario. I was merely saying "expect the worst, hope for the best". People EXPECT that there will be no loss and they shouldn't.

boredom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> RESton Peace Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > for virus removal, expect to pay a lot and lose
> > some data. people can only do so much.
>
> Ok, lets be clear. Firstly, virus removal rarely
> ever involves losing data. These days, most
> "viruses" are really just spyware/adware. There
> isn't a market for old school blow your shit up
> viruses these days. Sure, you'll get the
> occasional blaster worm, but nobody cares about
> targeting individual systems anymore so every
> virus/worm that comes on scene is world-wide
> news.
>
> Removing spyware/adware never involves losing
> data. Even if your system is so badly infected
> that you need to reformat and reinstall, you can
> still always back up your documents and such
> because those are not infectible.
>
> Or....
>
> Just stop surfing porn sites. Or use a virtual PC
> windows installation. If you get overwhelmed,
> copy off your porn, and copy over the backup copy
> of your virtual PC. Problem solved.

Reading the postings, I see that some of you are confused about the subject of this thread.

Before you look foolish or damage someone's reputation - know of what you post.

Geeks On Call is a franchise of locally owned businesses. There is no retail store or location where you can 'take' or buy anything. Most of the owners are ex-corporate IT people with some degree of IT expertise that exceeds the typical 'geek'.

Geeks On Call is a purely on site business. They go to your office or home. Each Geeks On Call Tech has passed several levels of screening including an expensive background check, technical certification and other qualifying tests. When you refer to Geeks On Call, you are referring to someone who may be your neighbor - not some 'Buy More' retail store.

Other differences are cost and availability. Geeks On Call charges the same or less than Geek Squad charges for an on site visit. You can often get Geeks On Call the same day you call for service. If you understand the cost of your time and the cost of lost opportunity, on site, same day is a real bargain. Some of us can afford to take the time to take their PC to a shop then wait 1-3 weeks for its return.

Back to my original point:
Since 2004, a retail company, Best Buy, has promoted Geek Squad. I have personal experience with both organizations and know there is quite a difference in their approach as well as the quality and caliber of technician. Geek Squad's goals appear to based on revenue while Geeks On Call goals reflect customer satisfaction approach - my personal observation.

The founders of Geeks On Call believed that Geek Squad was a non-entity when they chose to include the GEEK name. This has proven to be a costly mistake, as today very few people know there is a difference. At one point, there were over 20 companies in a local white pages using GEEK as part of their name. Geeks On Call's success was their undoing - every Tech wannabe took the name GEEK.

Shop where you want. If you prefer to have services come to you, Geeks On Call is the only same day, SLA organization in the market.

When was the last time you TOOK your frig or washer for repairs?

Signed, One happy Geeks On Call customer - who is a real Tech exec!

Ok Happy Customer -- I understand your point and certainly don't disagree. In fact, thanks for the history lesson as I did not know these interesting tid bits. Certainly if you know nothing about how to deal with a computer go to GOC (i.e. NOOOTY) is the man to call. Have no idea where he go NOOOTY as a name but I can certainly imagine.

Here's the deal -- for all of the folks out there willing to pay $100, $200 or $300 to have someone come into your house and remove a virus -- by all means have at it but you can take some great courses at the community college or FFX Adult Education for the cost of 1 or 2 service calls (probably one service call) and learn how to fix your computer.

You see there's a little dirty secret that none of these GOC folks will tell you about using the proper credentails on your home computer and why this stuff (Virus', Spyware and every other little internet threat) keeps happening to screwing up everyone's computer over and over and over again. We live with this because we're ignorant and NOOOTY keeps on making money. Hmmm!

Ever wonder why your office computer seems to run well but your home computer runs like crap 6 months after you buy it? I'll bet NOOOTY won't tell you.

So folks should take some classes so they don't have to waste their hard earned money and BTW - computers shouldn't be so easily related to the dishwasher or refrigerator.

Geeks on call sucks ass. They come out and troubleshoot computers that have inept owners. They use the program wizards like a normal idiot would and don't bring shit to the table. Most likely they will come to your home and waste a shitload of time looking at your comp just to charge you a max rate. Once they determine they're fucking clueless, they will reinstall your operating system and leave.

call Gravis. he's excellent. he'll upgrade your RAM, free of charge, to 8GB of DDR3-1600. and replace your cpu with a Quad-Core i7 and dual GTX280s in SLI.

Stinkfist -- sounds like you could use some classes in more than computers.

InsideGuy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Stinkfist -- sounds like you could use some
> classes in more than computers.


Explain.

What purpose do these guys serve "fixing" your computer? Most computers have gotten so cheap that by the time they have a virus or some other problem, it is cheaper to just buy a new one than to pay some guy several hundred dollars to come to your home to fix it. If you have a more expensive computer, you should probably have a warranty on it anyway.


People can blame Geek Squad for hurting Geeks on Call, but the fact is as the technology gets cheaper, these guys are going to become obsolete. It happened to TV repairmen and it will happen to these guys.

well, Gravis will replace your crappy CRT monitor with a 24" 3840x2160 OLED monitor with 20 billion to 1 contrast ratio.

$295 are you jokijng?
did you not get their rates first?
i could have sent you the link to a website that tells you how to do it yourself
shit i would have done it for some nice belgium ales

Gravis'll do it for free. He'll replace your monitor speakers with Logitech Z-5500 500-watt digital 5.1 speakers.

Stinkfist Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Geeks on call sucks ass. They come out and
> troubleshoot computers that have inept owners.
> They use the program wizards like a normal idiot
> would and don't bring shit to the table. Most
> likely they will come to your home and waste a
> shitload of time looking at your comp just to
> charge you a max rate. Once they determine they're
> fucking clueless, they will reinstall your
> operating system and leave.

Geeks on call don't suck ass and the owners are not inept. The owners are ignorant or simply do not know better. And please grace us with your knowledge of program wizards that normal users use to troubleshoot and if you can please provide an alternative for GOC and all the normal idiots to use other than wizards. Perhaps I was over zelous to suggest that you needed more than computer classes but based on your post you certainly do need to take a computer class or two before you begin ranting about something you know very little about.

So please EXPLAIN!

I called the Geeks when my plumbing got backed up. The young stud that fixed the problem went above and beyond. Thanks Geeks on Call!

The young stud that fixed the problem went above and beyond.

I'm sure he did fix your plumbing Vince! I'm sure you enjoyed it too!

Did the Geeks get you CPU revved up Vince! Bet you need an upgrade, so now you can call NOOOTY BOOOTY for a cool $249.

GAWK Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>

Personally, if I had my own computer repair business, I would charge $20 bucks just to look at the thing, before even knowing if it was only a minor fix like that. If the customer is unable to diagnose a simple problem like that, then at the very least, they should pay for the expertise required to fix it.

I understand that there are a lot of computer-illiterate people out there who know even less about hardware than software, but these days, everyone knows at least one person who has at least a rudimentary understanding of what the inside of a computer looks like.

What that one store tried to do is super fucked-up, though.

--------------------------------------------------------------
13 4826 0948 82695 25847. Yes.

I like to help people out in that regard for free, I already make a living with my pc skills so I am more than happy to build goodwill outside of work using the same skill. It allows me to do my favorite thing, too, which is sit around and bullshit.

I am not certain if GOC is the same service with the guys that have the PT Cruisers, but I have never had a problem with the guy that built a comp. for me (His name was Frank).

If you are a friend helping fix stuff for free that's great. Years ago part of my job was fixing PCs for a team of about 120 people, and sometimes people would ask me if I could look at their home PC if they brought it in and I would.

If I have a store that fixes PCs, there should be a diagnostic fee of some kind, $25 or $50 or whatever. How are employees supposed to be paid and the lights kept on if they are doing "simple" stuff for free, when "simple" is like 80% of problems?

I hope they at least tipped the guys who let them go with no charge.

And the GOC bozos have a lot of nerve. I mean, come on... diagnose a failed hard drive, and then diagnose a virus? Where the fuck was the virus if the HD was shot?

But this is why I never kept up with PC repair as a money-making thing. Professionals need to be paid for their time, and to pay someone for an hour or two of work plus parts is going to be a couple hundred bucks at least. I don't feel right charging that when PCs almost cost that much new, but that's what I'd have to charge to 1) stay in business or 2) be worth my time to bother with it.

And when people hear they have to pay a few hundred bucks to fix something and then get pissed that they could buy a new Dell on sale for not much more, what am I supposed to do about it? That's why I like the diagnostic fee. People pay for the expertise to identify a problem, then make the choice to pay to have it fixed or not.

Of course most of the time in my experience, as long as outright hardware failure isn't the cause then the process of diagnosing usually is the same process as fixing it, so you don't know what was really the problem until you have fixed it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/2009 09:08PM by pgens.

I bet the Geek Squad guy who charged over $600 got a promotion because of all of the coin he billed.

I have some spare 88s laying around 9800 gtx sli for teh win. Fix your computer problems yourself its not that hard. Goggle Or I will fix it for 1/8 or $20 if it can all be done remotely

Will you morons get it right....GOC is not Geek Squad or Best Buy who was referenced in the Portland news segment posted above..... Best Buy is nothing but a problem period.

boredom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> RESton Peace Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > for virus removal, expect to pay a lot and lose
> > some data. people can only do so much.
>
> Ok, lets be clear. Firstly, virus removal rarely
> ever involves losing data. These days, most
> "viruses" are really just spyware/adware. There
> isn't a market for old school blow your shit up
> viruses these days. Sure, you'll get the
> occasional blaster worm, but nobody cares about
> targeting individual systems anymore so every
> virus/worm that comes on scene is world-wide
> news.
>
> Removing spyware/adware never involves losing
> data. Even if your system is so badly infected
> that you need to reformat and reinstall, you can
> still always back up your documents and such
> because those are not infectible.
>
> Or....
>
> Just stop surfing porn sites. Or use a virtual PC
> windows installation. If you get overwhelmed,
> copy off your porn, and copy over the backup copy
> of your virtual PC. Problem solved.


Unless, of course, the virus infects your master boot record. Then you are screwed.

Though these have been rare in the last few years.

But, don't forget that many viruses are created by "state actors", be it NSA or some east european country, or china.

I run two different anti-virus programs, along with SpyBot and peerguardian, windows firewall, and a hardware firewall, and hardware based intrusion detection, and two other programs, but I am not going to fool myself into thinking I am 100% safe.

I don't doubt that there is at least one infection of some sort on my computers, even with all those layers of "protection".

You can think of it like STDs. The more you fool around, the more likely you are to catch something. If you connect your computer to the internet, your computer is "having sex" not only with the computers you connect to, but all the computers they have connected to, and all the computers those computers have connected to, and so on and so on.

Thurston Moore Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> boredom Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----> I run two different anti-virus programs

arent there conflicts between two anti virus programs running? i thought you were only supposed to have one running at a time? what programs are you using?

Kenny_Powers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thurston Moore Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > boredom Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----> I run two different anti-virus programs
>
> arent there conflicts between two anti virus
> programs running? i thought you were only supposed
> to have one running at a time? what programs are
> you using?

Sorry, I don't keep both running at the same time.

I have Avast! running in the background, and I use AVG on a scheduled scan.

Yeah, two antivirus scanners running simultaneously can often find each other as viruses.

so what do you do, exit avast when you scan with AVG?

Thurston Moore Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You can think of it like STDs. The more you fool
> around, the more likely you are to catch
> something. If you connect your computer to the
> internet, your computer is "having sex" not only
> with the computers you connect to, but all the
> computers they have connected to, and all the
> computers those computers have connected to, and
> so on and so on.


Cool...... My computer is not just facilitating porn (viewing) but is an actual participant in the activity.

WashingTone Locian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> RESton Peace Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > GOC is a joke, I did a similar job and I was a
> > joke as well. The legal limitations imposed so
> > they can avoid being sued by morons who caused
> > their own problems to begin with are so
> daunting
> > as to make fixing simple issues a total bitch.
> >
>
>
> Sounds like all these guys do is check to see that
> wire A is plugged into slot A. Other than that,
> you are out of luck.


to be fair though, that's usually the problem.

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA, serves you right for using them!

Not all Geeks are Created Equal

Yes it appears that this leading Geek franchise company was sued by at least 10 of its franchise owners just to have their brand and assets foreclosed on recently by one of its creditors after putting many of their owners out of business first to try and save themselves.

You should GOOGLE any company you invite into your home or your business but here are some links I have found about this one.


http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/geeks-on-call-franchisees-sue-struggling-franchisor/

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/11/geeks-call-its-rise-fall-and-future

http://www.bluemaumau.org/sad_fall_geeks_call_franchising_story

http://www.everyjoe.com/articles/geeks-on-call-franchisees-sue-struggling-franchisor/comment-page-180/

http://www.everyjoe.com/articles/geeks-on-call-a-geek-tragedy-in-the-making/comment-page-183/

http://www.ripoffreport.com/Computer-Marketing-Companies/Geeks-On-Call-Franch/geeks-on-call-franchise-bogus-634bd.htm

JayBee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> No. I'm a creative and that's all I'll say.

WTF is a "creative"? Is that like a goth or a downer baby or something?

tomahawk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> WTF is a "creative"? Is that like a goth or a
> downer baby or something?


Someone that watches foreign films (instead of shallow Hollywood blockbusters) on their Macbook while drinking a latte from Starbucks.

A Creative is a Graphic Designer/Web Designer/Photographer/Artist.

tomahawk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JayBee Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > No. I'm a creative and that's all I'll say.
>
> WTF is a "creative"? Is that like a goth or a
> downer baby or something?


wolfram alpha give direct answers to simple questions like that: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=what+is+a+%22creative%22%3F


"the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

my problems were not fixed and I was charged $199 for the first hour. The tech did not seem to know what he was doing and offered to come back and try to fix on the side. When I tried to contact the owners or national office no one even returned my call. Next time I will just buy a new computer or go to Craigslist where even if they cannot fix it they only charge a fraction of these so call "experts"

for $295 I will fix that shit for you in under an hour. even if that involves a new hard drive, backing up data and a format

I worked for a large Geeks On Call franchise owner for many years. I also worked for Best Buy for a summer. You want a joke? Best Buy, not Geeks On Call. It was sad to see the lawsuits hammer the corporate owners and do nothing but erode the businesses that a few "good" people worked to build. The lawsuits have nothing to do with the quality of work performed by the company. Some franchises were terrible and you probably identified one of them, but I think the best hung in there and have now taken control of the market. The owners that are left are very good people and I'm happy to be working for someone I trust for a change.

I have used SOS computer repair http://www.yelp.com/biz/sos-computer-repair-washington-2

they are cheap and good fast and they come to your house too they come to fairfax all around the dc metro area

I have used SOS computer repair http://www.yelp.com/biz/sos-computer-repair-washington-2

they are cheap and good fast and they come to your house too they come to fairfax all around the dc metro area

Anyone else getting a reading on their BS-o-meter for SOS Computer Repair?

I used to work for Geeks On Call franchise who owns areas around Baltimore and Wash. D.C. My opinion here is relevant only to my experience; I can't speak for other franchise owners. Here is my take on GoC:

Pricing:
Yes, they can be rip-off. In fact, they are many ways to take their time and rip you off. Expect to pay at least $195 for every call and it can be as high as $700 (or more). The bitch terminated me coz I was charging a bit less than $195 on average (and never more than $350). Ofcourse, she waited until a mistake happened. One way I was instructed to, quoting "to increase my averages", is to present options BEFORE fixing the problem:
1) Fix the problem + Backup solution
2) Fix the problem + Backup + Upgrade
3) Fix the problme + Backup + upgrade many parts so that the PC becomes as it is my own
I never did it coz why the hell client should pay for the backup if it is not needed. Don't ever choose option 3 coz that is just a rip-off. To become like my own PC, am I supposed to upgrade the stupid Dell's and HP's? My response to this is there is no way you can upgrade Dells and HPs; go build your own PC to become the best.

Technical Competency:
Better than Geek Squad. I was able to solve pretty much all problems. A note about reinstalling: sometimes it is better to reinstall than cleaning the malware/virus coz if I do the latter, the problem will re-occur in the future. Another case might be that malware modified system files that would take more time to replace them than reinstalling. In some calls, I took the PC to my home coz if I stay at the client place and do it, I have to charge the client for my time there. Of course, these are my reasons. Whether or not legitimate reason being used is to be judged by you as a client. Not all techs are created equal: just coz a tech has a cert, doesn't mean he/she would be able to solve the problem. I saw a wide array of problems. Sometimes, there is no way tech can solve it, i.e driver error problems. No way to correct the problem unless a new patch or driver is out from the vendor such as HP.

Note to new potential Geeks:
If you happen to work for the GoC owner (yeah, the one Pink Magazine listed), here is what you should do:
1) Parts will be given to you. As SOON as you receive them, list those parts and send back a confirmation email to them. Without this email, there is no way you can prove. I was cheated this way when she tried to recover the cost related to a client. Unfortunately, I was with that client at the wrong time when the hard drive failed

2) Be prepared to be treated like you are worthless (unless of course, you do a lot of rip-offs to clients). My advice is to keep the job as temp and start looking for another as soon as you started

If you are the bitch reading this, yes I was disgusted by your acts.

yeah I know the female owner this tech was speaking of; Laura McInerney. I didnt like her much either.

After this Geek franchise company in Norfolk raped and bankrupted most of its owners the company supposedly changed hands and was foreclosed on leaving all of its stock holders; its previous litigants and creditors grasping at straws. From what I heard they went from over 350 franchises to just 52 when the new CEO took over but he kept and promoted many of the decision makers who ran the previous company into the ground for some reason.

I too was motivated by the franchise owner I worked for to tack on as much parts and labor as I could on every call or lose my job and from I heard this pressure came all the way from their corporate office. Even with all the money I generated for them the owner I worked for could not keep his doors open with all of the high fees they were being forced to pay.

Instead of paying this national Geek "used to be a franchise company" $199-$219 for the first hour; hire a local tech. I recommend my new company Computer Troubleshooters who has a much better model and does not threaten their techs into overcharging the public at large.

Computer Troubleshooters isn't much better. Cost me an arm and a leg to get my computer problems resolved with them too. The bottom line - the good companies are all expensive, but you get what you pay for. I've used the one-man operations too and have to say that is was a big mistake. There is no accountability, when I complained, I got no responses. My best results came from a Geeks On Call owner/operator. He knew what he was doing technically and how to run his business in a decent manner. I'll be keeping his business card taped to my monitor for sure!

is GOC around any longer?

OP sucks
Attachments:

yup....use them all the time for my business. Been raked by a few others and will stick with them.

http://geeksoncall.com

3 years after my first post... and since pink magazine seems to take down her "show case" page, the owner I was talking about was Laura McInerney.

Yeah I still feel about it and I will remember it for quite some time, maybe forever. It was $340, the cost (around that time) of 2 1T external hard drives, and among other things. Hey Laura, how is the SuperMicro server doing that I built for you so that you can run in the backend for your QuickBook service hosting??? She run another site called TurnKeyOffice.

Currently I am doing better, professionally and personally, building stuffs so that I don't have to work for bitches and assholes

Enough of my rumblings and this will be my last post regarding Laura McInerney unless this thread disappears for any reason or fairfaxunderground goes offline. Yes, I reserved enough energy for this purpose...

You're a dumb ass for not having something as basic as anti-virus software on your computer to begin with. There's a plethora of good and free virus removal programs out there. Have fun emptying your wallet to those rip off "tech expert" companies.

I met the guy before and he had a coffee stain on his shirt..

http://www.geeksoncall.com/locations/virginia-v-computer-repair

http://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/flyer.do?personId=29548

Is Geeks on Call still around?

Hi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is Geeks on Call still around?

Website is there...

Advance 2000 only charged me $85 to remove a virus that shut me out of the computer.

I saw a Geek Squad car just today.

if you are in the courthousee. .. the judge has arranged

contracts with a NJ company who runs mexicans /green cards in the area

on "permanent gov pays for all" Dell contracts busch put in place

-----------------------
your fucking welcome

You gotta be a serious dumbass idiot to have to pay another idiot nearly $300 to run an ultimately ineffective virus scan on your computer. There are a plethora of free antivirus+firewall suites out there to use.

You also are trying to come across as technologically inept but knew to perform a system reformat...? Your whole poat is iffy...

Is geeks on call still around?