Best Buy Mac Optimization? What is this? [Archive]

frozenlead

Dec 9, 2008, 10:08 AM

I was just in the store looking at the Mac section, and I HAD to tell a young couple that they were being lied to when a Best Buy drone told them that they could put a 9800 GTX in a 24" iMac. Beyond the obvious reasons that the drone was an idiot, the card is thicker than the computer itself.

I've heard some pretty nasty things from that store...but never anything approaching that.

Lawlz.

Reminds me of a guy who tried to make is 8800GTX fit into a PCI-e 1x slot by cutting off pins on the board :confused:

WRXHokie

Dec 9, 2008, 10:11 AM

It's a scam. Don't let the freak squad touch your computer.

I was just in the store looking at the Mac section, and I HAD to tell a young couple that they were being lied to when a Best Buy drone told them that they could put a 9800 GTX in a 24" iMac. Beyond the obvious reasons that the drone was an idiot, the card is thicker than the computer itself.

Thats appalling. He ought to be fired for that crap.

robanga

Dec 9, 2008, 10:12 AM

Its called "Profit for Best Buy"

Darth.Titan

Dec 9, 2008, 10:15 AM

The hair on the back of my neck prickles whenever I see those stupid little Geek Squad slug bugs on the road, but a "Mac Optimization" charge? That has to be a new low. I would love to know what this "service" entails.

Tallest Skil

Dec 9, 2008, 10:22 AM

darshan

Dec 9, 2008, 10:29 AM

yep its an outrage...

its total ********* (excuse my french)

normally when you buy a PC it comes with many trial software... all these "geeks" do is uninstall those software (something you can do at home)... and they install anti-virus software (**as their PACKAGE deal**)

cant believe some people are being taken advantage of like this...

sad really...

btw on a side note... what encouraged them to stop doing full refunds on items in store (they do it in canada, why not the states)

Yoda3984

Dec 9, 2008, 11:14 AM

Darth.Titan

Dec 9, 2008, 11:32 AM

Ha, I'm so glad I'm not the only who thinks these people are dumb and rip everyone off. Reminds me of a conversation I overheard in Staples once:

Customer: This laptop has a video port that's white, and that one has one that's blue. What's the difference?
Sales associate: Oh, you don't want the one with the white port. That's old technology and is being phased out. The blue one is a lot better.

Obviously, they were talking about DVI and VGA outs. I had to bite my tongue, but the Staples guy was only hurting himself - the laptop with the DVI-out was MUCH more expensive!! :cool:

LOL I know whenever I'm browsing the computer section of just about any store and am approached by a sales associate who asks, "May I help you?" my answer is always, "No. No you really cannot."

I know that that's an unfair generalization, but I wonder these days what the requirements are to be hired by the likes of Geek Squad. Are there any requirements at all? (Other than the lack of a soul.)

old-wiz

Dec 9, 2008, 11:49 AM

Letting the Geek Squad touch a new iMac to "optimize" it is about as sensible as allowing a fox to "clean" the chicken coop.

notjustjay

Dec 9, 2008, 12:02 PM

I know that that's an unfair generalization, but I wonder these days what the requirements are to be hired by the likes of Geek Squad. Are there any requirements at all? (Other than the lack of a soul.)

No, there literally are not.

Well, I can't speak for Best Buy specifically, since I have not worked there, but I have worked for a retail big-box store in the hardware department (power tools, carpentry tools, paint, electrical, plumbing). When we were doing the job interview I told them I was quite knowledgeable in consumer electronics: TVs, stereos, phones, computer cables and accessories, kitchen appliances, and other housewares. But their hole was in hardware, so I was scheduled to fill it. I knew nothing, but they "trained" me by making me go through a few hours of PowerPoint slide shows about tools and brands.

I know I pissed off a lot of customers by being a clueless sales associate, and it drove me crazy because there was nothing I could do. I tried to learn as fast as I could, but no matter how much I knew, there was always a customer who knew more and needed my help to find a product. All the while I kept grumbling that if they'd only put me in housewares and electronics, I could be so much more useful.

I only worked there a few months. I learned a lot, and took pride in being able to help a lot of people with simple questions. And I treat salespeople differently now that I've walked in their shoes. (Be polite and patient, but only ask answerable questions like "how much is X" and "where can I find Y" and "do you have any more of Z". Don't ask for advice or believe anything they say about products -- always go home and do the research yourself.)

gnasher729

Dec 9, 2008, 12:50 PM

While leafing through their flyer, I noticed that Best Buy offers a Mac Optimization package. For $39.95 they say that their Geek Squad will "boost your Mac's speed and performance". Any idea what they could be doing to boost performance and speed? My BS meter is registering something when I read those type of offers, but could there be any truth to it? Is there a way to optimize a Mac after purchase?

Many years ago, a copy of Connectix "SpeedDoubler" fell into my hands. Since I had a Macintosh 6100 with a 60 MHz PowerPC (that is SIXTY) I thought I could do with some more speed. I installed the software and rebooted as required. The reboot took unusually long. Using the machine it felt sluggish compared to what it usually felt like. I did some speed measurements, uninstalled the software, and did the same speed measurements again. And the software worked indeed almost as promised: Installing it didn't double the speed of my Macintosh, but uninstalling it did.

Consider it a rip-off.

FieryFurnace

Dec 9, 2008, 12:59 PM

So who is up to volunteer and give his/her precious Mac to the guys in blue?

Be brave,..., maybe they give you a nice wallpaper or something,... :D

mgridgaway

Dec 9, 2008, 01:13 PM

They probably just run Onyx... Maybe iDefrag.

drichards

Dec 9, 2008, 02:02 PM

They probably just run Onyx... Maybe iDefrag.

Onyx is the way to go.

CarlsonCustoms

Dec 10, 2008, 08:15 AM

Maybe they just reformat and reinstall the os?

ensoniqdap

Dec 10, 2008, 09:05 AM

Newbie here... I just bought my girlfriend a Macbook for christmas (2.4 gig, 2 gigs ram, 320 gig hard drive) and I bought myself a macbook pro "for christmas" (2.53, 4 gigs ram, 320 gig 7200 rpm hard drive)

Back in July, I talked my girlfriends daughter into buying a Macbook (white, specs unknown) for college. We went to BestBuy before going to an Apple Store... The HIGHLIGHT of BestBuy's sales pitch was to hold a key down while opening a folder and watching EACH and EVERY folder and subfolder open within that folder & subfolder (ended up opening about 80 windows of folders and subfolders... He was showing how it was "just as fast at opening the last as it was the first)

I somehow replicated this feat on her daughters computer when I copied her iTunes library to her new laptop... I can tell you that a white macbook, stock configuration, opening 900+ folders at once WILL 1) show down a LOT and 2) choke out (actually stopped opening folders until I was able to close a few...)

lol

David

Tallest Skil

Dec 10, 2008, 09:09 AM

The HIGHLIGHT of BestBuy's sales pitch was to hold a key down while opening a folder and watching EACH and EVERY folder and subfolder open within that folder & subfolder (ended up opening about 80 windows of folders and subfolders... He was showing how it was "just as fast at opening the last as it was the first)

When I am C.E.O. of Apple, I am going to walk into a Best Buy, watch something of this nature happen, walk up to the sales associate while it is occurring, and fire him. Never mind that I couldn't do it until I talked to the manager of the store, but I would just do it. Things of this nature are inexcusable.

XnavxeMiyyep

Dec 10, 2008, 09:11 AM

I had a friend who worked at Best Buy. He was a PC hardware guy, but tehy put him in cameras, because they didn't want him to be a salesman in an area he was too knowledgeable about.

winninganthem

Dec 11, 2008, 12:07 AM

Back in July, I talked my girlfriends daughter into buying a Macbook (white, specs unknown) for college. We went to BestBuy before going to an Apple Store... The HIGHLIGHT of BestBuy's sales pitch was to hold a key down while opening a folder and watching EACH and EVERY folder and subfolder open within that folder & subfolder (ended up opening about 80 windows of folders and subfolders... He was showing how it was "just as fast at opening the last as it was the first)

I somehow replicated this feat on her daughters computer when I copied her iTunes library to her new laptop... I can tell you that a white macbook, stock configuration, opening 900+ folders at once WILL 1) show down a LOT and 2) choke out (actually stopped opening folders until I was able to close a few...)

Lmao that's hilarious.

Bigsam411

Dec 11, 2008, 08:34 PM

Alright everybody flame away but I can tell you exactly what a mac optimization is. Basically for the 40 bucks (imo way too much) a geek squad tech will take a brand new mac and set it up and run the mac updates. I believe they also set up two finger right click and tap to click. First off it does not speed up the computer, and I am not sure why they advertise it as such. Secondly, its a convenience to the customer. Thirdly, the only people that really should even come close to considering this are those who like things being done for them, and those who have really slow internet connections or no internet (some units might need some osx updates).

Oh and while working sales there I have noticed plenty of idiots get hired in to both geek squad and computer sales (imo two departments that really need knowledgeable people).

Tallest Skil

Dec 11, 2008, 08:46 PM

Alright everybody flame away but I can tell you exactly what a mac optimization is. Basically for the 40 bucks (imo way too much) a geek squad tech will take a brand new mac and set it up and run the mac updates. I believe they also set up two finger right click and tap to click. First off it does not speed up the computer, and I am not sure why they advertise it as such. Secondly, its a convenience to the customer. Thirdly, the only people that really should even come close to considering this are those who like things being done for them, and those who have really slow internet connections or no internet (some units might need some osx updates).

That's it. That's all.

I might vomit. Or sue. I haven't decided which.

Bigsam411

Dec 11, 2008, 09:00 PM

That's it. That's all.

I might vomit. Or sue. I haven't decided which.

lol you could do both. That would be fun to watch.

As I said above though I really think its overpriced. Maybe at half the price its worth it, but then again these services are priced based on what people are willing to pay, and some people are willing to pay in order to have these things done for them.

The sad part about it is that they charge the same price for the pc optimization and that includes a lot more work (removal of trial software, registry and msconfig tweaks which does speed things up).

Tallest Skil

Dec 11, 2008, 09:02 PM

lol you could do both. That would be fun to watch.

"Opening statements?"

"Your Honor, I... Huuuuuuuaghhhhhhh! Blughhhhhh... No further questions."

"Court finds in favor of the plaintiff." *bang*

ensoniqdap

Dec 12, 2008, 01:33 AM

Lmao that's hilarious.

NOT hilarious when people are coming over to you as the "expert" on computers (PC's NOT macs mind you) and you have to come up with an answer QUICK... I told them it was an "easier way to copy her iTunes library from one computer to the other..."

Velocifero

Dec 12, 2008, 02:12 AM

I had a friend who worked at Best Buy. He was a PC hardware guy, but tehy put him in cameras, because they didn't want him to be a salesman in an area he was too knowledgeable about.
So that's why I haven't been hired there...
"Opening statements?"

"Your Honor, I... Huuuuuuuaghhhhhhh! Blughhhhhh... No further questions."

"Court finds in favor of the plaintiff." *bang*
Hahahaha

drichards

Dec 12, 2008, 02:14 AM

NOT hilarious when people are coming over to you as the "expert" on computers (PC's NOT macs mind you) and you have to come up with an answer QUICK... I told them it was an "easier way to copy her iTunes library from one computer to the other..."

Copying itunes library stinks, but its not so hard...

notjustjay

Dec 12, 2008, 09:53 AM

As I said above though I really think its overpriced. Maybe at half the price its worth it, but then again these services are priced based on what people are willing to pay, and some people are willing to pay in order to have these things done for them.

I think the bottom line is, it's a service for those who are not comfortable doing it themselves, and although likely none of *us* fit into that category, there is clearly a market.

I pay someone $30 every few months to change the oil in my car. I'm sure on a car enthusiast's forum, everyone knows exactly how to do it themselves with their eyes shut, for half the cost, and they probably laugh at people like me, which is fine. I'm not comfortable doing it myself, nor would I know how to deal with any problems I might encounter, so I leave it to the folks who know what they're doing.

andiwm2003

Dec 12, 2008, 10:46 AM

........................................ so I leave it to the folks who know what they're doing.

that is exactly the point: they do NOT know what they are doing. and they claim to provide a service but don't deliver. in your example it would mean an untrained worker changes the oil and claims your coolant is winterproof now.

things like this make a few bucks now but hurt the brand (apples and best buys) in the long run. and on a personal level its dishonest and disgusting. the people working there and knowingly doing that to customers should be ashamed. imagine a doctor would work with ethics like this.

ensoniqdap

Dec 12, 2008, 11:11 AM

Copying itunes library stinks, but its not so hard...

Not hard... but when you ACCIDENTLY open 900+ folders... it CAN be tedious... I couldn't close them fast enough... and I was TRYING... lol

drichards

Dec 12, 2008, 02:59 PM

Not hard... but when you ACCIDENTLY open 900+ folders... it CAN be tedious... I couldn't close them fast enough... and I was TRYING... lol

I've done that too. killall Finder, live and learn. But I keep Terminal open almost always...

chrisandersen

Dec 12, 2008, 04:19 PM

Ok, I bit on my first mac at best buy. When I got it home and turned it on, it still had to be updated and all he did was go through the opening sequence and assign it my name. Should have screamed at the manager, but I was too busy setting up my new system to bother.
But, now that you have brought it up. Deal people, don't go for it. Take your $ 40 and get some dinner.

SnowLeopard2008

Dec 12, 2008, 05:10 PM

I'd never some dumb PC guy touch a Mac.

puckhead193

Jan 25, 2009, 11:12 AM

why o why did apple ever approve of this. If anything i think it hurts sales.

queshy

Jan 25, 2009, 11:21 AM

I once saw someone at the big box store I worked at sell an in-home installation on a 17" iMac.

The optimization is BS. I wouldn't want some stranger opening up my brand new computer. To add to that, a Mac is so idiot-proofed out of the box and Apple has made every effort to make setting up a new Mac fun.

I think the bottom line is, it's a service for those who are not comfortable doing it themselves, and although likely none of *us* fit into that category, there is clearly a market.

I pay someone $30 every few months to change the oil in my car. I'm sure on a car enthusiast's forum, everyone knows exactly how to do it themselves with their eyes shut, for half the cost, and they probably laugh at people like me, which is fine. I'm not comfortable doing it myself, nor would I know how to deal with any problems I might encounter, so I leave it to the folks who know what they're doing.

Changing the oil is definitely a harder and messier job than setting up a new Mac :P
There is demand, because if they weren't selling any they wouldn't bother offering the service. It's a bait-and-switch for uneducated buyers.

Pika

Jan 25, 2009, 11:37 AM

I used to work at BestBuy and all they do is run the "OS X's Software Update" and run a BestBuy home made anti-virus & defrag to your machine for 50$ CAD.

econoline06

Jan 25, 2009, 11:38 AM

The Geek Squad is a scam, and there will always be suckers out there. The truth of the matter is that computers are not as simple as people try to make them out to be, opening the door to plenty of people like the Geek Squad. Especially easy targets are recent switchers from Windows who assume the Mac works just like a PC.

Freis968

Jan 25, 2009, 12:12 PM

Letting the Geek Squad touch a new iMac to "optimize" it is about as sensible as allowing a fox to "clean" the chicken coop.

LOL, this is a great way to explain it...:D

Freis968

Jan 25, 2009, 12:14 PM

I used to work at BestBuy and all they do is run the "OS X's Software Update" and run a BestBuy home made anti-virus & defrag to your machine for 50$ CAD.

How long did this take?

Also, what other "crap" did you/they try to sell the "sucker" er, I mean customer who paid for this?

Freis968

Jan 25, 2009, 12:27 PM

When I am C.E.O. of Apple, I am going to walk into a Best Buy, watch something of this nature happen, walk up to the sales associate while it is occurring, and fire him. Never mind that I couldn't do it until I talked to the manager of the store, but I would just do it. Things of this nature are inexcusable.

I may beat you to it...LOL!

Pika

Jan 25, 2009, 01:08 PM

How long did this take?

Also, what other "crap" did you/they try to sell the "sucker" er, I mean customer who paid for this?

Well i wasn't part of the Geek Squad department so all I know is that they go to the customer's house (GhostBuster style) and run this homemade bestbuy program via ther lock-in USB external hard-drive to the costumer's Mac, then they run the program for about few hours, if the program detect a virus, the geek squad will tell the customer to buy Norton for Mac. If the customer accept to buy it, they will install it for you.

Then they give you the bill. The costumer is happy because the geek squad saved the computer for this bad virus.

That's all I know.

Pika

Jan 25, 2009, 01:32 PM

Some people don't know much about computers and prefer to get optimized by someone else. Most of those customers are old ladies on Macs... On the PC side are mostly young Gamers and random familly peoples.

alexlovesmacs

Jan 25, 2009, 02:29 PM

I went to Best Buy the other day and this lady bought a bluetooth headset and didn't now how to pair it and best buy charges $9.99 to pair it.:eek:

Norco

Jan 25, 2009, 02:50 PM

I think the bottom line is, it's a service for those who are not comfortable doing it themselves, and although likely none of *us* fit into that category, there is clearly a market.

I pay someone $30 every few months to change the oil in my car. I'm sure on a car enthusiast's forum, everyone knows exactly how to do it themselves with their eyes shut, for half the cost, and they probably laugh at people like me, which is fine. I'm not comfortable doing it myself, nor would I know how to deal with any problems I might encounter, so I leave it to the folks who know what they're doing.

Damn only $30? VW Dealership wants to charge me $80... that is if I actually let them... hence I change my own oil for roughly half that price (synthetic is lotsa $$$).

I went to Best Buy the other day and this lady bought a bluetooth headset and didn't now how to pair it and best buy charges $9.99 to pair it.:eek:

At least they provide the service. I can understand that a little bit; they aren't in business to teach the world electronics, they exist to make a profit. If you were nice you would tell the lady hey, I can help you with that for free, lol.

Slrman

Dec 14, 2009, 06:04 AM

Never, ever even enter a Best Buy. Their customer service means to "service" the customer like a bull "services" a cow.

Everyone I know, including myself that has had an issue with Best Buy has the same story. "We have your money, now go buy something else and stop bothering us."

As far as "optimizing your Mac". That's simply a lie to extract $39.95 from you. First of all, their people know so little about any computer there's no way they can "optimize" anything. Next, try having them explain exactly what they do. Don't settle for double-talk, but ask questions like "Exactly how does that work?"

But, if you are smart, you'll never enter one of these scam centers.

mbburn

Dec 14, 2009, 07:29 AM

You guys must have really crappy BB's where you are...
While I would never let them touch my computer, the BB here has above average customer service.
I bought a uMB at BB at the end of May this year. 16 days later, the new uMBP's came out. Irritated that I missed the memo about refresh, and outside of my return period, I went to BB and pleaded with them for an exchange for a new 13" uMBP, even though I was outside of return window by a couple of days. After an hour of discussion, they did the exchange. Would have never expected it from them, but will praise their CS for hooking it up when they didn't have to.

Slrman

Dec 14, 2009, 07:48 AM

After an hour of discussion? And that's good service? Most places would have immediately apologized an taken care of it with no further discussion.

When I teach customer satisfaction seminars, there are only two things that I insist everyone write down.

"The quality of any product or service is exactly what the customer says it is."

"It's always cheaper to make a customer happy than it is to make him angry."

If clients leave the seminar understanding only those two things, they are on their way to great customer service. Best Buy has never understood either. When I had a problem with BB in Panama City, Florida, I eventually contacted corporate headquarters. They never even responded. Previously, I had a problem with a BB in Phoenix, AZ. I thought is was just the local store, but the experience in Florida and with corporate taught me to never purchase anything from Best Buy.

mbburn

Dec 14, 2009, 07:58 AM

Sorry I wasn't more specific. They couldn't figure out how to do the exchange. The computer system wouldn't let them do the exchange. The hour of discussion was trying to figure out a way to circumvent the system. They ended up having to do a full return of the first laptop, giving me the refund, and then purchasing the new laptop. The manager never gave me an issue about the exchange.

Slrman

Dec 14, 2009, 08:03 AM

Lucky you. Maybe the manager had attended one of my seminars. This doesn't change the fact that corporate policy is to shaft the customer and they totally ignore complaints and reports.

While bad experiences at two widely-separated store is hardly a scientific sampling, the numerous reports I have had from others at many different locations does indicate a trend. I have to say yours is the first positive experience with BB I have heard. I'm sure there must be others, but the majority seem to be very negative.

aprilfools

Dec 14, 2009, 08:09 AM

lol you could do both. That would be fun to watch.

As I said above though I really think its overpriced. Maybe at half the price its worth it, but then again these services are priced based on what people are willing to pay, and some people are willing to pay in order to have these things done for them.

The sad part about it is that they charge the same price for the pc optimization and that includes a lot more work (removal of trial software, registry and msconfig tweaks which does speed things up).

If Best Buy didn't offer the same 39.95 optimization service for Mac purchasers, BB customers would start to wonder why the mac doesn't need optimization and BB wouldn't sell as many Windows machines. BB would never allow that. The profit for BB is in Windows machines, not Apple. I don't know about other BB's but the Mac section at the Pasadena CA location is in the back of the store. Why is this? They don't care about Mac/Apple!

xlii

Dec 14, 2009, 08:13 AM

If Best Buy didn't offer the same 39.95 optimization service for Mac purchasers, BB customers would start to wonder why the mac doesn't need optimization and BB wouldn't sell as many Windows machines. BB would never allow that. The profit for BB is in Windows machines, not Apple. I don't know about other BB's but the Mac section at the Pasadena CA location is in the back of the store. Why is this? They don't care about Mac/Apple!

Back of the store comment. In a food supermarket the eggs and milk are always in the back of the store. That means if you run in to pick up a quart of milk you have to go by all the other products that might induce you to an impulse buy. So placement at the rear of a store doesn't always mean the item is unimportant to the store. Sometimes it is the most common and needed items that get placed there.

BigGroll

Dec 14, 2009, 05:28 PM

milton.sheaf

Dec 14, 2009, 06:11 PM

Damn only $30? VW Dealership wants to charge me $80... that is if I actually let them... hence I change my own oil for roughly half that price (synthetic is lotsa $$$).
It's $180 on my mercedes LOL. Seriously, $180 for oil change at the dealer. That's why I do it myself. Synthetic diesel engine oil is expensive, so even doing it myself it costs about $80 for the oil and filter.

But yeah, on topic, I would never set foot into a best buy, for purchases or for service. You should hear their TV salesman convince people that the $100 HDMI cable gives so much better picture quality than the $10 HDMI cable. Pure unfiltered bull ****, they say anything to make a sale.

Cabbit

Dec 14, 2009, 06:21 PM

change some power saver options (mainly make it so that the harddrive doesnt go to sleep, that is where the supposed performance boost comes from).

So this is where all the hard drive failures are coming from. Changing "some" power saving feature.

milton.sheaf

Dec 14, 2009, 06:35 PM

All of the margin comes from products and accessories.
And oh what a margin. $19.95 for an ethernet cable. And $29.95 for a crossover ethernet cable. LOL they charge $10 additional for crossing the transmit and receive pairs! Charging nearly $30 for a cable that doesn't even cost 30 *cents* to manufacture. 10000% profit is a pretty hefty markup.

jdusoccer12

Dec 14, 2009, 08:18 PM

Yeah I have a funny story about Best Buy. I had to by my Macbook Pro from there because I don't have an Apple Store nearby and they had 18 months 0% interest so my dad said it was a good deal.

Ok I walked in there knowing what I wanted but my dad being clueless about Macs wanted to hear about them from the lady. They didn't have the one I wanted 2.53Ghz 15inch because they weren't aloud to carry it for some reason so I talked my dad into getting the 2.66Ghz one (worked out for me.) So she said she would make me a deal $100 off or a free 8gb iPod Touch. I have a iPhone so my dad said $100 and then I said iPod Touch because it is worth $200. So they were trying to sell me the Best Buy warranty because they could replace the battery when it normally goes bad after one year. I then told them that they last for 3 years of 1000 charges and then she said that is what they all say they normally don't last a year. And then the Geek Squad tried to sell my dad on it who had no clue and then he looked at me and I said no you lost me when you told me the battery dies within a year.

BigGroll I am glad you are a certified Apple Sales Pro and there should be one at Best Buy all the time because it would help people out.

nick1516

Dec 14, 2009, 09:13 PM

Reminds me of their ps3 setup service where they plug it in and connect you to the internet. I would never let them touch and electronic of mine.

steve knight

Dec 14, 2009, 10:08 PM

my dad said $100 and then I said iPod Touch because it is worth $200. So they were trying to sell me the Best Buy warranty because they could replace the battery when it normally goes bad after one year. I then told them that they last for 3 years of 1000 charges and then she said that is what they all say they normally don't last a year..
I got that too when I went to buy a ipod 3 years ago. seems they must tell the sales people that fable to get you to buy an extended warranty. well my daughter took her ipod inbecause the battery died. they said the hard drive was bad the battery was bad but claimed the cable jack was messed up and would not honor the warranty. there was nothing wrong with the port it was in fine shape.

robanga

Dec 20, 2009, 10:59 AM

Tech retailing has become like the grocery business, because this stuff is as much of a commodity as a carton of eggs now.

Retailers have to try and make money anyway possible. If you come in to buy a laptop they better sell you accessories, an extended warranty or some sort of service package. All of those have nice margins relative to the base computer. In some cases such as the warranty its about 90% profit. A USB Cable for a printer costs about $3 ( and that is likely a burdened cost with much of their overhead) and it sells for $19.95

Management really wants them to add on sell and most places provide incentives for the staff to do this of course. However since this is essentially become a grocery business, you are not not often talking about career people here and their level of "emotional investment" in their job is often not that high. (there are plenty of exceptions of course, but in general....)

This means the staff see the scowls from the buying public when they attempt to attach sell, and so usually all I see is a half-hearted " Would you like anything else with this? " or " How about the warranty and replacement plan for $49.95? "

sgabekahn

Feb 13, 2011, 03:02 PM

santaliqueur

Feb 13, 2011, 05:56 PM

Well I figured I simply had to respond to this, seeing as how I
1. Work at a Best Buy
2. Am a certified Apple Sales Pro at said Best Buy
3. Consider myself to be fairly knowledgeable and straightforward with customers (we dont work on commission remember!)

For some people, the optimization is worth it. We go in there, run all the system updates, do all of the initial setup, change some power saver options (mainly make it so that the harddrive doesnt go to sleep, that is where the supposed performance boost comes from). We also changes some options with the trackpad, and check to make sure everything is functional. Additionally, if a customer has purchased iwork/mobileme, we will install that as well.

For some people, spending an additional 40 bucks on top of the 999 (minimum!) that they are spending is well worth it to not have to deal with that. Obviously, I personally would never do it! But for certain customers, it is a great value!

And also, to whoever said that Windows computers offer a higher profit margin that Macs, you couldnt be more wrong. On average, BB loses 200 dollars for every 1000 dollar windows computer sold! There is not a single windows computer with a cent of margin on it. All of the margin comes from products and accessories. Compare that to the macs. The base macbook has nearly 80 bucks worth of margin just in the laptop! Know what you're talking about before you make such a statement....

You may not work on commission, but you are certainly pressured to hit your accessories and service plan numbers. I used to work in the install bay, probably 10 years ago. The line to customers is "we don't work on commission!" but it really means "we have no PERSONAL interest in selling you this accessory". It's sleight of hand, because Best Buy certainly pushes lucrative accessories.

I have no problem with their business methods. I'd never shop there, but I do wish them luck in being as successful as they can, because that's what capitalism is all about. And capitalism is the only reason we are able to drive fast cars and play games on our awesome computers :)

As played-out as the car analogies are...I pay someone to work on my car. I could probably figure it out, but I take it to someone who knows MORE THAN ME. Guys who hang out in the car forums might make fun of the major car repair centers, but they know more than I do about cars, and I let them take care of my problem. I am sure I have overpaid for repair service in the past, and likely will in the future. How is this any different than Best Buy charging an acceptable (to their target audience) price for their services?

iMouse

Feb 13, 2011, 06:15 PM

Hi, I'm a reporter writing an article on Best Buy Optimization. If you've had an experience with this, either good or bad, please email me ASAP so we can arrange to speak, at sgabekahn@gmail.com.

Thank you,

Gabe Kahn

LOL! As a tech for a large institution that constantly has to reverse the problems introduced by BBY's software/optimization process and explain to the customer that they were taken for another $40, I hope your article nails them to the wall.

Optimization on a brand new Mac? Seriously...what a joke. I wonder if this includes installing Flash Player now that Apple isn't shipping their machines with it pre-installed.

This has little to do with their optimization charges, but one in many sad stories about the Geek Squad that I've dealt with personally...

A woman brought her Gateway PC to our office for a second opinion after spending $400 with the Geek Squad. The PC would run slow, lock up, throw BSoDs. She took it to the Geek Squad on 3 occasions in 30 days and each time they told her it was because her kids were downloading music and that the PC was infected.

They also had her pay $120 for an external hard drive to back up her data (to which they didn't properly do) as well as charge her additional to perform the backup. Geek Squad simply restored the unit using the built-in restore and recovery options.

15 minutes in our shop, we diagnosed the issue as a hard drive with bad clusters. The system would operate fine until it encountered those bad clusters and would just go into a stall period until it gave up and completely locked. We cloned her data to a new drive, replaced any files affected by the bad clusters and she was on her way. She calls every once in a while just to say hi and to let us know that her PC is working great.

If I could only take the time to sit down and write a book...

7thMac

Feb 13, 2011, 06:33 PM

The sad part about it is that they charge the same price for the pc optimization and that includes a lot more work (removal of trial software, registry and msconfig tweaks which does speed things up).

I'm skeptical about anything they might do on the PC side as well, particularly with the registry. I once bought a budget Compaq laptop (actually worked out well, still have it) that was a model that was only sold by Best Buy. To add insult to injury, Best Buy offered to optimize their own model for 10% of the selling price. Thanks Best Buy, for sweating the little details when you found it necessary to offer your own model unique version of this laptop.

EtherealMAC

Feb 13, 2011, 07:19 PM

But... but ... but..... if the Geeks from BestBuy's GeekSquad are the inspiration for Chuck's Nerds of BuyMore's NerdHerd ... then... But of course I would let them touch my MBP and put some needed "optimization"

Who knows, If I let them meddle with my Mac they might actually screw up and put some vital spy sensitive information on it by accident (or not) and I might end up in the middle of an intense plot for saving the world against malicious spies, always with a hot blond/brunnette/redhead spy to get into hand to hand combat with. That alone would be worth the 40 bucks or so they charge for the "optimization" ... sounds like a good deal for me to pay that much for them to "optimize" my otherwise dull life .

And for those of you who are skeptical that this might happen:

IT IS TRUE CUZ I SAW IT ON TV!!!

'nuff said