MacGyver: "I can't even log-on to a computer without getting hurt."
by Ben Chertoff, posted Sep 24th 2008 at 1:15PM
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MacGyver and Steven Seagal Launch New Geek Squad Service
Posts with tag geeksquad
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MacGyver and Steven Seagal Launch New Geek Squad Service
MacGyver and Steven Seagal Launch New Geek Squad Service
by Dan Reilly, posted Sep 17th 2008 at 5:47PM
On Monday, Best Buy tech-help division Geek Squad launched its new Black Tie Protection service, which covers home theater, mobile tech, gadgets, and more, in addition to computers. Naturally, the electronics retailer decided that it needed some star power to kick off its new product, so it invited three celebrity "icons of protection": Tanya Roberts of 'Charlie's Angels' and 'That '70s Show', MacGyver (aka Richard Dean Anderson, and Steven Seagal), a musician who's made some martial arts movies (or is it the other way around?).
Since Best Buy is the exclusive provider of this service, the celebs showed up at a Manhattan store in three black SUVs escorted by the incredibly intimidating Geek Squad members in their Geekmobiles, black and white VW Bugs that are the official cars of the service. Anderson arrived first on the orange carpet, yelling "hello New York!" to the crowd of media, fans, and bewildered pedestrians walking on Broadway. Roberts came second, looking great at age 52. And finally, Seagal's SUV showed up and the martial artist got out of the wrong side of the car, said hello to the host briefly, and walked quickly inside. Some onlookers looked disappointed, but then it was time for the Q & A.
Flanked by Best Buy and Geek Squad employees, the three "protectors" sat on a small stage with lighting so hot that two of them asked for it to be changed before anything started. While this may sound like diva behavior, we can attest that it really was hot as hell up there, especially if you were wearing a suit like Anderson's. Poor Mac was getting sweaty by the end. The brief Q&A session mainly featured a female audience member telling both Anderson and Seagal how much she enjoyed their work without asking a question. Awesome.
Luckily for us, we were given a few minutes to talk with Mr. Seagal – you'd call him that too if you were standing right next to him – about tech, music, and his current work. Check out the interview after the break, as well as our gallery featuring more pictures and quotes of the stars. Something, um, may depend on it.
Best Buy's Geek Squad Finds Child Porn on Janitor's Computer, Janitor Arrested
Best Buy's Geek Squad isn't exactly known for respecting people's property. This time, however, instead of us catching them, they caught a guy with child porn. A middle school custodian sent in a hard drive back in August of 2007 to recover lost data. Upon performing their usual search (and invasion of personal privacy), the Geek Squadders at a Twin Cities location found over 800 images of young girls between the ages of 7 and 15 in various states of undress and performing sexual acts. The Geek Squad promptly turned the evidence over to the police. The police eventually obtained a search warrant and -- upon execution -- found more evidence in the janitor's home.
While we would like to say that this guy is sick and deserves whatever punishment he gets, we are disturbed by the conduct of Geek Squad employees who seem to make it a habit of going through customer data. Whether or not the data is illegal and leads to arrest, warrantless searches by non-law-enforcement personnel is disturbing on an ethical level and we're pretty sure unconstitutional.
From Consumerist
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Best Buy Employee Caught Perving Out
Perhaps Best Buy should have named its computer diagnostic and repair division Perv Squad. Following April's incident in which one of its Geek Squad technicians was caught videotaping a customer while she showered, a second employee has now been videoed copying porn files from a customer's computer onto his own drive.
The video was captured as part of a sting operation run by the Web site, The Consumerist. The Consumerist set up a PC with software to capture a video log of all on-screen activities. It then dropped off the PC at several different Geek Squad locations and asked for help with simple tasks like installing iTunes. Most technicians performed their duties without any snooping, sometimes even doing it for free at the counter. But one unnamed 'Agent' (as they call themselves) helped himself to personal folders sitting on the desktop. When he discovered they were full of pornographic images and video, he copied the folders onto a USB thumb drive.
The Consumerist ran the sting after an anonymous Geek Squad employee admitted that hunting for nudie pics on the hard drives of customers is a regular practice amongst technicians. When asked to comment on the video, a Best Buy official called it an isolated incident and asked for the name of the Agent in question so he could be fired. The Consumerist refused to name names, claiming that this was not an isolated incident, but proof of a systemic problem.
Either way, it's hilarious, and proof that it's always wise to remove anything you don't want discovered on your PC before taking it in for service -- with Geek Squad or anyone else.
From Boing Boing and The Consumerist
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Geek Squad Opens General Hospital
When slapping screens and punching keyboards fail, Best Buy's Geek Squad is there to fix America's computer-related woes (or, to sneak a peek at America in the shower). Though Geek Squad units are stationed inside of Best Buy stores throughout our great land, a new Geek headquarters has just opened up in Louisville, Kentucky.
The brand new 165,000 square-foot facility, dubbed Geek Squad City, will service PCs and laptops shipped from local Geek Squad locations, courtesy of Louisville's massive UPS air hub. In-store Geek Squads will still take their best crack at healing sick computers, but anything too serious or that requires special parts will head to the Bluegrass State to be serviced by one of the new location's 600 employees. The average turnaround time will be just three days, and Geek Squad City anticipates handling upwards of 700,000 repairs each year.
So, why Kentucky...the lure of the mint julep? Nope. According to Geek Squad City 'mayor' Wes Snyder, it was the state's offer of up to $9.3 million in tax benefits.
From CNN
Best Buy Perv Videotapes Customer
Sarah Vasquez of Pomona, CA, needed help getting her computer fixed. But when Hao Kuo Chi of Best Buy's Geek Squad arrived at her door, he helped himself to a peek at Vasquez in the buff. Chi waited until Vasquez entered the shower, at which point he allegedly slithered into the bathroom with his camera phone, hit the record button and slithered out.
When Vasquez emerged from the shower, she noticed the phone resting behind the sink with its recording light on. The memory card was immediately removed from the phone, which Chi then attempted to win back by offering discounts on his service -- presumably the services that don't involve humiliating customers and staining his company's reputation. Vasquez refused and Chi was later arrested. She and her family are now filing a lawsuit against the retail giant. Of course, no one's asking the question: Who takes a shower with a stranger in the house?
From CBS
When Vasquez emerged from the shower, she noticed the phone resting behind the sink with its recording light on. The memory card was immediately removed from the phone, which Chi then attempted to win back by offering discounts on his service -- presumably the services that don't involve humiliating customers and staining his company's reputation. Vasquez refused and Chi was later arrested. She and her family are now filing a lawsuit against the retail giant. Of course, no one's asking the question: Who takes a shower with a stranger in the house?
From CBS
