Geek Squad

I am both a Geek Squad software ($150) and hardware service customer ($150).  They have failed me in both areas.

I've had 7 stops at the store, 8 or so emails and several phone calls with techs over there.

It started in April, two months after I received the machine. I'm slow to migrate to new devices and slowly was moving my files and installed MS Office before transitioning. It wasn't long before I noticed several blue screens of death and decided to take it to Geek Squad to review. I don't claim to be a hardware guru, but it did seem from the blue screens and the issues that were coming up that it was hardware related. I took photos of them and showed to the Geek Squad.

Geek Squad assured me that it was software and viral related issues. I said fine, hired them for their software support and they gave me the computer back "repaired".  It worked for a few days and then I started receiving the same blue screens, once again. I was very busy at work and had a lot of things going so I was unable to return the machine immediately. Not long after I started noticing heat issues and next complete battery failure, then more blue screens of death.

I returned the machine to Geek Squad for assistance and this time they said it was both hardware and viral. They said the battery needed to be replaced and the machine re-imaged. I said fine and they were going to do the work. This was there it went south, fast.

First they did not do the hardware repair, second they returned the machine to me and said it was "repaired". I got home and turned the machine on and noticed it now had Windows 8 and several new blue screens of death as soon as I turned on the device. I couldn't even get into Windows at first without several failures. The battery issue was still happening. I can't believe they would even present my device to me in such a state. I immediately drove back to Best Buy to have them work on it again. They said they could not install Windows 7 because they didn't have a product key and the machine had Windows 8 during the restore (which also didn't have a key).

I returned home to go through the paperwork that came with the machine and was unable to find anything regarding Windows or a product key, only my HP restore disks. I returned to Geek Squad and told them I was unable to find any. They recommended I contact PC Rush, the company that supposedly sold me the machine and get it from them [to be fair this was one of the companies listed by Best Buy to have sold me the machine].

I pursued Bestbuy.com, PC Rush [they did not have anything to do with my purchase from my understanding], HPP Enterprises and Microsoft for the Windows Key. You can read about those events above. After a time and no one assisting me, I told Geek Squad that I brought the machine with Windows 7 Pro and they needed to restore the machine to Windows 7 Pro. I did not approve a restore to Windows 8 and did not ask them to put 8 on the machine.

On top of putting Windows 8 on there, it was not installed correctly [confirmed by HP support] and I had several new blue screens of death, I couldn't get the machine to stay on and could not use the machine.  Along with the same battery issue they were suppose to have fixed.

I've contacted Geek Squad several times and while I got one representative to apologize and admit the error, they would not own their mistake and make it right. I'm really disappointed I feel like it cost Geek Squad more in time for their team to waste with me. I broke down and got a new copy of Windows 7 Pro. Geek Squad restored it back to Windows 7 Pro so then I got my computer back to as broken as it was when I arrived at Geek Squad for help. Next I got HP to help me actually fix the physical issues with the machine including new mother boards and battery. 

HP said it was not a good image of Windows 7 Pro put on the machine and needed several drivers and a re-image to use. Now the device is back at Geek Squad who tried to fix the machine, then I got a call today that they reinstalled Windows 7 Pro and were unable to fix the device. When I showed up today at Best Buy to pick up the machine to try HP again, Geek Squad said it was not ready for me and they were still working on it. I'm now waiting to see what they come up with.