How Best Buy Tried To Whip The Geek Squad Into Shape

The Consumerist site is featuring a follow-up to their Geek Squad porn collectors story, a feature we discussed back in July. According to Consumerist, Best Buy set up their own rigorous internal investigation to catch the culprits soon after these revelations became public. At that point, of course, employee morale went out the window. Draconian interrogation methods were apparently used, and innocent employees lost their jobs. "There were three Geek Squad members fired from my store including myself. The first two were fired for burning a non-copyrighted CD for another employee on a non company issued blank CD-R. I admitted in my interrogation that I was aware of this, and that I stopped these events after that occurrence. I was fired for being aware of this non copyrighted CD being copied. To quote, I did not provide the proper example of leadership. Keep in my mind I removed over 100 illegal tools and pirated discs upon my arrival as supervisor, as well as some remnants of an internal porn scandal."

Comments

Suggested google search

[SuperBanana]

Suggestion: wrongful termination

Or try "employment lawyer." Beware: the US is largely employment-at-will. So, unless you're a minority, pregnant/a woman, handicapped, over 50, or in the military...you're pretty much screwed.

Shame, as it wasn't always that way, and the US is one of the few places where at-will employment is the norm.

Re:Suggested google search

[jdray]

"At will" employment is the norm in America because litigation is also. As a small business owner, when I fire someone, I don't give a reason. With the exception of one case, where the person in question was completely oblivious to what was wrong with what she did to get fired, people know by the time I fire them why they're being fired. By not giving a reason for the firing, I protect myself from wrongful termination suits.

The Best Buy situation described here is far different than that of a small cafe owner like myself, and the situation at hand was much more complicated than those that I deal with. For instance, in the case of the oblivious employee I mentioned, I caught her sitting in the sun with her boyfriend when she was supposed to be out on a delivery. It wouldn't have been so bad, except that the other four people back at the cafe were up to their eyebrows in deliveries backing up because she hadn't returned, and we had a line of customers at the counter. This was after several instances of stern discussions with said employee about her insubordinate attitude, being late all the time, and lack of focus. When I fired her, I explained simply that, "it isn't working out," and that was the end.

I, for one, am glad for the at-will employment laws. But, as with anything, they can be abused.

Re:Suggested google search

[Arcaeris]

"Since GAY isn't a claim that can be proven, anybody can claim it. So literally, everybody is protected."

Discrimination due to sexual orientation or gender identity or whatever related to it is not protected everywhere. In fact, it's not protected in many states.

http://www.actwin.com/eatonohio/gay/gayri.htm/

Not Suprised

[tkid]

Long ago, in college, I worked at Best Buy in Indianapolis. I worked in the Audio/Car Audio departments. So anyways, one night I'm coming into work and get pulled aside by the LP guy (the goofy guys where the yellow shirts that think they're important). I thought he was just going to ask me to watch the front while he took a break but instead pulled me in one of the front offices. Told me he'd be right back after asking me to sit down.

A few minutes later, he comes in with one of the assistant managers with him, they both sit down and hand me a clipboard with paper and pen. They ask for me to write down everything I've stolen. I'm like, WTF? I haven't stolen anything is my only reply to every question. The LP guy kept getting in my face, yelling and moaning that I've stolen something. He gets pissed and threatens to call the police, I say, call them, I'd love to explain to them your false accusations without any proof even if I did steal something.

The LP guy leaves and the manager there has nothing to say. Granted, I was shocked cause it was the only manager I liked. The only thing I said at that moment was, "I've lost all respect for you at this time!"

So the LP guy comes back and then threatens with police and polygraph test, I'm all open for the idea, this just pissed him off more. We exchange more words, he keeps demanding I write down everything I've stolen so I just dropped the damn clipboard and pen. I proceed to tell them, if you have nothing on me as I have not stolen anything, I'm leaving. LP guy walks out again all pissed, comes back in a few minutes and tells me I'm suspended til further notice. He escorts me out.

By the time I get home, I get a call from a co-worker who's pissed off and tells me the same exact story. They pulled him in right after me, same type of interrogation. We later found out they did this to all but 2 employees in the Audio/Car Audio department. 6 out of the 8 that is.

If we go back in time a little, they were opening a new store and had others help out from the surrounding stores. Guess which 6 helped, the 6 let go. While we were helping the store, they said we would get paid retro type pay since the other store didn't have us in their system. So we determined this was just a way for them to just not pay us after we kept insisting on our paychecks from the overnight work and days off we spent at the other store.

Funny to think two weeks later we show up for our final check and they tell us we've been fired, our only response was, "Really, cause we already found other jobs, why would we want to work here after what happened?"

We all talked to a lawyer but the amount owed he said just wasn't worth it to sue.

Moral of the story, Best Buy = Shitty Place to Work

Re:Not Suprised

[taustin]

Your first stop should always be your state's labor board. In many states, that's all it takes. California occasionally brings criminal charges against both companies and managers who try to stiff employees out of overtime, and always takes such allegations seriously. The mangers who stiffed the guy would have a permanent black stain on their souls that would follow them to every job they ever have again, because the corporation would get the snot fined out of them (in addition to having to pay the unpaid overtime, plus interest), and be audited regularly for years to come.