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

"Non-copyrighted"?

[John Hasler]

> "The first two were fired for burning a non-copyrighted CD..."

What do you mean by "non-copyrighted"?

Re:"Non-copyrighted"?

[Anonymous Coward]

I want to know that too.

There's "open source" (and other licenses that permit copying), "fair use", "copied by copyright owner" that would all be legal, and very occasionally "public domain".

But the copyright always belongs to someone, even if they have licensed that right widely.

Re:Suggested google search

[Bartab]

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

Re:Butlers

[UncleTogie]

I've said for years that there should be a standard body for establishing credentials for computer technicians that includes proof of skills and semi-annual retesting to ensure skills development matches the pace of the industry and that a standardized set of fees should be established by this body to be charged by its members.

You mean something like CompTIA?

I've mentioned this guy before; he had graduated from a local technical school and was even a card-carrying A+ tech. As this school had the reputation of "pay to pass", I decided to test him, and pointing at an open box, asked him to point at the motherboard.

He pointed at the case. I repeated the question, wording it differently.

He pointed back at the case.

Standards organizations only work when they're not cash-oriented, and there's always some unscrupulous ninny willing to trade cash for sheepskins...

Re:Butlers

[Yvanhoe]

I would also like to add that doctors and lawyers are protected by the law when they need to keep secrets private. A doctor can tell to his boss that a given practice goes against medical secret or medical ethics. There are no such things in IT.

Re:Butlers

[shamer]

the funny thing is Best Buy contracts there Enterprise IT needs... to the company I work for. They will not let the geek squad touch any Best Buy corporate machine.

Sorry, wouldn't be enough

[Colin Smith]

What we need is a professional standards body that actually measures skills and mandates periodic skills reviews to maintain certification according to accepted industry guidelines. Practical examinations as well as an apprenticeship period would be preferable to ensure capability. Sorry that isn't enough to give high salaries. It is a good beginning step though. You want to know what the ??? step is towards profit? Scarcity.

1: What you do is persuade your local representative that government contracts require the professional certification.

2: You persuade your representative that certification is required to practice at all.

3: That's when you hit paydirt. Profit!!!

The key to profit is scarcity. Induced naturally, by law or by whatever means you can arrange. It's how the doctors and lawyers have arranged to become wealthy.