I agree with you, and so does the company, but the fact remains that when you have thousands of employees performing a service, especially something as subjective as what's in the optimization service, you can't expect it to turn out exactly the same every time. The company strives for this, but sadly, it's the ideal, not the real.
As a former blue shirt, and a former agent, I can tell you there's a LOT of shit to hate Best Buy for, but this is NOT IT.
They do NOT have two images, the images come loaded on the drives from the manufacturer. They are NOT allowed to say "sorry we're out of stock" on the unoptimized machines. If someone says that to you, ask for the number to the district office and you'll suddenly find that either the regular machines are in stock or that they'll sell you the preset machine for no extra cost.
Essentially the practice is that management has employees set up some machines with the service before they're sold so that a customer wanting the service can just walk out with it instead of waiting the hour or two it takes to complete. However, there are (or were, at least until I left the company) STRICT rules that state that no customer can ever be forced to pay for the service due to an out of stock situation.
Finally, to reiterate, yes, an employee has to set up each individual machine that is sold with the service. Unless a store is breaking the rules and imaging drives (WAYYYYY against company policy) each machine is hand done by an employee. Thus, this study is also not necessarily evidence of the service company wide (such is the service industry though).
Again, lots of reasons to bash the company, but what you've described is incorrect.
So as a former Geek Squad agent I have to chime in. First, I do believe the service is overpriced. Second, I don't speak for the whole company, just my store.
That being said, the "optimization" service that we sold consisted of 1) Applying any available Windows updates, including service packs in the case of sales immediately following the release of a new one. 2) Uninstall of any trialware that comes preloaded that is of no real value (I.E. most of the shit preloaded on Toshibas, HPs, etc) 3) Tweaking of MSConfig to disable any excess run-at-startup items that are for legitimate software but that shouldn't run at startup (Nero, Roxio, Adobe Reader, etc) Finally the agent would ensure that automatic updates are enabled etc.
While yeah, you may say that this service is overpriced (I would tend to agree) it's not as much bullshit as everyone is imagining.
Again, as you might imagine with a corporation as large as Best Buy, consistency is not exactly 100% (My agent number was in the 18,000s, and that was assigned to me two years ago) so YMMV.
Are you serious? Have you ever played Forza 2/3? If you think they just use engine/tire noise to make the point of traction loss on a crest then you're playing it with all the assists turned on or something.
I think he's referring to the xbox 360, which requires digitally signed code which unless you happen to have one with very old firmware, is unable to be hacked.
It's common knowledge that if you mod your console and Microsoft finds out, you'll be banned from Live.
I feel like everyone condemning Microsoft for this action are out of touch with what Xbox Live is and what is common sense for an online gaming service.
It's all well and good to say that the.1% of non-cheating modders don't deserve to be banned so no one should be banned, but the other 99% are ruining the service for EVERYONE, including the people that followed the OBVIOUS TOS saying "thou shalt not mod thy xbox" that everyone on Live agreed to.
You're an idiot. He obviously wasn't saying 99.9% of the xbox user base is pirating their games. The parent said 99.9% of the users of 360 mods are pirating their games. Considering you can't really use a modded 360 to do really anything else, I'd say he's right.
But go ahead, keep making straw mans. The parent made no statement about general piracy rates and you know it.
At least since 10.4, the.mac screen has had 4 options: 1) Put in your existing.mac credentials 2) Purchase.mac 3) Sign up for a.mac trial 4) No thanks, I don't want.mac
Your divorce analogy is flawed. Divorce is legal in the United States. Separation of church and state.
The point he's trying to make is that it's perfectly fine for your religion to ban gay marriage but the problem comes in when you're asking the state to ban it. Just like it's perfectly fine to ban divorce within your religion, but not okay to ask the state to ban it.
Problem with that is that lots of dumbphones comes with tools to sync to your PC. My olllllld Motorola V330 (generic flip phone... same OS as a RAZR) could sync contacts, calendar, etc to my computer over USB or Bluetooth. Using your definition it would be a smartphone but I don't think anyone would ever say a RAZR is a smartphone.
I hate to say it but I hardly think Intel makes a "well regarded 'gamer grade' product" with reference to GPUs. Intel GMA is at the bottom of the totem pole in gaming...
Re:What's the Difference Between a Computer Salesm
on
Bad PC Sales Staff Exposed
·
· Score: 5, Informative
The mobile section is actually only half Best Buy, and half Carphone Warehouse. They work on a different bonus structure and different power structure than the rest of the store, which the Mobile Manager reporting directly to a district manager and skipping the General Manager of the store, unlike every other dept.
I'd suggest playing a more simulation racing game such as Gran Turismo (PS2/3) or Forza Motorsport (Xbox) rather than the notoriously arcade/unrealistic Need For Speed series.
A friend of mine that's way more into Star Wars than myself actually told me that somewhere in the expanded universe or something they do offer up this explanation. That apparently when your radar picks up a tiefighter to your right the cockpit plays the sound that would make to provide the pilot with additional environmental information.
Seriously? What kind of shit DSL do you use? RTS can work pretty well with 300ms ping let alone the 25 or so you'll usually get in the situation of 6 pcs playing a game together over the same internet connection.
You should probably do some research into how cell phones work if you're actually surprised here. This is 100% what I would expect from a cell phone company.
A lot of people keep phones that they never use just in case of emergency, so Sprint keeps their service active and the customer keeps paying for that. They have no way of knowing if you're one of those people or someone who "can't be bothered" to call and cancel your service that you KNEW was automatically renewing. Sounds like your fuck up, not theirs.
My understanding is that the law was created to curb an issue of car manufacturers saying "Oh what's that, you used a third party air filter in your car and not the 3x as expensive Ford one? Sorry, your warranty is void" even though the problem was in your suspension. Electronics are obviously a lot more of a grey area for whether the accessory damaged the unit or not.
Slashdot Mirror
I agree with you, and so does the company, but the fact remains that when you have thousands of employees performing a service, especially something as subjective as what's in the optimization service, you can't expect it to turn out exactly the same every time. The company strives for this, but sadly, it's the ideal, not the real.
NO! No no no!
As a former blue shirt, and a former agent, I can tell you there's a LOT of shit to hate Best Buy for, but this is NOT IT.
They do NOT have two images, the images come loaded on the drives from the manufacturer. They are NOT allowed to say "sorry we're out of stock" on the unoptimized machines. If someone says that to you, ask for the number to the district office and you'll suddenly find that either the regular machines are in stock or that they'll sell you the preset machine for no extra cost.
Essentially the practice is that management has employees set up some machines with the service before they're sold so that a customer wanting the service can just walk out with it instead of waiting the hour or two it takes to complete. However, there are (or were, at least until I left the company) STRICT rules that state that no customer can ever be forced to pay for the service due to an out of stock situation.
Finally, to reiterate, yes, an employee has to set up each individual machine that is sold with the service. Unless a store is breaking the rules and imaging drives (WAYYYYY against company policy) each machine is hand done by an employee. Thus, this study is also not necessarily evidence of the service company wide (such is the service industry though).
Again, lots of reasons to bash the company, but what you've described is incorrect.
So as a former Geek Squad agent I have to chime in. First, I do believe the service is overpriced. Second, I don't speak for the whole company, just my store.
That being said, the "optimization" service that we sold consisted of 1) Applying any available Windows updates, including service packs in the case of sales immediately following the release of a new one. 2) Uninstall of any trialware that comes preloaded that is of no real value (I.E. most of the shit preloaded on Toshibas, HPs, etc)
3) Tweaking of MSConfig to disable any excess run-at-startup items that are for legitimate software but that shouldn't run at startup (Nero, Roxio, Adobe Reader, etc)
Finally the agent would ensure that automatic updates are enabled etc.
While yeah, you may say that this service is overpriced (I would tend to agree) it's not as much bullshit as everyone is imagining.
Again, as you might imagine with a corporation as large as Best Buy, consistency is not exactly 100% (My agent number was in the 18,000s, and that was assigned to me two years ago) so YMMV.
My understanding is that's where the wifi antenna lives so that it can get reception despite the rest of the back being metallic.
Are you serious? Have you ever played Forza 2/3? If you think they just use engine/tire noise to make the point of traction loss on a crest then you're playing it with all the assists turned on or something.
I think he's referring to the xbox 360, which requires digitally signed code which unless you happen to have one with very old firmware, is unable to be hacked.
Perhaps not, but at least here in Colorado I can shoot and kill a burglar in my house as long as reasonably felt like I was in danger...
You can absolutely use an iPhone without upgrading the firmware, so stop making things up.
It's common knowledge that if you mod your console and Microsoft finds out, you'll be banned from Live.
I feel like everyone condemning Microsoft for this action are out of touch with what Xbox Live is and what is common sense for an online gaming service.
It's all well and good to say that the .1% of non-cheating modders don't deserve to be banned so no one should be banned, but the other 99% are ruining the service for EVERYONE, including the people that followed the OBVIOUS TOS saying "thou shalt not mod thy xbox" that everyone on Live agreed to.
You're an idiot. He obviously wasn't saying 99.9% of the xbox user base is pirating their games. The parent said 99.9% of the users of 360 mods are pirating their games. Considering you can't really use a modded 360 to do really anything else, I'd say he's right.
But go ahead, keep making straw mans. The parent made no statement about general piracy rates and you know it.
At least since 10.4, the .mac screen has had 4 options: .mac credentials .mac .mac trial .mac
1) Put in your existing
2) Purchase
3) Sign up for a
4) No thanks, I don't want
Pretty straight forward to me.
Your divorce analogy is flawed. Divorce is legal in the United States. Separation of church and state.
The point he's trying to make is that it's perfectly fine for your religion to ban gay marriage but the problem comes in when you're asking the state to ban it. Just like it's perfectly fine to ban divorce within your religion, but not okay to ask the state to ban it.
Problem with that is that lots of dumbphones comes with tools to sync to your PC. My olllllld Motorola V330 (generic flip phone... same OS as a RAZR) could sync contacts, calendar, etc to my computer over USB or Bluetooth. Using your definition it would be a smartphone but I don't think anyone would ever say a RAZR is a smartphone.
I hate to say it but I hardly think Intel makes a "well regarded 'gamer grade' product" with reference to GPUs. Intel GMA is at the bottom of the totem pole in gaming...
The mobile section is actually only half Best Buy, and half Carphone Warehouse. They work on a different bonus structure and different power structure than the rest of the store, which the Mobile Manager reporting directly to a district manager and skipping the General Manager of the store, unlike every other dept.
I'd suggest playing a more simulation racing game such as Gran Turismo (PS2/3) or Forza Motorsport (Xbox) rather than the notoriously arcade/unrealistic Need For Speed series.
Woosh
A friend of mine that's way more into Star Wars than myself actually told me that somewhere in the expanded universe or something they do offer up this explanation. That apparently when your radar picks up a tiefighter to your right the cockpit plays the sound that would make to provide the pilot with additional environmental information.
I'm fairly certain xbox live for the original xbox is still around, and I'm fairly certain that when the 360 is last gen it's live will stay as well.
Seriously? What kind of shit DSL do you use? RTS can work pretty well with 300ms ping let alone the 25 or so you'll usually get in the situation of 6 pcs playing a game together over the same internet connection.
You should probably do some research into how cell phones work if you're actually surprised here. This is 100% what I would expect from a cell phone company.
A lot of people keep phones that they never use just in case of emergency, so Sprint keeps their service active and the customer keeps paying for that. They have no way of knowing if you're one of those people or someone who "can't be bothered" to call and cancel your service that you KNEW was automatically renewing. Sounds like your fuck up, not theirs.
My understanding is that the law was created to curb an issue of car manufacturers saying "Oh what's that, you used a third party air filter in your car and not the 3x as expensive Ford one? Sorry, your warranty is void" even though the problem was in your suspension. Electronics are obviously a lot more of a grey area for whether the accessory damaged the unit or not.
You leave out what is probably the most relevant and humorous note about that, which is that Windows 7 is in fact Windows 6.1.
Most carriers have a 30 day return policy that lets you escape your contract.
Seriously? Go to Best Buy. Retail copies of Vista Home Basic are on the shelf and computers preloaded with it are there as well.