Abigail G
January 18, 2025
Major Disappointment with Geek Squad – Overpriced and Unnecessary Data Recovery
I rarely leave reviews, but my experience with Geek Squad at Best Buy has been so frustrating that I feel it's important to share. I had high expectations based on their reputation, but unfortunately, my experience was nothing short of a disaster.
Before I get into the issues, I want to give credit where it's due: the team at Best Buy itself was amazing. The gentlemen who helped me in-store were friendly, patient, and took the time to explain everything clearly. They answered all my questions and even tried their best to help resolve my issue. I highly recommend their in-store customer service.
However, my experience with Geek Squad was an entirely different story. Here's what happened:
I brought my external hard drive in to Geek Squad after my cat knocked it over on my desk and the cords ripped out. When it happened, the drive wouldn't read on any computer system, which understandably sent me into a panic. It was a Sunday, so I thought the issue might just be a broken cord. I clearly saw that the USB port on the external hard drive was detached, so I brought it in to see if Geek Squad could help with a potential simple fix.
Unfortunately, Geek Squad's diagnosis was that the drive needed to be opened for data recovery in a clean room, on a higher service level—at a cost of thousands of dollars. I was shocked by the price but felt like I had no choice because of the data I needed to recover. After some back-and-forth emails, I decided to take the device home and hold off on the expensive data recovery option.
When I got home, my boyfriend took a quick look at the drive and immediately saw that the USB port was broken. He bought a $30 part, fixed the port himself, and within minutes, I was able to recover all my data—no clean room, no expensive services, just a simple fix.
What frustrates me the most is that Geek Squad had already opened the casing of the external hard drive. If they had simply checked the port, they would have easily seen that the problem was a simple repair. Instead, they went straight to suggesting an unnecessary and expensive recovery process.
This experience was not only a waste of time but also could've been a huge waste of money, they had just taken a closer look and offered the proper solution.
In conclusion, if you’re facing a tech issue, I strongly recommend getting a second opinion before relying on Geek Squad. Who knows, you might get lucky like I did, and save yourself a ton of time and money with a simple fix.
Response from Best Buy
January 18, 2025
Hi, Abigail,
Thank you for sharing your review with us. We understand how important it is to have the proper solution recommended, especially in situations surrounding vital data. We would liek to follwo up and further discuss your experience.
Please connect with a member of our team through a private message on Facebook (http://facebook.com/BestBuy), Twitter/X (http://twitter.com/BestBuySupport), or Instagram (http://instagram.com/bestbuy). For the fastest response, please include your full name, email, phone number, and "Google Review 64702078" in your message. Thanks!
Regards,
^April
DO NOT BUY AN OPEN BOX TV FROM THIS LOCATION! I bought an open box Samsung TV that was rated in excellent condition which means all pieces are there and it was tested. My TV came without a power cord, a stand and no remote. The manager at the store was a bit flippant about the whole issue. Also they said it would take a few days to get a credit on my card after I returned it. I went to Costco after I dropped it off and bought my TV.
Response from Best Buy
January 16, 2025
Hello, Peter,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review here, and taking the time to share your experience. We understand how important excellent customer service can be, and know how we would feel in this situation. We would like to take a look into this with you to document any feedback you may have, and to assist in any way possible. To continue working with our Social Team, please send a private message or DM to our team using one of our official Facebook (http://facebook.com/BestBuy), Twitter/X (http://twitter.com/BestBuySupport), or Instagram (http://instagram.com/BestBuy) accounts with your full name, phone number, email address, and the location in which your visit took place along with this review number: 64687170
regards,
^Brandon
It's definitely not the best buy we grew up with. But the people working there were very knowledgeable. It was very clean and organized.
Organized and clean as usual