Wal-Mart preps to battle Best Buy's Geek Squad

Wal-Mart is preparing to offer in-home tech support to its customers, according to Reuters.

The retail giant will partner with product-support firm N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, the report said. By the holiday-shopping season, all U.S. Wal-Mart stores plan to offer customers the opportunity to use N.E.W.'s service in their homes. Reuters said the service already kicked off this month in specified locations.

Wal-Mart will give shoppers the option of buying service plans "on a prepaid card, ranging from $99 to $339," Reuters said. The service plans will provide "basic television installation on the low end" to more advanced services like home-network or home-theater installation. Reuters said the plans include a "preliminary consultation and a tutorial after installation is completed."

The decision to bring on a Geek Squad-like service seems to underlie Wal-Mart's desire to become a major player in the electronics business. It may also solidify its position as Best Buy's most dangerous brick-and-mortar competitor since the death of Circuit City and its FireDog in-home service.

[cloudmatt]

lol I'm sure we will hear about this again. walmart is so big it can't find it's own posterior with both hands. I see suck and fail in the future, what else could one expect from a minimum wage computer tech. Geek squad gets paid a decent wage and they are still little more than doofs following a preset diagnose and repair manual that reads 1) is it working y/n if Y then hand back charge 50 bucks if N format hard drive reinstall os hand back charge 150. the Wal geeks will screw up peoples computers as bad if not worse than BB's squad.

solution "Don't Buy Discount Service! Pay a Trained Tech the Right Wage and Get What You Want"

[AbramJ23]

man, i hope walmart just goes out of business. This company is the worse thing for every industry. They just try to do too much and take over everything.

[Bearrie]

I could trust Wal-Mart's guys...or I could just take gasoline and a lighter to my broken computer and buy a new one. I don't see much of a difference.

[zakb7]

Train the greeters to serve as techs!

[pentest]

As if Geek Squad isn't incompetent enough, what a nightmare.

The best "computer experts" minimum wage can attract.

[fgross90]

does Walmart really think they stand a chance against Best Buy? Thats all Best Buy does, is deal with electronics and they find a way to earn 60 billion a year doing it..Walmart makes more than that by selling everything under the sun, now electronics? Best Buy took out Circuit City, its just a matter of time until Walmart realizes you cant compete with the worlds largest electronics retailer. I would never trust Walmart with my computer or TV!

[Vegaman_Dan]

I think people are fixating on the computer repair side. Keep in mind that the Geek Squad primarily goes out on site to set up home AV systems and that's what Walmart is targeting as well. Computer items are such that you can bring it into a shop for service. A bit harder to do that with your 54" plasma TV and surround sound audio system.

[kormiko]

I'm so glad I know how to fix the majority of my own tech problems (hardware or software) because the Geek Squad is sooooo overpriced. I guess it's like a mechanic or doctor (without as much training), overcharging for simple check-ups.

On the other hand, I wouldn't trust Wal-mart with my computer or television at all, even if the price was right.

[Roman1024A]

Last time I checked Walmart wasn't even able to find qualified staff for their in-store proto printing service - which their staffed with horribly unqualified personel in the store I visited (Princeton, NJ).

Don't think they will fare better with this new "service".

[ThisShows10]

Good for WalMart that they've decided to do that. I hate Best Buy and their prices. Not to mention that most of the people that work for Best Buy are just kids that have no idea what they're talking about.....Now, I do know that competition is a good thing: it keeps prices lower, but I really don't care whether or not Best Buy stays in business. I just don't ever go in there because of their expensive equipment. Same with the Apple store, but that's a whole other thing. If Best Buy is gone, then someone will be there to take its place for competition, so don't worry. Most of my shopping is done online anyways. That's the cheapest way to go for anything nowadays.

[pentest]

You think anyone at walmart and those that they hire for this program will be any better then the kids in BB?

[generik12]

well i personally work at best buy and were all not kids I'm not saying ima geniouse but there some very well trained people working there. Its like me saying were ever u work u don't know what you doing.

[mrsgoodfellow]

Wal-Mart sucks and Geek Squad is a joke .My husband works as a mainframe guy for a very large computer company and he laughs at their prices. Actually, at his last job he use to go into Geek Squad and fix their server equipment because they didn't know how to do it themselves. The guy on the bottom of this page will probably be Wal-Mart's lead technician: http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/?paged=23

[joshsc]

Ok.. I wouldn't Geek Squad to touch my PC. Why would I trust WAL-MART? Give me a break.

[agriffith96]

Geek Squad is a joke. I cannot imagine what Walmart's version will be like. I've "used" Geek Squad services once. Best Buy had a deal where they would setup my email on my new Blackjack II when I bought it. I didn't want to let them touch it but I figured it was free. After 30 minutes of the "geek" trying to get my Hotmail account to sync he shows me how to go to the Hotmail.com webpage and access my email via the mobile browser. Then tells me Hotmail isn't compatible with Blackjacks. I just said thanks and went to the car where it took me 45 seconds to setup my Hotmail using ActiveSync like he was suppose to. Sad that they would have charged someone a lot of money for that.

[jcmark42]

I think everyone needs to keep in mind that Geek Squad and the future WalMart variation is for people who truly know nothing about Tech in any sense of the word. I can mount an LCD and install a home theatre with my eyes closed, but there are a lot of people out there that just can't do it. They have no will to learn so they just pay someone else to do it.

Same idea on oil changes. It's easy as heck, but how many of you out there take it to the mechanic to do it?

[agriffith96]

I agree with you 100%. My only problem is that Geek Squad employees I spoke to don't know how to do the simple things they are being paid to do. I'm guessing each store has one or two "geeks" that do know what they are doing and 12 to 15 that don't have a clue.

[generik12]

True!!!!

[enolaguy3000]

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read more important abut walmart management and store at:

www.jameslawrencewalton.com

website from name of the founder of walmart stores.

[generik12]

Best buy will take down this walmart idea . walmart is just trying to hard to take over everything.

[tuel2006]

I think Wal-Mart is fully capable of competing with Best Buy. They have a lot of resources, and offer a lot of convenience (people shop at Wal-Mart for everything). What could be easier that buying your groceries and home theater within the same big box? On the other hand, Best Buy is dedicated to electronics, most of their staff is knowledgeable. Buy also offers outstanding installation services (professionally trained installers) as well as warranties that even cover accidental damages. So while Wally World might be able to compete, I doubt they will overcome Best Buy.

For those who complain about Geek Squads computer service: first, computers are very complicated, so troubleshooting them is difficult. Another issue is that a lot of laptop manufactures won't allow GS to service a computer without voiding manufacturer warranty. When the man. warranty is not an issue (either customer doesn't care, or otherwise), they do good work. Just remember that computers can have so many different problems that its just impossible hard to fix them all. Not all "agents" are competent either.

[dennisl59]

I can't stop laughing about this one. If 1/2 of the people that had computers knew just a little about what they were doing, the Geek Squad would not exist in the first place. In my opinion.

[Litldj]

dennisl59, I was far from laughing when Geek Squad replaced a hard drive when they were only to tune up the computer!
I am not formally trained in computers and 1. I am female 2. I am 54. I learned the hard way, Trail and error, by reading and doing!
Excuse me if I put down your infamouse "Geek Squad"! They do not listen, they do what they see fit and then try really hard to hit your pocketbook!
But I did get the last laugh! They replaced the hard drive WITHOUT my expressed permission, so I made then pay for it!
So laugh all you want! Small private computer shops are reliable and dependiable. They do not give you something you do not want or need!

[Litldj]

How terribly sad people have nothing better to do on the Information highway but to put down those people/companies/countries who are doing better than the others!
Wal-Mart is a Business and they are prospering in a fallen economy, with empahsis on helping people live better, by offering products and services competative to other companies!
Opinions are like a%^holes, EVERYOHE has got one!
No I do not work nor represent Wal-Mart as I am a nurse!