Getting Gouged by Geeks

[bobross419]

http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/10/03/geeks/

Sorry if this is a repost, couldn't find it in a search.

The video is kind of long, but it is pretty appalling. I've always worked Helpdesk for small-large companies and couldn't imagine business practices like this.

 

[Cogman]

Really not that surprising, If you are good at computers, would you work for tech support? Answer, Heck no!

Ok, I've watch the video, and honestly it really isn't that fair. People expect quick answers to their questions, For this puts a lot of pressure on the techs to come up with SOME answer. Given the symptoms of a broken ram module, It isn't surprising that a fair number of them thought that the motherboard might be the problem (it should start up or anything). After all, how does ram get broken like that? The only time you ever deal with broken ram is when you install new ram, it doesn't just burn out.

If you are going to test someone on a problem, test them on a REAL problem, delete a random DLL in the system32 folder, or throw a hard-drive on the ground until it doesn't work. Those are problems people run into.

The guy that said CPU and Hard-drive are idiots, however, I find the motherboard, ram, and video card as acceptable answers as their symptoms are all pretty much the same. IE no POST.

 

[bwatson283]

Originally posted by: Cogman

After all, how does ram get broken like that? The only time you ever deal with broken ram is when you install new ram, it doesn't just burn out.

I disagree. It is integrated circuits, similar things that make up Mobos, video cards, etc.
By your logic, nothing in a computer would ever break at all.

 

[ivan2]

Originally posted by: Cogman
Really not that surprising, If you are good at computers, would you work for tech support? Answer, Heck no!

Ok, I've watch the video, and honestly it really isn't that fair. People expect quick answers to their questions, For this puts a lot of pressure on the techs to come up with SOME answer. Given the symptoms of a broken ram module, It isn't surprising that a fair number of them thought that the motherboard might be the problem (it should start up or anything). After all, how does ram get broken like that? The only time you ever deal with broken ram is when you install new ram, it doesn't just burn out.

If you are going to test someone on a problem, test them on a REAL problem, delete a random DLL in the system32 folder, or throw a hard-drive on the ground until it doesn't work. Those are problems people run into.

The guy that said CPU and Hard-drive are idiots, however, I find the motherboard, ram, and video card as acceptable answers as their symptoms are all pretty much the same. IE no POST.

yes it does. Been there.

 

[Vehemence]

"Getting Gouged by Geeks" sounds like a fetish video I have down in the basement somewhere. brb

 

[bwatson283]

Originally posted by: Cogman

If you are going to test someone on a problem, test them on a REAL problem, delete a random DLL in the system32 folder, or throw a hard-drive on the ground until it doesn't work. Those are problems people run into.

I hardly believe that some poor end user will throw the hard drive on the ground.

 

[Cogman]

Originally posted by: bwatson283

Originally posted by: Cogman

After all, how does ram get broken like that? The only time you ever deal with broken ram is when you install new ram, it doesn't just burn out.

I disagree. It is integrated circuits, similar things that make up Mobos, video cards, etc.
By your logic, nothing in a computer would ever break at all.

Integrated circuits very rarely go bad when run under spec. Even in this example, what went bad was a connector to the ram and not the ram module itself. Mobos, Video cards, power supplies, Hard-drives, All have parts that aren't integrated circuits that have a much higher failure rate. Capacitors for example have a much higher chance of failure, and are found on everything except for, surprise, ram.

I know of few people that have had their ram just die on them (that weren't overclocking and or overvolting their ram).

Hard-drives have the highest failure rates because of their spinning disks. Though, any person familiar with a computer should be able to catch that it isn't the hard-drive immediately.

They shouldn't have been so hasty to diagnose the problems, that's for sure. After all it could have been the mother board, power supply, or ram. The video card should have been ruled out when the fans didn't start spinning.

 

[Cogman]

Originally posted by: bwatson283

Originally posted by: Cogman

If you are going to test someone on a problem, test them on a REAL problem, delete a random DLL in the system32 folder, or throw a hard-drive on the ground until it doesn't work. Those are problems people run into.

I hardly believe that some poor end user will throw the hard drive on the ground.

That wasn't my point really. My point was the hard-drives fail much more frequently then ram does, so they should have tested the people with failed hard drives rather then a part that rarely fails.

 

[Kalmah]

RAM is probably one of the easiest things to check. Usually 2 sticks dont both go out at the same time. Pull one out, try it, then try with the other.

If you need to check to see if the hard drive is dead.. As a tech I would expect you to carry a hard drive with you with an os on it.. or a bootable linux install on a usb flash drive. Change boot order in BIOS to USB first(if motherboard supports it) plug in your flash drive. If it boots up in linux and works fine.. then we either have a problem with hard drive or os on hard drive.

These guys don't even have the tools with them to diagnose anything.

Now as for the retailers inside the store, I can somewhat understand. I worked at circuitshity for 3 years. If somebody has a software problem, it's your job to make money. Find out if they have a restore backup if there isn't one in the computer allready. Then you can charge for OS and os install if they dont. If they do have a restore backup.. tell them it is a virus so that you can charge for virus removal plus anti-virus software.

Those guys where just fools on that video. It's not that they where trying to make money, you could tell by their bodylanguage that they didn't know what they where talking about anyways.

That's pretty much what electronics retail is coming down to. They are lowering their pay and hiring whatever they can scrounge up.