Best Buy's $40 'pre-optimization' determined to be worthless, iPhone earbuds determined to be white
By Tim Stevens 
posted January 5th 2010 2:35AM
posted January 5th 2010 2:35AM
Have you tried to buy a laptop or desktop at Best Buy lately? If so, you've probably been hit for a $39.99 "pre-optimization" fee, an extra charge that you just couldn't avoid. The cost goes toward covering the meager living expenses of some poor Geek Squad employee -- and to keep their retro gaming habit in check. In exchange those workers laboriously go through your machine and "optimize" it, removing some trialware and, apparently, enabling status bars. Supposedly the machines are faster and easier to use after this service, but Consumerist and Consumer Reports tag-teamed to make sure. The results? Not good. In most cases there was no performance increase, though in one instance the machine was 32 percent slower! Laptops were also found to be left in suspend mode, sometimes with software installs and Windows Updates half-completed. The worst part is that stores often won't sell you a machine that hasn't had this "service" performed. That's what we call shady behavior -- the sort we'd expect to see at the competition.
@txinstrument34
look bro i never said i hated my job and i never said that optimizations had no purpose to them, i said pre-optimization are not the greatest thing in the world. most customer get pissed with them and get turned off to bestbuy because of them.
I work at a Staples in Canada. We offer a setup that costs 89 dollars. It consists of starting windows, recovery discs, Windows updates and activation of anti-virus. If a customer needs google chrome or Mozilla installed we do that do. We do pre-setup half our units and my team sells it as a value. If the customer doesn't want it we sell them a brand new unit. If non exists we waive the fee or transfer in a new box. We are directed by out higher management to waive the fee if they do not want it. I like to mention it is a value for the majority of customers because if they forget to make recovery discs and have a significant virus it adds a week on to their repair if they didn't make discs. For engadgeters the service is useless, but for the uneducated masses then it has great value. Retail sells mostly to the uneducated masses. I also think waiting 20mins versus 3 hours of proper setup time is a benefit for most of my business customers. Please look at this with some objectivity!
@RetailDan
agreed. too often people see these companies as being evil or blaming the whole vs the few. objectivity is key.
I feel sorry for all the sheeple who buy laptops from BestBuy.
@HaveNoLimits -- Don't be some quick to judge. I bought mine there
because the price was good and it was convenient. BB actually has
some decent prices from time to time.
@dand I guess, I don't have much faith in the GeekSquad or salespeople, after one guy asked me to help him OC his i7 rig and told me overclocking can break my computer. The ORLY owls popped in my head for a moment. End of the conversation, dude was asking for my number, wtf.
On a lighter note,they carry a good selection of Asus laptops though, and UL30vt-x1 is on my list of viable candidates for my next laptops. But I'd take a i5/i7 MBP if thats what the announcement on the 27th is going to be.
@HaveNoLimits Really? How about when the price is going to be the same no matter where you go, such as with Apple hardware. If you buy at BB you get a bit of store credit back with reward zone.
I've bought a Dell and a MacBook at BB. In both cases the machines came in factory-sealed boxes, and no one tried to push anything on me.
I recently bought my wife a laptop at BB and they asked me if I wanted
to pay $40 to have the thing optimized. I let the guy know that the OS
currently installed was going to be wiped cleaned and re-installed
fresh so no "optimization" was necessary.
If they had forced it upon me, they would have lost a customer.
remember when electronic stores actually focused on selling electronics instead of pushing crappy service plans and installs? That was cool.
As a former BB technician, long before the Meek Squad, I can say it is one of the worst places to work on the planet. High pressure from management to 'push' services customers don't need, not so great wages, and those ridiculous Saturday morning meetings to 'pep' us up, what a joke.
And if I had a couple of bucks for every Meek Squad mess I've cleaned up over the years, I could buy that new Visio 72-inch LCD and have enough left over for hookers and blow.
This type of BS is just going to get worse now that Best Buy is essentially the only large electronics retailer left, and the manufacturers can't do anything about it.
Business Week ran an interesting article about them just a few weeks ago, and I personally do not see things getting better for consumers.
I bought one of these optimized machines from Best Buy a few months ago, it was a cheap Acer laptop. It was the last one they had in stock. I told them I wasn't going to pay for it; I was going to go home and just order it online.
He then told me that legally he can't "force" me to pay for the extra service so he just removed it right at the register! Has anyone else had this happen to them?
if they offer to pre-optimize your laptop for a fee, they might be working on commission
I used to work @ BBY 2 years ago, the optimization used to make a difference, though it also wasn't much more than disabling start up programs. My guess is that bloatware isn't included as much anymore. Windows Vista and XP were also different animals.
a friend of mine bought a black macbook back at the end of 08. before this though, she had a white one that was "optimized." there is no trial software like on windows pc with macs. there really isn't much left to "optimize" besides getting rid of all that trial software on any computer really. and they charge $40 for this.
to make it worse, some of her programs either didn't work or weren't even loaded onto the computer like photobooth. so after we bitched out best buy she was able to get a black macbook that wasn't touched by them.
Seems the best route in the PC world is to build your own PC.... As much as I love my mac, if I need a PC for something, I will just build my own..... *shrugs*. For consumers though that don't know how to build a PC it is rough out there when one of the bigger retailers are pulling this stuff..... Engadget should have a series on building your own PC to stick it back to the man. I know someone could Google it, but there is a ton visibility here that could really help some people out...
It sounds like the practices here are very store-dependent. When I purchased a Black Friday laptop at BB a year ago, yes, I had to wait to check out via the Geek Squad (an additional wait), and yes, they offered me all their various services, but no, nothing was forced on me. In fact, when I said I needed to think on it all, I was told I could come back with my receipt during the 2 week return period and purchase any of the services I decided I needed. But perhaps my experience was a result of the Black Friday press of consumers, or perhaps practices have changed.
Agreed, however, that if BB is forcing any service on a consumer despite a listed price not including the service, the state Attorney General or local district attorney's office should get involved. I understand the pressures that BB faces, but it certainly, continually seems to be skirting good (and legal?) consumer business practices ...
I also work in best buy and yes we are told by the managers to sell these services but no we do not FORCE it upon everyone. Truthfully im surprised when you say how some stores have 50% and even 90% of their stock optomized. They tell us not to have more than 15 or 20% pre optod.
When i have a customer i offer them one maybe 2 services depending on their appeared level of knowledge, and if they decline i just hand them a folder with a service sheet, some anti virus information, and our black tie protection plan and let them look that over while i get them their laptop.
As for people saying it has no value it does to certain indivuduals. Yes you can do it yourself if you do know how, 70% or more of customers don't hell most dont even understand what RAM is. Also a decent amount of consumers want to take their laptop home and use it right out of the box. That is what the pre optos are for.
as tech-minded people it is easy for us to say "I would never pay $40 to have that service done", but that service is not there for us, it is there for the individuals who need to someone to walk them through how to connect to a wireless network, or transfer files from a CD. These are simple tasks for us but can be difficult for many users.
Imagine now that you are remodeling your home, and you would like to put new cabinets in your kitchen. A carpenter would likely go to the supply chain and purchase the raw materials to build his own cabinets, or possibly pre-built unfinished cabinets if you will. The average customer walking into that store, ie YOU, is (by odds alone) most likely NOT a carpenter, and accordingly the store offers cabinets that are prebuilt, pre-finished, and you guessed it, cost more! Assuming the carpenter wants to save a buck on something he can do himself he would purchase the raw materials or unfinished, but does that mean that the majority of that stores clients shouldn't be offered the ready to install units. Are they attempting to RIP YOU OFF by offering a service that you most likely do not feel comfortable doing yourself? If they are temporarily out of the raw materials, should they disassemble and re-sand the pre-built cabinets so that you can do it yourself, or would it be more prudent to order them?
This is all a matter of perspective, which tends to get lost easily by tech-minded individuals as we typically find no challenge in the technology world, where others may value a helping hand. Cost / benefit trade-off will always remain in that customers hands, while we see no value in the $40 service, another may be willing to pay $80 to have it done for them, so it is completely subjective.
@NSGrimace
In the case of cabinets, pre-built is value-added and most often worth the cost.
In the case of computers, the PC has been de-optimized with crapware by the maker, and now the retailer wants to charge to remove it.
Reminds me of when I had my house built. The builder scraped off all the good topsoil to level the lot, then charged me to have topsoil delivered to plant the lawn.
@edf
and if life were perfect all homes would be built on pre-existing level lots with beautiful top soil, and MANUFACTURERS would not add all the crap that they do, but since this world is not perfect, we have people and businesses that offer services to work with what we get, i.e. replacing top soil and RETAILERS who offer services like "crap-ware removal".
Most of the Human race depends on others to offer services at one level or another which we cannot or choose not to do ourselves. Can you imagine growing your own vegetables and livestock, chopping trees to build a house, forging metal to build a car!
Its as simple as this, if you don't have the means or motivation to do it yourself, you pay someone else to do it for you! No matter what scale it is on changing a tire, buying steel from China, or removing "crap-ware", either learn how to do it yourself or stop complaining about people wanting to charge do it for you!
Best Buy also sales 'Un-Calibrated' HDTVs.
They sale you a TV and then want to calibrate it for $120.
Since Circuit City wnet belly up, these guys are really turning into low life scum. They need some competition!
@dSTeVek
Just out of curiosity, have you done any research on TV calibration, because generally speaking it is considered a value for someone who wants to get the best picture out of their TV.
And by the way, TV's are sold "un-calibrated" because the only way to properly calibrate a TV is to have it set up in its intended viewing environment. Lighting conditions affect calibration, as does the variation in picture reproduction from one video source to another, meaning that each TV is calibrated to the specific piece of equipment it is connected to on that input.
$120 is a low end cost for TV calibration ($average retail is $200 - $300), as the equipment and training invested to calibrate that TV often exceeds $10k, and BTW, calibration is not something new that Best Buy cooked up, specialty shops have been charging $500+ for over 10 years to calibrate high end TV's like Runco, who basically says if you buy this TV you will be dis-satisfied unless it is calibrated! Manufacturers like Samsung and LG have coordinated with ISF and have specialty menu's within their service system to allow trained professionals to make their TV's look better than the competitor.
So if you think that calibration is a Best Buy created rip-off, tell that to Samsung, LG, Runco, Pioneer, and Consumer Reports, because they disagree!
Luckily for all of the computers I got a Best Buy, I just looked at it in store, drove home and ordered online and picked it up in store. (now with 3G, I'll probably have fun and order it online in store if the price is cheaper and wait outside.)
As a former Geeksquad employee I can verify that optimization is complete hogwash! All we would do is stick in a cd or pen drive and run some software that would remove shortcuts from the desktop and a few trial programs. Pretty much not worth the $40 bucks as stated. Geeksquad agents are just over glorified sales people and any monkey can do their job because everything is simply done by inserting a magical cd that does all the work for you.
@Tobi319
a magical CD, that any monkey can create? Just because the Geek Squad has the ability to create a tool which streamlines a process to make your FORMER job easier on YOU (the monkey), doesn't mean its not a value. Are you saying that in order to get your can clean you need to get the hose and bucket out in December, because obviously anybody who would design something as silly as a drive through car wash is HOGWASH.
No doubt that not all Geek Squad agents are as brilliant as you and CHUCK. But based off of the cost of services, would you prefer that the company hire the best techs available, pay them three times as much, and raise the cost of services 100% so that they can implement a tool that apparently any monkey can use? Your job will only give you back as much as you put into it, so complaining about your co-workers instead of enlightening them is making your own job tougher on yourself!
@NSGrimace Sounds like something hit someone a little too close to home. lol! Anyway, I am not knocking the MRI (magic cd) I think it's a pretty decent product I also never stated that any monkey can create said CD. I DID however say that any monkey can take said CD and put it into a computer click the next button and have the CD do it's thing. There is quit a bit of programing and technical know how that goes into creating the MRI and there are some really intelligent agents within the company, but for the most part (the ones you will meet in the stores) aren't as bright as most customers will think. If you think I am in the wrong then that's your deal and I am sorry you feel that way. Have a lovely day :)
I will take The side of Best Buy Have done the satistics on how many people acutually update their computer? Let see very little. So infa t MS actutally thinks of Best Buy doing them a big favor. Don't sperm before you know the facts not someone else opioion. No the speed is not much, but you tell me that the optimation is only for new computers , ding dong noooo. It is for old ones too. If you say it doest work on the old one much better than you ate smoking something. I see about 20 computers a day and if you do t then u would have no clue on some of the peoples computer. It is just not a charge to people that know what they are doing with a computer, the charge is for most of the Americans that don't want or know what to do to speed up your computer. So let me leave with this. How many people know how to speed up your computer with out talking abou the task manager or start prompt? Keep it real
Chris
I agree DO NOT let The Geek Squad touch your PC. I purchased a laptop for our daughter (8 yo) as a Santa gift.
The only Sony laptop (in white color) they had in stock was the one that the Geek Squad had "optimized". So I had no choice but to pay the extra $40 and purchase. Of course I checked the PC at the store and after I got it home and checked it out as well but did not turn it on.
When I took the laptop out on Christmas Eve to set out as Santa gifts, I was mortified ! ! ! The AC Adapter in the box did not fit on the Sony laptop. Only one explanation ! !
The Geek Squad had put the WRONG AC Adapter back in the box after they worked their MAGIC ? ?
So here I was trying to explain to our little girl how Santa screwed up. She had nothing to play with on Christmas Day since she got the laptop and other PC software.
In all fairness Best Buy gave me a $200 discount as well as a Universal AC Adapter on Saturday. BUT the fact that this was a Best Buy caused error has not escpaed me ! !
Man, I was thinking of joining geek squad as the job seemed fitting, but I didn't realize how much dumb stuff they do. I just want to fix computers, not waste people's money on this stuff. Maybe I will just work at a local small computer shop.
@JesusFreak
Small computer shops exist where you live?
I actually work at bb in Geek Squad. At the store we work at, we don't do pre setups unless its a situation like boxing day in which case we leave more than half of the units sealed in the box, mind you this is a Canadian bb. As for the setups, I agree that the cost might be a bit much, but the setups usually include antivirus software that costs almost as much as the setup. Take Norton 360, it retails for about $109.99 CAD, a setup is 129.99, or 149.99. You can opt out of the virus scan software if you wish or have your own installed for the difference in cost. Pretty much every laptop has to sit for an hour to two hours installing software from the manufacturer, and people pay for the service because they don't feel like sitting down and setting it up, thats the simple fact. Setups are purchased the most out of any other service. As for the "performance enhancing" aspects, it disables any unnecessary start up programs improving start up times. You're not going to notice a huge difference running benchmarks with a program taking up 10 mb of memory if you have 6 gb. In the end, its purely up to the customer and a lot of them go for it because they just want to open the box and use the computer instead of having to wait. Computer savy people won't care about the setup, and they don't need to get it simple as that.
First off the chose the worst brand to test it with. Of the brands Best Buy sells, HP, Dell, Asus, etc...Asus is the company that puts the least amount of crap on their computers.
They also don't mention that when you get an optimization they do all the windows updates as well. It may not always speed the computer up, but for people who are NOT computer friendly I would say it makes their lives easier.