My thoughts exactly.Onyx Oblivion said:
Isn't this illegal? Are they at least telling people that the firmware update is free? Is there something we're missing here? Either way, this is ridiculous.
Best Buy Swindles Customers With $30 PS3 Firmware Update
- Thread starter John Funk
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Isn't this illegal? Are they at least telling people that the firmware update is free? Is there something we're missing here? Either way, this is ridiculous.
how i click yes?
Honestly i dont see the harm done here, granted i would trick a baby out of its candy which is why im no longer allowed to be in a jury, but if people are stupid enough to pay them for that then that's on them, or maybe they are just so rich that they hire people to click on a button for them, heck if i was rich i would do the same thing, just hire people to do the most demeaning and unnecessary things, like pressing a button for me, until their spirit would break, and then i would laugh and drink their tears.
Honestly i dont see the harm done here, granted i would trick a baby out of its candy which is why im no longer allowed to be in a jury, but if people are stupid enough to pay them for that then that's on them, or maybe they are just so rich that they hire people to click on a button for them, heck if i was rich i would do the same thing, just hire people to do the most demeaning and unnecessary things, like pressing a button for me, until their spirit would break, and then i would laugh and drink their tears.
I used to work at a Best Buy in MD and not only did they offer the same 'service,' Best Buy's geek squad offers a very similar service if you buy a new computer where they delete unnecessary files from the new computer. Well, that's what they say, all they do is delete the shortcuts. I don't remember the charge for that service.
I lasted 2 months at my store and wasn't geek squad. I didn't like that place too much...I would also suggest avoiding their console bundles as you save about $5-15 depending on which 'package' you get
I lasted 2 months at my store and wasn't geek squad. I didn't like that place too much...I would also suggest avoiding their console bundles as you save about $5-15 depending on which 'package' you get
You'd be surprised how many people come to Best Buy wanting you to update things for them, or in most cases just make it work. Yes most Geeksquad services are flawed and you can do what they do on your own for free and probably in under five minutes of your time but never underestimate a person that just throws money at you and says I want it working when I get home I don't care what you do.
I used to work for best buy. I am not sure why everyone is getting so mad about this. It is for people that do not have available internet connection. It is easy to put together a computer does that mean that you should be mad at (insert computer manufacturer here)? No. Before I get flamed for "being zealous about my previous employer" its just not that big of a deal.
Granted, anybody who pays for this "service" is either stupid or extremely lazy and rich, but I can't fault Best Buy for taking advantage of them. Hell, people probably asked them if they could do this for them and they probably had to say no until they had this program in place.
I haven't seen it at my Best Buy so I think we can chalk this up to one store manager being greedy and probably out of a job by the end of the year IF people take a legal stand against it. Frankly I think Sony would have something to say about it as well.
Yet I didn't hear of any blowback on that BB store that charged for updating 360's without the customer having a say.
Guess too many people like being bilked.
Yet I didn't hear of any blowback on that BB store that charged for updating 360's without the customer having a say.
Guess too many people like being bilked.
And everyone begins to jump right on the band wagon to EverythingOnTheInternetIsTrue Town.
This isn't a company wide policy. This is some dickweed GeekSquad manager, or hell, even a store manager that thinks they can milk extra cash out of their patrons. An action NOT permitted or endorsed by the Company as a whole. In fact, this kind of action is ground for termination.
Don't believe everything you read kiddies. This is a bad apple, not a bad basketful of apples.
This isn't a company wide policy. This is some dickweed GeekSquad manager, or hell, even a store manager that thinks they can milk extra cash out of their patrons. An action NOT permitted or endorsed by the Company as a whole. In fact, this kind of action is ground for termination.
Don't believe everything you read kiddies. This is a bad apple, not a bad basketful of apples.
I used to work at Best Buy at the Geek Squad, though this was before they did these console firmware upgrades. Anyway, it's all about attaching services to the product so the store can make additional money. I'm about to sound kinda corporate, but that's the mindset they ingrained in me so bare with me people.
You, as the customer, can decide not to buy one of these "upgraded" consoles. If the store only has these "upgraded" consoles in stock, you can refuse the service and buy just the console (essentially getting the service for free.) If the store refuses to sell you just the console, call Best Buy Corporate (1-888-BESTBUY) and report the store for breaking SOP (Standard Operating Procedures.)
It's not that they're screwing their customers over, it's more they're trying to get the Geek Squad to generate more revenue. You only have to pay the Agent hourly, so anything they can do to earn revenue is basically 100% profit for the store. Compare this to, say, a laptop where they make maybe 5-15% on it (if it's not on sale.) Anyway, I don't hate Best Buy and I didn't mind working for them but some of the things they do are pretty stupid (like this thing.)
You, as the customer, can decide not to buy one of these "upgraded" consoles. If the store only has these "upgraded" consoles in stock, you can refuse the service and buy just the console (essentially getting the service for free.) If the store refuses to sell you just the console, call Best Buy Corporate (1-888-BESTBUY) and report the store for breaking SOP (Standard Operating Procedures.)
It's not that they're screwing their customers over, it's more they're trying to get the Geek Squad to generate more revenue. You only have to pay the Agent hourly, so anything they can do to earn revenue is basically 100% profit for the store. Compare this to, say, a laptop where they make maybe 5-15% on it (if it's not on sale.) Anyway, I don't hate Best Buy and I didn't mind working for them but some of the things they do are pretty stupid (like this thing.)
This is absolutely... I can't even....
*Holds head*
Sorry... I was losing brain cell's faster then the rest could react. Honestly this is nothing but a scam, there just isn't any other way of looking at it. Should they be forced to stop it though? No I believe they have the right to try and swindle people for the extra $30's.
That's the great thing about capitalism is that one company has a right to pull shit like this, and the customer has the right to completely stop shopping there and go to another business that won't yank the coat off their back for no reason. The best answer for a problem like this is to hit them in the wallet by stop shopping at Best Buy.
*Holds head*
Sorry... I was losing brain cell's faster then the rest could react. Honestly this is nothing but a scam, there just isn't any other way of looking at it. Should they be forced to stop it though? No I believe they have the right to try and swindle people for the extra $30's.
That's the great thing about capitalism is that one company has a right to pull shit like this, and the customer has the right to completely stop shopping there and go to another business that won't yank the coat off their back for no reason. The best answer for a problem like this is to hit them in the wallet by stop shopping at Best Buy.
Please forgive my ignorance, but what'd Activision do? I need to know whether to put them on my list, which now reads:ProfessorLayton said:
Best Buy
BP
Wal-Mart
Exxon
McDonalds
Nestlé
Dominos
Chik-fil-A
I'm a harsh, harsh costumer.
I used to work at geek squad. The thing is this is not as much of a swindle as the original poster makes it out to be. Some people want to get home connect it up to the tv and go and not wait for updates or even set up their own user account. This is basically the same service as when people gave us routers to pre-setup or a new computer to grab all latest updates for and remove the fluff programs. They probably do it because they do not want to deal with getting everything set up they just want to plug in and go. Granted it is easy especially if you know what you are doing but there are some people who do not want to learn or deal with it. Usually what happened was we would fill out a sheet with what the person wanted username/password etc etc to be and do all the set up and then do all the updates while they were off shopping elsewhere or just hanging around the store then when they got home they could just plug it in and go. Whether it be a router/playstation/xbox/pc/etc etc. So I would have to disagree with this article it is a service as long as they are selling it as a service and not as a necessity.
the real question is this coming from BestBuy/GeekSquad central because if it is not that store can get in serious trouble for that.
the real question is this coming from BestBuy/GeekSquad central because if it is not that store can get in serious trouble for that.
And how is $80 (I think it's even $120 now) for them to put your restore disc in your tray, or even better, active the restore partition, any less of a scam?
I worked for Geek Squad too, and I felt bad for anyone who bought these things because they "didn't know what they were doing". I would even tell people how to restore their own computer (getting to the installation prompts, not how to actually do it), so they didn't have to waste the money. If they still wanted to pay for it then fine. It's one thing to not want to be bothered doing it yourself because you have the money to make someone else do it, but don't try to make it out like you are doing them a favor because they don't want to have to wait. While you are doing their updates and such, what are they doing? Waiting? Ya, they are. They could have done that at home for free, and that's why I felt bad for them.midpipps said:
I do love Fry's, but I'm starting to notice that their prices are starting to become less "we are cheaper because we have more in stock", to more of a, "we are the same price, if not more, because we have everything." It's actually made me want to shop on mWave (which has close to Newegg prices on most stuff) and drive down there to pick it up, than to go to Fry's.Croaker42 said:
But what about when someone decides to buy the console as a gift, and, knowing nothing about the freeness of the firmware, decides to get the necessary update? Said person might not want to consult the recipiant of the gift that much in order not to spoil the surprise and ends up getting cheated $30.Croaker42 said:
Hell, I've bought gifts for people knowing nothing about the brands of the product or the specifics of something, and sometimes have been offered extra services for just a little more that sound important, which makes you more inclined when its a gift as it feels like its going the extra mile with it. The target of this update charge isn't people who know the system, but people who know almost nothing about the system.