Your computer’s down. Who you gonna call? Er . . . Yellow Pages? The scruffy
shop round the corner? Risky. A string of new companies is promising to bust
your computer problems – quickly, painlessly and from the comfort of your
own home.
Two of the leading players are Geek Squad and the TechGuys. Give them a call
and a reputable computer geek will be dispatched to fix your machine. Or so
they claim.
For years we have struggled with low-tech solutions to our high-tech problems.
Now we are about to be offered American-style customer service, just as we
were with car hire and fast food. No need to take a day off work or queue at
a service counter for a spotty youth to tut, scratch his heavily gelled head
before pronouncing: “I think it’s had it, mate.”
Rather than taking a gamble on the local Mr Fix-it, the new firms, spin-offs
of established high street names, offer upfront hourly fees, warranties
ranging from 14-30 days on all repairs and, best of all, they’ll come to
wherever you want, at a time convenient to you.
The TechGuys is an offshoot of PC World and operates across the UK from seven
stand-alone bases and 50 PC World stores. It claims to have about 3,000
technicians, but this includes more than 2,000 who only work in store.
Geek Squad, run jointly by Best Buy, its US operator, and Carphone Warehouse,
has just started and so far has recruited about 30 technicians. It is
currently operating only within the M25 but plans to begin a national
roll-out this year. It was founded in America 13 years ago by Robert
Stephens, who cycled to customers, and now offers 24-hour technology support
for homes all over the US and boasts 12,000 geeks. Geek Squad technicians
are styled to look like FBI agents. “No job too dull, too complex or too
fiddly,” goes their spiel.
Geeks-on-Wheels, is a small independent company operating in Sussex and
London. Working from its headquarters in Brighton, it claims to be able to
match its bigger rivals on speed and quality of service.
But do any of these new services live up to their hype? And can computer
repairs really be that amusing? We decided to put the latest services to the
test by calling out technicians from Geek Squad, the TechGuys and
Geeks-on-Wheels.
May the best geek win.
The geek trap
To make the test as authentic as possible, we went undercover, posing as
members of the public with a broken laptop. Asam Ahmad, a computer expert
from south London, installed four faults that our roaming technicians would
have to try to fix.
I was to explain how things had started to go wrong when I tried to install a
printer. Since then neither the printer nor wireless internet router
appeared to be working. Also, the laptop’s trackpad appeared to be frozen
and wouldn’t react when I tried to move the cursor around the screen.
The apparently broken trackpad was merely the result of pressing the function
key at the same time as the F7 key – an option on Acer laptops, a popular
brand, to deactivate the trackpad but something easily done by accident. To
fix it, all the technician would need to do would be to press the two keys
again.
The printer wouldn’t work because a system called “plug and play” on the
laptop had been disabled, preventing any new devices from being detected by
it. Reactivating plug and play would resolve the problem.
The wireless router was set so that it would not automatically detect devices
trying to connect to it. To fix it the engineer had to ensure that plug and
play was operating on the laptop and simply reset the router.
Finally, the audio had been disabled by telling the laptop to output sounds to
a Bluetooth device (such as a headset) instead of the in-built speakers. We
would not mention this problem, but a good technician would notice it and
swiftly sort it out, thereby earning a bonus point.
The TechGuys
Geek attire Polo shirt with TechGuys logo, black trousers
Geek wheels Silver Ford Focus with TechGuys logo across the bonnet
Our TechGuy arrived 10 minutes late but got straight down to work as Asam and
I looked on, feigning deep concern for our malfunctioning laptop. He began
by trying to fix the router, identified the problem correctly and reset it
so it would automatically pick up devices trying to connect to it.
However, because the laptop’s plug and play system was still disabled, the
laptop would only connect to the router via a cable, rather than wirelessly.
He then tried to install the printer and was unable to get the printer to
register, for the same reason.
He should have started to twig that plug and play was not working. Instead, he
spent the next half an hour trying various deadend solutions, finding the
symptoms of the problem but failing to solve it.
He couldn’t fix the trackpad and didn’t notice the sound problem, despite the
irritating error beeps coming from the laptop as it failed to output normal
audio. He did update the computer’s antivirus software, checked for spyware
and made sure the internet connection was secure.
But after an hour he was struggling to come up with any solutions and
suggested a complete reinstall of Windows and all software. A quick call to
head office led to the same conclusion. As this was akin to taking a breeze
block to crack a monkey nut we declined and our TechGuy departed, with us
pretty much still at square one. He left his card, inviting us to call back
if we decided to have a complete reinstall.
Cost £70, paid in advance over the phone. We later learnt the TechGuys
offers a “no fix, no fee” deal, but this was not mentioned at the time.
Verdict Having found the symptoms of the problem, but struggling to
find a solution, a quick search on Google or the Microsoft website would
have given our TechGuy some options – if not the exact solution. Instead, he
leapt for the heavy-handed reinstall option (which would still not have
solved the trackpad problem). He even bad-mouthed the competition, claiming
Geek Squad technicians were “rubbish. We keep having to sort out their
jobs”.
Geek rating 0.5/4
Geeks-on-Wheels
Geek attire Black trousers, chunky black laceup shoes, black polo shirt
with Geeks-on-Wheels logo and a silver case
Geek wheels Nissan Micra with Geeks-on-Wheels down both sides
Things did not get off to a good start with Geeks-on-Wheels. We had a call
asking to change the allotted time from 12.30pm to 1.30pm and then waited
until 2pm before our geek arrived, hot and bothered, in his dinky Micra.
To be fair, he had struggled against traffic and was the only technician
working that day from the London office: “One guy has just gone back to
South Africa, one called in sick and another is on holiday, so it’s just
me.” After heartfelt apologies, he got down to the job with more enthusiasm
than the TechGuy.
Working for a small independent company, he was clearly a bona fide geek with
a genuine interest in computers. He’d need to be, as unlike the two larger
firms Geeks-on-Wheels technicians have only a small back-up team at base to
offer advice.
He began by resetting the router. But because plug and play was still
disabled, he was unable to get a wireless connection. He then twigged that a
fundamental system was not functioning properly. Connecting the router via a
cable, he was able to link up to the internet and had the right search terms
to put into Google, which then directed him to the Microsoft website and the
key to solving the problem.
He then reactivated plug and play, making it possible to connect the printer
and establish a wireless internet connection, which he also made sure was
security protected.
He solved the big problems quickly, knew his way around a computer, but could
not fix the trackpad. He tried another search on Google and one on the Acer
website but his search terms were too vague and he failed to find a
solution. In the end he decided, incorrectly, it was a hardware fault.
Our geek did notice the sound problem but thought, wrongly, that it had been
fixed when plug and play was restored and the beeping stopped.
Cost £88.13, paid over the phone after the job was completed.
Verdict Geeks-on-Wheels solved the major problems but could not fix the
trackpad. This was clearly a problem our geek had not encountered before
and, without office back-up, he had only his own experience and the strength
of his web searches to guide him. A good-value, friendly service in urgent
need of new geeks.
Geek rating 2.5/4
Geek Squad
Geek attire White shirt, black tie with Geek Squad badge, black
polyester trousers, black shoes, white socks and an over-the-shoulder bag,
also bearing the company logo
Geek wheels Public transport
Our third geek arrived on time. “Hello, I’m Agent Levy,” he said
half-heartedly, before apologising: “It’s supposed to be like the FBI and
stuff, we have to say that. It’s so American.”
He sat right down, revealing the regulation white socks: “If you don’t wear
them they’ll find some for you.” He knew immediately how to solve the
trackpad problem, pressing the function and F7 keys and fixing it in an
instant, proving product knowledge, or perhaps superior training.
He then rapidly reset the router. As it and the printer were not connecting
with the laptop, he made steps to diagnose the problem, eliminated a number
of plausible causes, then decided to phone head office in the US: “These
guys know everything.”
After a short conversation along the lines of “It sucks, dude. Thanks, dude,
that’s awesome”, he had the correct diagnosis and the plug and play problem
was fixed.
Horrified by the beeping sounds, he also fixed that problem, taking his total
time to 50 minutes. He then printed off a full description of what he had
done and a receipt for the bill, which we paid by credit card on the spot.
Agent Levy also lived up to his FBI uniform, detecting something fishy about
our phoney set-up. “It really is odd, it looks as if things have been
purposefully disabled,” he muttered as we ushered him out of the door.
Cost £129.97
Verdict Finally someone who could fix all the problems – and in just 50
minutes. Geek Squad may be gimmicky, but it proved it also had substance.
The only downside is the considerable extra cost. Although the price did
include a free wi-fi router as a promotional offer, that means little when
you already have one.
Geek rating 4/4
Problem solved? The results
THE TECHGUYS www.thetechguys.com
08456 024 024
Cost £70 for first hour and £35 for every subsequent half hour. Or you
can pay for a specific job. This carries a set fee irrespective of how long
it takes. Prices range from £40 to £800 for a home-cinema installation
Guarantee No fix, no fee; 30-day guarantee on work
Size More than 600 making home visits, plus over 2,000 based in stores
Coverage Across UK
DID IT PASS THE SUNDAY TIMES TEST?
Problem 1 (Disabled router) Got it working but only via cable, not
wirelessly
Problem 2 (Inactive trackpad) Fail
Problem 3 (Faulty printer) Fail
Bonus problem (No sound) Fail
Overall result 0.5/4
GEEKS-ON-WHEELS www.geeks-on-wheels.com
Sussex 0800 107 4111, London 0800 107 4110
Cost £88 for first hour and £44 for each subsequent half-hour in
London; £70/£35 in Sussex. Or you can pay for a specific job. Prices range
from £185-£200
Guarantee No fix, no fee. 14-day guarantee on work
Size 20 technicians working from offices in Brighton and Islington,
north London
Coverage London and Sussex
DID IT PASS THE SUNDAY TIMES TEST?
1 (Disabled router) Pass
2 (Inactive trackpad) Fail
3 (Faulty printer) Pass
Bonus problem (No sound) Fail – although he did notice the problem and
did think he’d sorted it
Overall result 2.5/4
THE GEEK SQUAD uk.geeksquad.com 0800
049 4335
Cost Home visit £100, including the fixing of one problem. Extra
problems invoke extra charges ranging from £25-£80. Alternatively, some
problems can be fixed remotely where the geek takes control of your computer
via the internet, £50 Guarantee No fix, no fee. 30-day
guarantee on work
Size “Over 30 geeks fully trained and on the road”
Coverage Within the M25. National launch later this year
DID IT PASS THE SUNDAY TIMES TEST?
1 (Disabled router) Pass
2 (Inactive trackpad) Pass
3 (Faulty printer) Pass
Bonus problem (No sound) Pass
Overall result 4/4
First, try fixing it yourself
Paying somebody to come and fix your computer is a last resort. Unless you are
a technophobe you should have a go at fixing the problem yourself.
— It sounds obvious but read the manual – all manuals have troubleshooting
pages that identify simple problems. Most manufacturers also host these
pages at their website or will respond to e-mail queries.
— Visit Microsoft’s online support centre at support.microsoft.com. This
has software that will run tests that may tell you what’s wrong with your
computer. There is also a library of how-to articles and troubleshooting
advice.
— If you can’t access the web, try the troubleshooting archive within
Windows itself, which is located in the Help pages in the Start menu.
— See the TechGuys’ list of frequently asked tech queries at www.thetechguys.com/techfriend
or head to the site’s step-by-step guides to fixing various problems
yourself (tinyurl.com/ywnuxs).
— The company that sold you your computer may offer support, over the
phone or online. A valid warranty may also entitle you to a free home visit.
I read your article with amusement. I must agree with Darren, I too could adjust any number of settings that would cripple your Mac, PC or iPhone with ease.
A technician is just like a detective. And like all detectives, there are good ones and bad ones. The bottom line is, you want a technician who is polite, punctual, knowledgable, fixes the problem at hand and educates you on how to avoid it in future. Ask your friends for recommendations.
Luther, Colyer Group, London, UK
These tests are always great at proving people incompitent, random problems put in place by a so called "expert" and then giving the technician a totally random and un-related reason, the very least a technician deserves is a genuine fault and a genuine reason for it occurring. I am a computer technician and I could change a couple of settings in Windows that would destroy your windows configuration and your so called expert would never find them, however in every day use these things dont really happen!!
Darren, Sheffield,
I own a independant computer repair company based in Colchester, Essex, I cannot believe that the Sunday Times did not include a independant in their survey! Also wth these 'high profile' companies you pay for the high profile, My company charges £35.00 for the first hour (inculding any amounts of faults) at no extra charge, then £25.00 per hour, who would you call a rip off - an independant or a high profile company!!!!!
Princeton PC Solutions, Colchester, Essex
Surely all of these problems could have been fixed over the phone talking the user through each issue. These companies don't seem to offer that service and charge you for a call out. I find www.supportinabox.com offer a great service at £99 for a year worth of technical support on any computer items. I've found myself regularly recommending this company to friends to allow them professional friendly advice that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
Fred, Manchester,
I think it's a bit poor to state that the local shop round the corner might be risky. There are a huge amount of "dodgy" technicians, but to be honest a lot of these have now gone out of business as word of mouth does get around and works both ways.
Mark Robinson, Dundee, Tayside
Martin in London. The tech guys website has pictures of there cars with logos on the bonnet - in the meet a tech guy section.
Who do you work for?!?
Andrew, Manchester,
Martin, even if it was supposedly setup by the Geek Squad.. surely they would be early, send their best techie to every call out and at least find a few solutions. Im not pro any company, but after reading this I just realise, what you pay for, is what you get (supposed to be that way at least). At the end of the day, it's the employee's and their pride that comes into play. I just hope people continue to test all the companies involved, as well as some more smaller companies.
Myles Jacobs, Brighton,
I used to run a 1-man PC support co in London. It is tremendously difficult to balance jobs so you allow enough time to complete a job and yet don't leave yourself idle half the time, reducing your earnings. You also feel guilty charging on the basis of time sometimes, as some investigation is necessary and yet you can turn up nothing, and a "no fix, no fee" basis is harsh when you might earn nothing for busting your brain for 2 hours. It is also a highly competitive market in most cities at least. As someone who has done this role, and also written software for years, I can say that Microsoft Windows is probably the worst software ever written, it is IT support's worst nightmare, ironically. Utterly unpredictable, horrendously complex, and insanely full of bugs and errors. If you have repeated problems with a computer, my honest common sense answer would be buy a Mac or install Ubuntu Linux for free - you will save yourself a lot of time and money, and the sanity of some poor techy!
Alex Kerr, London, UK
Knowing the Techguys very well, I find it very strange that their car had a logo on the bonnet as none of the cars in the fleet have logos !
Sounds very much like a setup for advertising the Geek Squad !
How much was the author of this piece paid ?? And who by ????
Martin, London,
All three companies charged horrendous prices. You can buy a brand new computer for £350 so why pay over £100 to get one fixed? But disabling plug-and-play was a ridiculous test - a one-in-a-million problem in the real world. A hard-to-remove virus would have been much more appropriate.
Alan Briggs, Cambridge, UK/Cambs
and EggHeads - available across Manchester.
Tom, Manchester, Lancashire
Your results reflect the skills of one person in a whole company..thus not being representative of the complete work force.
Steve Nash, Lincoln,
Interesting article. High prices compared to outside London. Why didn't you mention Computer Troubleshooters who have been around for ten years and have 45 bases in the UK and over 450 world wide?
Geoffrey Wells, Rochester, UK/Kent