Heat vs Computer

It is starting to get very hot outside. I have realized since moving to California that I don’t do very well in the 90-110+ degree weather. I am still not used to walking outside and having the first thing you do be gasp for air. Dry heat is a killer. It also doesn’t help that I have a problem with over heating. I blame it on the fact that I don’t sweat well, which is nice because I don’t have smelly arm pits like some people do but its bad because my body decides to keep all of the hotness inside me and I just get over heated and feel like I am going to pass out at any moment. In some cases I do, like when I went to Walt Disney World with my friends years ago, I passed out in a McDonalds workers arms. (I was heading there for some water which was kind of funny after getting off a ride) That wasn’t even the worst of it the rest of the trip my friends treated me like the sick child and made me carry a big water bottle around and every 15 minutes told me to drink (I do thank them for keeping me hydrated). Maybe Alaska would have been a better place for me to move.

Now on a different note some people have asked about my computer and by some people I mean one but who is counting. I don’t know if it’s the heat or the fact that I have a love hate relationship with Best Buy but I felt like this is a story should be told. If you know me at all you know I love Best Buy. It is one of my favorite stores and used to be my favorite till I went to Geek Squad a number of years ago. FACT: I have little to no faith in Geek Squad. The first time I brought my computer in for problems I got it back with more problems then when I started and was charged an arm an a leg. The problem with Geek Squad is:d

1. I know exactly what they are going to say before they say it. “We are not going to be able to fix the problem here or tell you what the problem are, we are going to have to ship it off some place and charge you 100 bucks”
2. When we ship it off they may or may not be able to fix it. The $100 you are paying for is to figure out the problem then we will ask you if you want to fix it for another $400 (give or take)

So you might be asking “why go back?” and I have to admit that is a good question. Well a couple weeks ago I was having problems with my computer not charging. I would plug the charger into the computer and nothing. I soon realize I have 3 options, contact HP, Geek Squad, or call a friend. Well I called a friend and that didn’t help. The problem with HP is they don’t have a location to go to so I would have to send it in. I realized I should try Geek Squad and maybe they would surprise me, if not I would just send it to HP.

Here is how the conversation went with the guy from Geek Squad:

Him: What it the problem?

Me: My computer will not charge when I plug it in.

Him: Ok well it could be the computer not talking to your computer or it could be the inside of your computer. I am not sure, what we can do for you is ship it off to LA for $100 and then they will be able to let you know what is wrong.

Me: What do you guys fix here? I see computer behind you but every time I come in you tell me you have to ship my computer off to some place else. (I could tell he was not expecting that)

Him: Well we do a lot of initial programming for computers back here.

Me: (I wanted to say “so nothing”) Well could you maybe give it a guess and tell me what you think the problem might be and how much it would cost.

Him: Well it could be a lot of things and the price would range anywhere between 200-800 dollars to fix. Depending on what the problem is you might want to look into buying a new computer

Me: (Now I am frustrated) I was thinking maybe it was just the power cord. Do you have a universal cord back there that we could test the computer?

Him: (Looking at my cord) It doesn’t look like your cord has any damage too it, but if you want to try it we can. Can you please hold on I need to finish fixing this computer behind me.

Basically what ends up happening is he brings a universal cord and plugs it in and it works perfectly.

Me: It is a good thing I didn’t ship my computer off for them to tell me all I need is a new power cord.

Him: Yeah…I am sorry about that I really didn’t think it was the cord. Here is a cord that you can buy.

So the good thing is my computer works now, I just wish the internet would work at my house but that’s a whole other story.

PS. I would like to hear from anyone who either works at Geek Squad and or has used Geek Squad if they have any stories. I am sure they can be helpful to some people but they are like 0 for 4 for me.