geek squad

GS Brand Love blog

14 Jul: Indiana Geek Squad Agents surprise 9-year-old gamer with new gear

For two Geek Squad Agents in Indiana, a seemingly routine computer setup job turned into an opportunity to help a little girl build on her dreams.

The duo, Kyle Shephard and Tyler Derouin, arrived on site at the home of a 9-year-old girl who is a star student and avid gamer. Their task was to get her computer up and running, but there were issues with the processor fan and internal graphics card — two critical components of computer gaming.  

“We got it to work, but it wasn’t going to play a ton of games very well,” Kyle said.

GSA 15 year blog

30 Jun: Geek Squad Academy celebrates 15-year anniversary

At Geek Squad Academy (GSA), anytime someone says the word “cool,” the response is always “very cool.” 

This year, the Best Buy-sponsored educational program has something very cool to celebrate: 15 years of inspiring students around the country through interactive technology camps. Participants get to learn about coding, digital music, video game design and more during fun, hands-on activities. To commemorate the program’s anniversary, custom T-shirts and posters were designed with “15 Seasons of Very Cool” branding.    

“It’s rewarding to see it change over the years,” said Agent and frequent GSA volunteer Ricky Noriega.

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04 May: Agent gifts his badge to colleague during a difficult time

A few months ago, Tony Kline received a package in the mail that came as a shock: the 5-year Geek Squad badge of his colleague, Bob Luthardt.

While Tony immediately planned to send the badge back, Bob included a note that explained there was no one more deserving of his badge. The two have never met in person, but they’ve developed a bond over the years that Bob says saved his life.

“Tony persevered with me when no one else would,” Bob said.

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22 Nov: Longest-tenured Geek Squad Agent hits milestone anniversary

John Dahlquist didn’t plan to ask Geek Squad’s founder for a job back in 1996, but that spontaneous pitch turned into what’s become a quarter-century career — and counting.

“The rest, as they say, is history,” he said.

Earlier this month, Agent Dahlquist became the first recipient of a Geek Squad 25-year badge. The one-of-a-kind, gold-plated icon was presented to him in a special ceremony, complete with a custom cake and the presence of more than 100 fellow Agents, teammates, leaders and friends. 

Yaquira-Resto-blog

10 Sep: She started as a cashier, now she’s a top Geek Squad manager

Yaquira Resto didn’t start her career in Best Buy working in tech, but now she’s running one of the top-performing Geek Squad precincts in the company.

The Puerto Rico native started as a cashier at a store in Puerto Rico in 2008. She became a service operations manager before leaving to work at another tech company for a few years.

Yaquira returned to Best Buy in 2018 and now serves as a Geek Squad manager at our San Juan location. She leads a team of 35 Geek Squad Agents who serve thousands of customers each month.

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30 Jul: What’s in a name? A lot for these two Agents

Geek Squad assistant manager Brenda Aragão is used to seeing badges for new Agents come across her desk, but this one was different. It was inscribed with her family name.

The badge was for her cousin Karine Aragão, who installs home theater products.

The two grew up as close as sisters and now work in the same market in Massachusetts. Brenda is the one who encouraged Karine, one of the only women installers in her market, to work at Best Buy.

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07 Apr: Geek Squad Agent rescues mother, daughter in rollover crash

Geek Squad Agent Andrew Ward was driving down an icy Kansas highway in February when the car in front of him was clipped by another vehicle and flipped over. It landed with its wheels in the air and roof caved into the concrete.

His heart thumping, Andrew, who was on his way to help with a refrigerator installation, pulled over.

“My first instinct was to jump out and help. No matter who it was,” he said. “This could be anybody. It could have been my wife or my neighbor.”

Blog_GS3

30 Mar: For World Backup Day, 5 Tips to Protect Your Data

Whether it’s important documents, a college paper or your cherished family photos, it’s a sickening feeling when your data disappears, and you can’t figure out how to recover it.

That’s why it’s so important to back up your data in case your computer gets lost or stolen or the hard drive crashes. From cloud storage services to external hard drives, there are lots of options for how to make sure all your files are secure.

“It’s a lot easier to take the steps to prevent losing your data than it is to recover it after something happens,” said Frankie Kandaya, a Geek Squad Agent in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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26 Dec: How to get help with your new tech

There’s nothing like unwrapping new tech over the holidays. And then comes the added fun of testing it all out and getting everything working the way you want.

If you need a hand with that, Best Buy is here to help. We’ve got you covered with a variety of safe and easy ways to get help with installation, setup and troubleshooting for that new holiday tech.

Here are a few examples of the tech support options we provide.

Tech Tips videos

Available on Best Buy’s YouTube channel, Tech Tips videos are a quick way to get help with a variety of popular tech products, including smart displays, Wi-Fi systems and streaming devices.

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21 Oct: Ohio first grader wins Halloween with Geek Squad Costume

Most 6-year-old boys will probably be wearing superhero costumes for Halloween this year, but not Aidan Markworth. He’s dressing as a Geek Squad Agent.

The Ohio first grader already has the persona nailed down. He has a white shirt, a black clip-on tie and a serious love of technology.

“He desperately wants to work at the Geek Squad,” said his mom, Kelly. “He breaks down and starts to cry when I tell him his has to wait 12 more years.”

Aidan’s passion for technology started with a child’s tablet and asking the Google Mini questions.

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21 Oct: Geek Squad Agent’s Family Goes All Out for Halloween

Derek Meister’s family is to Halloween what the Griswolds are to Christmas. 

For the past 25 years, they’ve decked out their suburban Cleveland home with hundreds of decorations every October. They have about 30 giant yard inflatables, a graveyard full of Styrofoam tombstones and even a high-tech light show

“People start coming by while we’re setting it up,” said Derek, a longtime Geek Squad Agent. “Some places don’t even do trick-or-treating anymore, but we still get about 200 kids every year on Halloween.”

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15 Oct: Tech-savvy senior brings piano — and joy — to others

Herb Williams sits down at his piano, looks at the camera and starts to play. His fingers bound across the keys with a familiarity only eight decades can bring, then the 91-year-old posts the video on Facebook.

He’s repeated this scene nearly every day since COVID-19 sequestered people in their homes last spring. And he learned the skills from two Best Buy Canada Geek Squad Agents — as part of Best Buy Health’s Digital Citizen service.

Agents Rachel Sturm and Chadd Sine began teaching digital literacy skills to seniors a year and a half ago through a partnership that brings technology workshops and support to seniors at select Amica Senior Lifestyles residences in Canada.