Geek Squad Agent Richard Hart got to know his Geekmobile really well. After all, they drove nearly 95,000 miles together.
Agent Hart and his Geek Squad colleagues across the country drive to 13,000 house calls a day to help customers learn about and enjoy technology. And, over the years, the Geekmobile has become a highly recognizable symbol of Geek Squad’s reliability, trustworthiness and tech expertise.
With Best Buy announcing the selection of the Toyota Prius c as the new Geekmobile vehicle earlier this week, it seems like a fitting time to reflect on the bond between Agents and their cars.
Agent Hart recently said goodbye to his beloved Geekmobile after spending five years, 10 months and 15 days on the road together — not that he was counting. Based out of Philadelphia for more than seven years, Agent Hart has transferred to Virginia, where he has been assigned a new Geekmobile.
Here are his musings about his time with his old one.
Q: What is an Agent’s relationship to his/her Geekmobile? Is it just a mode of transportation?
Agent Hart: It is way more than that. It becomes a friend, really. You have to rely on it every day, and you get to know its ins and outs. You spend a lot of time together, and it really becomes your partner in crime, or partner in good, in this case. I put 95,000 miles on my last vehicle — way more than even my personal vehicle, which is a few years older.
Q: How many hours a day or week do you spend in a Geekmobile?
Agent Hart: I would say I spend an average of about three hours a day in my Geekmobile, so that works out to 15 hours a week or so. A little more than 37 percent of my time on the job.
Q: Did your car have a name?
Agent Hart: I never really named her, but she definitely had her own personality (including a wicked shimmy at 40 miles per hour).
Q: How many miles? How many states?
Agent Hart: We drove 94,240 miles together and worked in four states: Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
Q: What’s the farthest you ever drove together?
Agent Hart: About 100 miles, round trip.
Q: Did you feel a sense of pride when driving her?
Agent Hart: Absolutely. Together we represent thousands of Agents across all disciplines. We represent some of the best electronic repair and installation experts in the world, and I am glad to find myself among them.
Q: What does she represent?
Agent Hart: The obvious answer is Geek Squad but beyond that she represents how much faith the company puts in all of us in the field. She represents one of the largest company fleets in the country, and she represents the hard work that thousands of Agents put in everyday
Q: What’s your favorite thing about working for Geek Squad?
Agent Hart: I love our ability to do good work and help clients. We have an amazing ability to make technology work and do what we need it to do. We are able to just make it work.
Q: How often do others acknowledge you and your car on the road?
Agent Hart: Almost daily I would get a wave or a honk. And it was always a kick to watch kids play slugbug/punch buggy on the side of the road when I drove by.
Q: Is she replaceable?
Agent Hart: Most things are replaceable, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t loved or forgotten. She will always have a place in my heart.
Q: Anything you would like to say to her? Anything you think she would say to you?
Agent Hart: I would like to tell her thanks for always getting me where I need to go, never leaving me stranded and allowing me to delight thousands of clients. I would hope she is thankful for the regular washes and always keeping her topped up on fuel.
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