Best Buy $39.95 "Optimization" At Best a Waste of Money 504
DCFC writes "The Consumerist deconstructs the appalling 'optimization service' that Best Buy has been pushing on consumers in recent weeks. The retailer charges 40 bucks to give you a slower PC, and make bizarre claims that it makes it go 200% faster. 'We ran the 3DMark 2003 graphics benchmark on each laptop, comparing optimized and non-optimized settings. For two of our samples, the Gateway and Toshiba, performance changes were negligible. On the Asus laptop, however, optimized tests actually scored about 32% worse than the non-optimized setup. We have been unable to isolate the source of this performance change. On none of the three tested laptops did the optimized settings give a performance boost in our test.'"
And they seemed so honest. (Score:2, Funny)
Wow. I don't know how I can possibly reconcile this anomalous data point with all of the other things I've heard about them.
My favourite bit.. (Score:5, Funny)
When she asked if she could install anti-virus software herself instead of paying Geek Squad to do it, she was told installing software yourself, "negates the vendor's warranty."
Heh. I *love* that part!
Now, whenever someone tells me that Linux can't work on the desktop because "off-the-shelf" Windows software doesn't work on it, I can tell them that you can't do it on Windows without voiding the warranty!
Re:As someone who worked at Best Buy/Geek Squad... (Score:3, Funny)
Let's be fair. Best Buy tried selling me an $80 monster HDMI cable that I absolutely needed to get a good picture, even though HDMI is digital and not analog. I don't know how I get by with my $6 HDMI cable.
Thanks to the broken US justice system (Score:5, Funny)
Some lawyer will file a class action suit against Best Buy for this practice.
Best Buy will ignore it until the moment it looks like they will really go to court, then Best Buy will settle.
The settlement will be for $48 million. The lawyers will get $45 million, and the other $3 million will be in the form of "certificates" awarded to the plaintiffs good for 1 free "optimization" on a computer purchase at Best Buy within the next 12 months.
That's how it works.
Re:Friends (Score:5, Funny)
...especially if they don't want to be tech support for the rest of the friendship ;)
Which certainly won't last long with friendly advice like that!
Re:BestBuy will never be allowed to "optimize" (Score:2, Funny)
I haven't bought a new machine from BestBuy in years, but even then it was a machine to install Linux on. They tried a variety of upsells on me, and couldn't quite grasp my answer. "No, I'm wiping out everything and putting Linux on".
At another store, they were very insistent on selling me an antivirus suite. I asked "So, does it run under Linux". Their answer was "Oh, I'm sure it does." I had them spinning for about 10 minutes and finally broke the bad news to them. Come on, you're selling computers. You should have a clue what Linux is, even if it's just enough to know, a Linux person wouldn't want anything packaged for Windows.
Okay, so basically youre a smug linux user that feels a constant need to rub your level of competence in computers in the face of other people?
Oh no, the fat bearded guy REALLY told them!
Re:Friends (Score:5, Funny)
I like it! Did you know you can also do that with dresses? Wear it to a party! As long as you don't get food or jizz on it just return it and say you accidentally bought the wrong size or that it doesn't match your panties or whatever.
Yeah, I use the, "it don't match my panties," excuse every time I return a dress for my wife. The clerks never ask further questions.
Re:System tuning... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Friends (Score:5, Funny)
How am I supposed to touch stuff before I buy it from Amazon?
My favorite is setting the home page of all the computers to MonoPrice cables.
Re:Friends (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Friends (Score:3, Funny)
... Remember a well informed consumer always gets the deal!
Chears!
I think you meant:
Chairs!
Re:System tuning... (Score:3, Funny)