Geek House Calls... Again

from the yes,-but-can-you-make-money? dept

The idea of "geek house calls" isn't new. In 1998 I knew some people who set up just such a company, and there were plenty of similar offerings around at that time. Stories have cropped up here and there about similar offerings over the years. However, most of them haven't gotten very far. Best Buy got into the business recently with their Geek Squad offering, which they've quickly expanded, and now it's getting some attention from the press. What still hasn't been shown is whether or not any of these operations can actually make money. In the case of Best Buy, it looks like they're less concerned with that, compared to convincing people to buy more stuff, as they send their Geek Squad team out with a trunkful of Best Buy equipment for sale to help fix your pesky computer problems.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • identicon
    Jonathan Snook, 1 Nov 2004 @ 2:08am

    Nerds on site

    Around these parts we have Nerds on Site. They've been around for years so I assume they must be doing reasonably well. Like Geek on wheels, they all drive a specific model of car so they're highly recognizable.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Nicole Barnes, 11 Mar 2005 @ 4:01pm

    Can you make money?

    I know two people that own a Geeks On Call franchise and they are doing great. With the franchise model, they are able to share overhead costs (call center, advertising, tech support) which makes this business a success. Plus, almost everyone has at least one computer now and many can't do anyting beyond surfing so the business model makes sense now. Just thought you'd like to know. Not a new idea but an idea that is finally ready to flourish.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.