Are 'Geek' Services a Big Scam?

Many consumers have gotten so fed up with trying to fix their computers that they are increasingly calling the guys in the Volkswagens to come and do it for them. But do these so-called "geeks" really know what they're doing?

The Canadian Broadcasting Company's "Marketplace" program is now airing an investigative report that shows many of these popular services at work -- or, in many cases, not working.

The program shows so-called "geeks" coming up with flawed diagnoses, price gouging, and even majorly violating end user privacy. One technician even downloads the entire contents of the customer's hard drive onto his own computer without asking, then suggests he might go through it later.

The net of the report: Be careful who you hire, onsite or off, for "expert" computer service. So far, there's no certification that qualifies a technician to be a "geek."

— Tim Wilson, Site Editor, Dark Reading