Geek Squad Takes Over Best Buy’s Home Theater Installs

Geek Squad's brand momentum continues to grow inside Best Buy, as it has become the home theater/consumer electronics installation arm for "big blue."

If a customer goes to the Best Buy Web site or visits a brick-and-mortar store seeking home theater installation, he is directed to Geek Squad. Previously, Geek Squad installers only handled computer repair and other IT networking services for Best Buy.

The move may put Best Buy/Geek Squad in a prime position for forging national installation deals with large production builders.

On the Best Buy and Geek Squad Web sites, a menu of installation options is presented. Each one has a brief description of the service provided and a price (the Web site includes the caveat that prices may vary based on region).

The range of services starts with a basic in-home consultation ($100) to different levels of flat-panel mounting ($300 to $500) to home theater set-up ($200).

The services also include TV recycling ($100), speaker mounting, front projector mounting ($600), remote control programming ($150 to $300), wire runs ($125 for under 100 feet), ISF calibration ($300) and more.

Hybrids and integrators may scoff, but the fact that the company does have ISF-trained personnel on staff points to how seriously it is taking this venture.

The company has created a "Home Theater Installation Unit" and even has a "5-Point Home Theater Installation Pledge" that says it will always:

• Perform the work to your satisfaction.


• Work with your schedule.


• Teach you to use your system.


• Respect your home as if it were our own.


• Remedy any defect in workmanship for up to 1 year.

According to Robert Stephens, chief inspector for Geek Squad, company technicians are the "plumbers of the IT industry. We are at the bottom rung," and he says that is exactly where the company wants to be.

Does that same positioning apply for home theater? Yes.

During his keynote address at the EHX Fall in Long Beach, Calif., last November, Stephens told attendees that he sees Geek Squad being "a feeder" for the custom installation industry.

"The dream of the Geek Squad installer is to work for you someday," he says.

The 5-Point Pledge is not accidental. Stephens says he has heard over and over that one of the best qualities of his company is that the technicians show up on time, return phone calls, and "don't smell bad."

He says that 95 percent of the company's business is referral.

"All small companies want to grow in size, profit and reputation, while all large companies want to be more nimble," he says. Stephens believes getting employees motivated is the best way to achieve those goals.

"When you are a small entrepreneur, you can eat lunch in the lunchroom with all your employees and influence them. But when you are larger, you need to have leverage. Who has the most leverage in the industry? Best Buy."

Geek Squad, which has been around 16 years now and part of Best Buy for the past eight years, has built an almost cult-like following among its own employees and consumers.

Stephens believes technology has become the major influencer of people's opinions. He cited Wikipedia and YouTube as examples of how people use technology to influence others because the information on those Web sites is populated by users, not corporations.

As for the future, he does not believe the A/V installation business can be franchised, nor does he believe venture capitalists should get involved in this business.

"Watch what happens with Target because that's what Best Buy is going to do," he says, adding that Best Buy will be "swimming upstream" in its offerings.

Stephens believes the consumer electronics industry "is on the precipice of a lot of things."

For example, he is particularly excited about home automation, and likes Geek Squad's current market position, but believes proprietary control systems are problematic.

"They cannot ensure consistency and reliability. Home automation will take an open platform path," he says.

"Geeks will purchase A/V equipment and write their own software. That 'shareware' will be the path for home automation in the future."

Geek Squad's Home Theater Installation Services

Here is just a sampling of some of the services that Best Buy/Geek Squad now offers under the banner "Home Theater Services," more or less in its own words:

In-Home Consultation -- $100

Find out what it takes to make your home entertainment system complete -- before you even make a purchase. If you’ve already purchased your components, no worries. We can still show you the best way to integrate your entire system.

A Home Entertainment Advisor will:

• Visit your home to discuss your home theater needs and décor style.
  
• Design and layout a home theater system within your budget.
  
• Assist you with product selection and pricing, if desired.
  
• Perform a walk-through of your home to determine feasibility in all installation areas.
  
• Point out problematic areas and provide recommendations on how to proceed.
  
• Explain the benefits of using Geek Squad for Installation.
  
• Provide you with a detailed estimate of work to be performed.
  
• Give you a $100 coupon for future home theater purchases $499 and up.

Approximate time commitment: 1 hour

TV & Video Setup -- $150

Have Geek Squad set up your TV and connect it to up to three video components with neatly dressed, exposed wires.*

An Installer will:

• Conduct a pre-installation site survey upon arrival at your home.
  
• Integrate and connect up to three video components (TV, VCR, DVD and/or video game unit; excluding DVR, TiVo, Slingbox or any networked-type video components) in one room.
  
• Ensure all wires and cables are neatly dressed.
  
• Program the basic functions of your remote control.*
  
• Clean up work area.
  
• Show you how to use your new equipment.

Approximate time commitment: 1 hour
* No holes will be drilled. Does not include speaker set up or Universal Remote Control programming.

Basic Flat-Panel TV Mounting -- $300

You supply the space, mounting bracket and cables and we'll hang your 33-inch or larger flat-panel TV for you. Plus, we’ll conceal the audio and video cables in between to give you a clean, polished look.

This service does not include connecting components such as DVD players, receivers, CD players, MP3 players etc. If you need this service, please see the other flat-panel mounting services.

An Installer will:

• Conduct a pre-installation site survey upon arrival at your home.
  
• Mount and secure your flat-panel TV to an appropriate wall or cabinet.
  
• Connect the TV power cord to an existing AC power outlet by surface mounting only.
  
• Connect one audio/video component.
  
• Attach and conceal customer-supplied cables from the TV to a single video source component by routing up to 25 feet (non HDMI) of cable through one stud bay in a single standard frame wall.
  
• Program your remote control to operate other components, as per factory-set specifications.
  
• Clean up work area and remove installation debris.
  
• Show you how to use your new flat-panel TV and components.

Not included:

• TV mount; moving electrical outlets (we recommend you have this done prior to installation); additional holes; any custom wiring beyond TV to tuner wiring; speaker mounting on-wall or in-wall; universal-type learning remote programming.

Approximate time commitment: 2.5 hours