May be Released due to Being Written Up...Should I worry?

Nafe92014

Hey guys,

Yesterday, I had my first big mistake while at my job (Geek Squad). Was working on an all in one HP, when it toppled over and hit the floor...... . surprisingly, just the back panel came off. Ran a test on all hardware and everything passed and customer data was intact. However, when my GM came in to investigate, he said to me, "Is Geek Squad the right position for you?" That really stressed me out a little bit. He told me hes gonna write me up because of it. He says. "We cannot afford any mistakes here". I'm thinking in my head, "Well, everyone makes mistakes in their career and this is Future Shop, not a govt position.". I have learned from this.....however, should I worry? Can anyone relate to this?

overthetop

Well If I brought my printer/computer/scanner/ipad/ into Geek Squad (which I would never ever ever ever do, no offense) and it wasn't 100% just like it was when I dropped it off, as a customer I would be highly upset. Its kind of hard to brush that under the rug. Its like dropping your car off and coming back and its scratched up. Everyone makes mistakes yes, but mistakes cost people jobs. If everyone makes mistakes did you offer to buy a brand new one for the customer? Cause I know dang well I wouldn't be taking a scratched up printer back home if it was me. I would worry because you might be costing the company money. And negative investments aren't good investments. Who knows you might get lucky. The "new guy" isn't supposed to make mistakes.

Nafe92014

Well, this computer was returned for an exchange because it was the wrong one that she ordered. And if it was still hers, I told my manager I would've bought her replacement with my own money. He said, "No".

katiesss

Hey there,
you didn't make a mistake,
it was an accident which happens all the time.

So so sorry to hear that, did you apologies and told the GM before hand what happened and was up front with him?
These things happen it is perfectly ok.

rep21

Stop working at geek squad and find a help desk or desktop support position?

Nafe92014

@rep21, I recently applied at a help desk job which had better benefits and salary, made the interview, but didn't get the job offer. Also been applying to every IT job that is posted in my area. Can't wait til September 8th when I can go back to college to get my degree finally.

Kinet1c

Accidents happen, you seem like you've learned your lesson. If you get released then your boss probably needs to be a bit more understanding. I fried a customer's motherboard during work experience at a repair shop, I've never done it again. It probably led to me not being asked back but I'm a better tech because of it.

Keep reading/learning and hopefully you can get away from the computer janitor stuff.

MeanDrunkR2D2

Accidents happen to all of us at some points. The GM there is a jerk to be honest, but he's there to bust balls and put the fear of god into the people they employ. If this is your first write up, I doubt that they'd fire you unless it was a huge mess up. Learn from your mistake and take your time and use the best care that you can when working on customer's equipment. Were you forthcoming with your supervisor about what happened or did it get to the GM without you mentioning it to anyone? If you tried to hide it, that's a huge mistake and one that would make a person question your ethics.

And if they decide to sack you for that, well, it's just Geek Squad and they are worthless. Move onto the next job if that's the case. When you go back to school in the fall, will you be working at the same time, or will you quit your job then and focus 100% on your education? If you are going to quit then, I wouldn't care if they fired me. I'd just pick up a job at a gas station/wal-mart/whatever to keep working and having money coming in. It's just a short time period (6 months away) and being out of IT for that short of a time isn't a big deal if you are going back to school.

anhtran35

Hey bro. This is a good lesson to learn. You will encounter JACKA$$es in all companies. I had good managers and I had bad managers. I am now a manager and NO WAY would I treat an employee like that. Keep applying for other opportunities. Accident happens.

RHDS2K

Sounds to me like the GM is an ass. That wasn't a "mistake", that was an "accident". You bumped something and knocked it over.. You didn't try taking it apart and break something. My recent boss acted like a diva like that with minor little things, and it's really annoying, and makes you want to quit. Push comes to shove, Geek Squad isn't a long term career, so don't worry about it. Get back in school like you mentioned in the one comment, then focus on getting into Help Desk then keep moving up from there. Good luck.

earonw49

Keep fighting for a position in an IT help desk or desktop support position. I was in your EXACT shoes years ago, working as Geek Squad agenent doing "virus removal" and "PC optimization scans". Just work harder at building your profile as a IT technician. Hop on LinkedIn (if you haven't). Build that profile. Make a spiceworks account and build your virtual portfolio!

Of course we are all here to help you out whenever we can.

Like the others said, accidents happen. It is what it is, you just have to move on and focus on the future. If it doesn't involve Geek Squad its definitley not the end of the world. If you still work for them, then consider this incident a lesson learned.

TR4V1STY

Nafe92014 wrote: »

Hey guys,

Yesterday, I had my first big mistake while at my job (Geek Squad). Was working on an all in one HP, when it toppled over and hit the floor...... . surprisingly, just the back panel came off. Ran a test on all hardware and everything passed and customer data was intact. However, when my GM came in to investigate, he said to me, "Is Geek Squad the right position for you?" That really stressed me out a little bit. He told me hes gonna write me up because of it. He says. "We cannot afford any mistakes here". I'm thinking in my head, "Well, everyone makes mistakes in their career and this is Future Shop, not a govt position.". I have learned from this.....however, should I worry? Can anyone relate to this?

I worked at Geek Squad for 2.5 years, I know how you feel.

I wouldnt worry about it man... You are MORE than qualified to be in the position you are. I had 3 different GM's while I was there, all of them were shady bastards. Slimey salesman only worried about the bottom line.

Do like everyone else is recommending and keep applying elsewhere. The 'Geek Squad' brand name is worth more on my resume than the the experience i got.

N2IT

It doesn't sound good if he came out and said that to you. I'm not trying to make you worry, but ....

higherho

I would quit. If someone is barking that much on a single mistake (unless you kept on making mistakes) then that environment is horrible to work in.

matai

GM is a jerk, use them for experience and move on to a help desk job. Accidents happen, learn from them.

Nafe92014

I'll stick with this job until I get hired at a better position, like help desk, or when I start college in September. Definitely won't be putting Geek Squad on my resume though.

creamy_stew

You should be looking for another job, IMO. Not because of you, but because of your GM.

"Is Geek Squad the right position for you?" just screams ******* to me.

/Creamy

markulous

If it was a one time accident, I think a write up and that dumb question of "Is Geek Squad the right position for you?" is going overboard. I'd be looking for other jobs regardless because that place probably isn't going to be any kind of career.

I would try not to stress it. He just sounds like someone that is going to micromanage and be a jerk. Keep applying at other places and doing what your doing trying to absorb as much info as possible.

RouteMyPacket

Nafe92014 wrote: »

@rep21, I recently applied at a help desk job which had better benefits and salary, made the interview, but didn't get the job offer. Also been applying to every IT job that is posted in my area. Can't wait til September 8th when I can go back to college to get my degree finally.

Keep looking, Geek Squad will do jack squat for you and sounds like you work for an idiot anyway.

tpatt100

Like what everybody else said it was an accident not a mistake. If this was the first time the GM should have tried to emphasize the importance of being careful and just given you a warning, no need to stress you out and make you more paranoid about working there.

If a manager stresses employees out over accidents then it will only encourage employees to cover up their accidents.

NetworkNewb

That guy has probably been working there his whole life, slowly moved up the ranks, and he knows how little people actually think of the Geek Squad, and wants to take it out on you. Don't even worry about it. He probably can tell you want to do something better with your career, instead of the Geek Squad, and wants to give you a hard time.

Like markulous said, keeping applying at other places and absorb as much info as you can.

Heero

Nafe92014 wrote: »

Well, this computer was returned for an exchange because it was the wrong one that she ordered. And if it was still hers, I told my manager I would've bought her replacement with my own money. He said, "No".

First of all, he was right to say no. If you accidentally damage something on the job, that is a business cost. It is loss. The business assumes the loss, not the employee.

As for the rest, I doubt you will be fired for one accident like this. Your GM sounds like a dick, but to be fair he is a GM at Best Buy and I would expect no different. Move on. You might get written up, but it is very unlikely you will be fired for a single incident.

kly630

It's fine I think. It's an accident, but nothing was really harmed. I'd be a bit more cautious and take time in your workspace though. It's better to be safe than randomly having stuff drop.

I've certainly had workplace screw ups in terrible retail jobs. The best you can do is be honest and forthright about it and accept responsibility for it right away. If you've done that, there really isn't anything you can be faulted for. And as was mentioned, if something was damaged while you were on the clock., it's the business' liability and not yours.

JamesKurtovich

You unintentionally knocked a machine over (something humans are known for doing from time to time) and now you're not "Geek Squad material" (whatever that is)?

I wouldn't worry about it. Work on bettering yourself, be a bit more cautious, and learn from the experience.

Nafe92014

RouteMyPacket wrote: »

Keep looking, Geek Squad will do jack squat for you and sounds like you work for an idiot anyway.

I 100% agree. Considering that I worked help desk at the hospital for a 4 month term position, I called my former supervisor there and he said they won't be hiring again for a while yet. To be honest, I'd take any IT job other than Geek Squad. Been here for 6 months already.

NotHackingYou

It was an accident! Whether they let you go for it or not, don't worry about it. Just keep learning and you'll do fine.

AverageJoe

Everyone makes mistakes and accidents do happen, but you should look at why it happened. Did you have the printer placed on an actual workbench or were you taking a short cut and working on it in an unapproved location? Is there a policy about securing equipment during different parts of the maintenance process? Were you rushing and not paying enough attention? Do you frequently make mistakes or cause accidents? Overall, are you a good employee who can be counted on or are you one that requires a lot of attention because you don't follow rules or can't do the job on your own? If none of that is a problem, then you're probably good to go.

However, the manager is there to keep things running optimally. If he wouldn't have said anything then you or other employees may have gotten the impression that it's no big deal to knock over equipment. And then the next tech who knocks something over or does something more seriously wrong would have pointed to your case and said no one reprimanded you, so it's not fair to reprimand the next time. Your boss has a responsibility to maintain standards.

Just my 2 cents.

BradleyHU

rep21 wrote: »

Stop working at geek squad and find a help desk or desktop support position?

lol i was gonna say this....trust me, worrying about whatever role you have @ Best Buy should be the least of your concerns...and i say this as someone who worked there for 6 months, and would never go back...

RHEL

lol that GM IS a jerk. Mistakes happen and the one you made really wasn't that bad. Someone else commented earlier in the thread about being unhappy as a customer picking up their item that wasn't 100%... Really though, that's extremely minor on the grand scheme of possible mistakes!

My first job out of undergrad, I was thrown in with a root password to manage thousands of servers for a global aerospace company. Some of these systems, if down, could amount to MILLIONS lost per minute. No joke. Additionally, our service level agreements stated that during an outage, if we were unable to restore service within four hours, major fines would be imposed (in the seven figures). Talk about pressure...

Soooo... A couple weeks into the job, I accidentally and abruptly halt a production ERP server out of pure negligence. Whoops! Fortunately, it was the secondary node of a cluster and did not impact production. I was not reprimanded, only teased.

In my current job, I was tracing cables in the back of a rack in one of our datacenters when a major power whip going into the rack flops down on the ground. No problems, we're redundant... Oh wait, apparently several servers were not plugged into the secondary power source and went down. This ended up taking down a production Virtual I/O server which supplied disks, NICs, HBAs, etc to multiple servers. Whoops. Turns out the power whip was faulty, but it still initially looked like I screwed up.

So, I'm just saying... Mistakes happen. Everyone makes them. Your GM is a jerk and if you get fired of that, you deserve to work somewhere better.

John-John

I am going to play devils advocate and say: you should have better reflexes if you want to work at Geek Squad. Part of the job is being able to have cat-like reflexes and agility just like ninjas. If you can't avoid accidents then what are you going to do when a really really expensive and important computer comes in and decides to fall over? Who is going to be around to catch it if not you?

Just kidding. Your employer had a bad day probably and is taking it out on you. When I worked in electronics we used to "drop test" stuff all the time. Of course that meant having to test the darn thing all over again and sometimes having to replace and repaint the chassis. But it happens. Your boss should be more understanding.

Nafe92014

I appreciate all of the feedback everyone .