A reader pointed me towards this press release from the Nerds On Site website that addresses that CBC Marketplace video that I posted yesterday. Just in case you missed it, let me recap. If you watch the video the Nerd in question not only completely blows the diagnosis of the issue, but then says the computer has to go to a “clean room” to get fixed and it will cost the customer (who is of course a Marketplace producer) two thousand dollars to recover the data on the computer. Also, he copies the data of the computer and leaves with it (wow, what a violation of privacy). Yet in the press release, Nerds On Site says:
“This is the third investigative report in which Nerds On Site has been featured and the first time that we have not been able to resolve the issue. We were surprised and disappointed by this service call and have taken immediate corrective action.”
Okay. So they’ve taken corrective action…. Great. In the report done by CBC Marketplace, the Nerd was supposed to be fired. But at the time they aired the report, he was still working for them, but not making house calls.
That doesn’t sound like corrective action to me. Perhaps I am missing something. Well, the press release offers more insight:
“We apologized to the Customer and provided a full refund. We’ve tightened our Customer Service and Interaction system even further. Company invoices now communicate two of the company’s Rules Of Engagement concerning the treatment of hardware and the treatment of data. Client authorization is required for any exception to the Rules, which state, “NO equipment or data can be removed from the client’s site. All Client data is private property and is NOT to be transferred to any device not owned by the Client.” The company has also made three of its University of NERDology courses – pertaining to hardware treatment, data treatment and the residential Client Needs Assessment process – mandatory refreshers for all Nerds.”
So let me get this straight….
- The tech that gave them bad press is still working for Nerds On Site
- They’ve changed their invoices to make sure that it’s clear what happens to customer data.
- They’ve enhanced their training.
I’ll give them points on items two and three. Assuming that they actually follow through and the Nerds on the street actually do the stuff that they say they’re going to do, that’s a good thing. However the fact that the tech (as of the date of the CBC broadcast) was still working for them bothers me. I wouldn’t want him or ANYONE LIKE HIM working on any computer I own. Nor would I want him employed in any company I own or run. They should be ashamed to have someone like him working for Nerds On Site.
Perhaps in that regard they’ve joined the denial camp? Only time will tell I guess.
UPDATE: The original CBC Marketplace story is no longer available. So I’ve linked to a video of the story below:
Also, the press release is now offline.