Company Launches Platform For Bidding on Computer Fixes

When Kevin Davis was nine years old, he learned he could tie a perfect square knot as long as he had a little help from his friend and fellow Boy Scout, Christian Shelton. Twenty years later, not much has changed, except nowadays the projects Davis has in mind may be more complicated than perfecting the square knot.

Davis, Shelton and another childhood friend, Peter Hatch, may not be household names yet, but they are down the path, having recently launched their company, based in Walnut Creek. The idea to start a company came about after Davis sent his laptop to Best Buy’s Geek Squad to resolve an issue. When the laptop was shipped from facility to facility for about a month and a half, Davis learned Geek Squad could not locate it.

Eventually, the laptop was found and shipped but Davis knew there must be a better way. Shortly thereafter, he got together with Shelton and later with Hatch to create Geekatoo. They are hoping to decrease customer wait time getting computer problems solved and in the process revolutionize the concept of competitive troubleshooting.

Geekatoo’s business process is straightforward. They match people needing in-person computer help with local and verified technical or support providers who compete for their business.

“It's bidding for local tech support, so you always get the best price,” said Davis. "Geeks," or providers, are judged by a ‘Geektitude Score,’ a composite of job performance, verifying identity, skill tests, and certifications. Clients receive bids sorted by Geektitude Score, and evaluate these bids based on Geektitude, costs, ratings, feedback, and profile.

The simplest way to describe “Geekatoo” is Ebay meets Match.com. So when a client who has a computer or any technical issue with a screen device submits a problem on the site, within an hour or two, “geeks” – technically proficient providers — bid against each other for the submitted job. After the client screens the qualifications of the possible candidates, the bids they offer, and other customer reviews, the “geek” is selected for hire. At this point, the client can choose to have the “geek” come to the home, a business place or a mutually agreeable location to complete the requested technical repairs.

If safety or security is a concern, Davis said he is confident in the “geeks” who have signed up to be part of the Geekatoo service. The “geeks” go through a screening process and they are ranked according to their qualifications. Some geeks have standard certifications in computer repair, while others can take a test online to show their qualifications. Once a profile is set up by a “geek,” Geekatoo verifies the college degree or certifications to ensure legitimacy.

 “We have Berkeley students, we have the college students who need money on the side, we have retired people who want to do it as a hobby, we have mom and pop computer repair stores, we have IT individuals who work during the day, but want to make a little money on the side,” he said. ”We have some incredibly talented people who are unemployed.”

Since many computer repair jobs can be equated to taking a problematic car in to a mechanic, the bids are set with three price points: inspection fee, an hourly rate and a maximum price. The inspection fee allows the “geeks” to assess the problem and give the client an estimated timeframe of the fix. The maximum price ensures the clients the geek will not go over that amount regardless of the problem or time it will take to solve the issue.

 “We have the deepest metrics whether Geeks are qualified that go beyond Yelp or most other websites, meaning as clients figure this out, we're hoping to be the no. 1 destination for finding a qualified geek near you,” said Davis. “We pay very close attention to people who sign up to our system, and we try to reach out to clients and geeks before the job is done and after the job is done. If there is anything going on, they can report the problem to us and let us know.”

Geekatoo offers services in home entertainment, mobile phones, graphics and designs, cameras and of course computers, but Davis and his fellow Murwood Elementary alums are hoping to expand in the near future into appliances and anything that plugs into a wall.

Right now, Geekatoo is three guys working from home. They contract out for some needed services: support and marketing.

Geekatoo is hitting its stride at a time when money is tight and technology is getting more complicated. While keeping the solution costs low to the customer and employing technology people in a time of scarce jobs, Geekatoo keeps both customers and employees happy. Its scalable business model is definitely giving it momentum as a needed service.