Ever wonder what those guys at Best Buy and Future Shop do exactly when you bring them your malfunctioning computer? A new investigation by Sky News (London) looked at just that. No, they didn’t look specifically at the larger chains (Best Buy is already in a world of hurt and doesn’t need any more bad publicity), but rather at small, independent shops around their region. Equipped with pre-installed security software and an easily fixable problem (loose RAM), an attractive young woman brought in her notebook, complaining simply that “it won’t turn on.”

When the repairmen finally solve the problem, many of them try to overcharge her. Shockingly, others began to root around for anything they might find of value. We’ll let the video speak for itself.

Now I know what you’re thinking: I would have never checked the RAM. Yeah, me either. Good to know. But seriously, I’m sure a lot of you are now wary, apprehensive, and even downright suspicious and mistrustful of computer repair technicians. But what can you do? Surely it’s not feasible to wipe your notebook every time you bring it in for servicing. And finding a trustworthy “computer guy” is probably even less likely.

First off, the article is biased (sorry people, but all news is, by definition). It’s been set up to maximize the likelihood that a story will be manufactured (in this case, taking it to the repair shops that would most likely provide a good bit of sensationalism). At this point, we truly have no idea just how many “bad apples” there are out there, rummaging through your holiday photos (marking a folder “private” just begs a peak, doesn’t it?). There may or may not be a cause for concern. If I, independently, told 5 criminals to hold my wallet while I went into a public bathroom and 4 of them ran off with it, does that mean we can’t trust anyone? Surely it matters where you take your PC just as much as who you ask to hold your belongings. Use those heuristics to help minimize the risks.

Furthermore, we just don’t know the extent of the problem based on this footage (surely it’s not as widespread as the video would have you believe), and quite frankly, I’m a little suspicious. After all, why send in a gorgeous, female model? I wonder if circumstances would have been different with a man. It’s a matter of fact that women pay more for cars and car repairs than their male counterparts. I have little doubt gender didn’t played a crucial role.

Ah, the growing pains of the information age.