MODERN technology is great, but why does it have to be so damn complicated? That’s a thought that has probably occurred to most of us as we have struggled to get our computer to “talk” to a printer, a music player or a digital camera. And don’t even mention that so-called broadband connection.

Problems with the digital paraphernalia of modern life are often the cause of hours of frustration and tediously long calls to technical-support lines. Many people would happily pay a small fee for someone to take over their problem and just fix it.

That help is on its way to Britain in the shape of the Geek Squad, a crack team of techie “special agents”, loosely and humorously styled as a sort of uniformed FBI. Forced to wear white socks with their black shoes and black clip-on ties, “you pretty much have to have no ego to dress this way”, the company claims.

The Geek Squad, an American firm that has formed a joint venture with Carphone Warehouse, is not the only one that has spotted an opportunity in rescuing us from IT hell. DSG, the group that owns Currys and Dixons, is setting up The Tech Guys along similar lines.

However, the Geek Squad is the original model. In America, the business has grown to 12,000 badge-carrying agents, but still bears the imprint of Robert Stephens, its founder and “chief inspector”. Stephens, 37, said he chose the name both because he wanted to imply size, and because “I wanted it to have a sense of humour”.

“I am not going to be goofy about fixing your computer. I am dead serious,” he said. “But I don’t want you to think that I take myself too seriously.”

Stephens also insists that the Geek Squad should not make its customers feel like idiots. “We are not the hero; you’re the hero. We are not Batman; we’re Alfred (Batman’s butler).”

A dab hand at repairs since he was a child, Stephens began the business in 1994, when he was working as a low-paid researcher living on “rum and noodles” at the University of Minnesota. He spotted the opportunity when his landlord let him off a month’s rent after he had fixed a broken tumble dryer — just a few minutes’ work.

“I started my company with a mountain bike and a cell phone,” said Stephens. “The best thing that ever happened to me is that I had no money when I started out. If I had, I would have hired a PR company and a branding agency. But everything is authentic.”

Charles Dunstone, Carphone’s chief executive, is keen to change as little as possible in adapting the business for Britain. “The great thing about the brand is all the passion and enthusiasm and sense of humour of Robert in it. It would be a great mistake to change it. If you talk to people who have dealt with (the Geek Squad) over the phone or had somebody turn up to their home, they think it’s fantastic. They do what they promise.”

In America, the business adopted the Volkswagen Beetle as its official squad car in 2000. In Britain, the Geek Squad is considering a return to two-wheeled transport, and is looking at folding bikes as a way of quickly getting round London’s Tube system.

(The Carphone joint venture will initially be limited to within the M25.) Stephens expects his uniformed agents to cause a stir on Tube trains, which will help to spread the word. He is a great believer in the power of word-of-mouth recommendation, and has resisted putting the company’s telephone number on the side of its Beetles. “It forces you to travel the road less travelled,” he said. “It requires us consistently to be seen to be different.”

Wearing his chief inspector’s uniform, Stephens said he has to take “50 business cards every morning when I go and do my grocery shopping”.

Dunstone is not revealing how much the Geek Squad will charge. In America prices range from $59 (£30) to install wifi security to $349 to remove viruses and put in new defences. Customers are likely to be offered the option of a monthly subscription, similar to existing electrical warranties.

The initial focus in Britain is expected to be Carphone customers struggling with their internet connections — in part reflecting the difficulties Dunstone had with the launch of his “free” Talk Talk broadband service this year.

One of the great advantages of the tech-support business, according to Stephens, is that the geeks themselves don’t need too much training. “The geeks that we hire, they can do anything,” he said. “It does not matter if the technology changes. Because they’re geeks, they’re already staying up playing with this stuff.”

Stephens and the team at Carphone Warehouse are now looking for British geeks. “They’re out there playing video games and attending kung-fu film festivals. It’s okay to be uncool,” said Stephens.