Best Buy Sued For $54M Over Lost Laptop

Her plan is working perfectly. She chose $54m to get the media exposure.

Achievement Unlocked: Expose Best Buy Douchebaggery to Mainstream Media.
 
Campbell was informed that she had a bigger problem than a lost computer – the potential for identity theft. She also learned that Best Buy was in violation of the district's security breach notification law, which requires companies that have lost a consumer's data to tell them. To date, she has not received that notification.
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That's a big one for me. They broke the law by not informing her of the missing laptop that may contain personal info in a timely manor and lying about it to boot.
 
Obviously this chick isn't going to get $54million. I think it'll be settled outside of court and hopefully for her sake she gets some sort of compensation that’s a bit better than Best Buy's original shitty offer. The point of this lawsuit isn't a quick way to get rich. It's to catch people’s attention at the piss poor customer service she received and to act as a warning to other potential customers of Best Buy. Her plan to receive media attention has worked, her plan to warn potential customers I couldn't say if its worked or not because I already have a biased opinion of BB. I've personally have had bad customer service at a consistent rate with Best Buy and thus have decided not to business with the company anymore.
 
Sounds reasonable enough, but surely if she's genuinely concerned about identity theft being an issue, then whacking $54 million in her account isn't the best way to prove it?
 
Ha, about the whole customers buying a cd and returning the cd after they went to their car and said it was scratched.... I bought some memory at Best Buy for my computer one time, went out to my car and opened it and discovered that it was not only the wrong kind of memory, but half the amount I had purchased. The package wasn't sealed either so obviously when I went right back in the return it, they thought I was pulling a scam on them and wouldn't take it back. It also happened to be memory that they didn't even carry. My guess is someone returned that memory before and Best Buy didn't even check it and just resold it not realizing someone did actually switch the memory. So yeah Best Buy probably does get screwed sometimes, but I wouldn't find it crazy to believe that someone returning a scratched cd is trying to scam them. I've heard crazier stories of people purchasing computer hardware at Best Buy and getting home with a box full of rocks!
 
one hundred "ATA-BOY"'s can be wiped out with one "Oh-Shit..."

the thing is BB treated her like a insect and figured she would go away. i dont think she will ever see anything near 54 million, but i bet her suit got the attention of BB Corporate :p

and now the media has the story. one would think that with DoJ investigations, and Geek Squad employees hiding cams in teen aged girls bathrooms BB would tighten up... I do hope she is not a victim of identity theft. my niece was a year ago, and it is a nightmare. she is still trying to clear things up as bill collectors call her for shit she never bought. even when you can prove it was fraud, they are unrelenting.

BB Screwed the pooch on this one :rolleyes:

no animals were injured during the making of this post :p
 
A competent customer service manager could have resolved this in half an hour. They should have given her the cash or a new laptop comparable to the one BB lost. I would have also tossed in a $100 gift certificate to help compensate for the time she was without her computer. Now, BB has more negative publicity. Considering the current economy, this is not a good time to be fukin' up in the customer service dept. Should be a job opening soon...

I hope she can get whatever she (or her lawyers) can get.
 
ICOM said:
A competent customer service manager could have resolved this in half an hour. They should have given her the cash or a new laptop comparable to the one BB lost. I would have also tossed in a $100 gift certificate to help compensate for the time she was without her computer. Now, BB has more negative publicity. Considering the current economy, this is not a good time to be fukin' up in the customer service dept. Should be a job opening soon...

I hope she can get whatever she (or her lawyers) can get.
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The store manager should have let her have her pick of laptops from their stock. Along with their extra service plan, and the $100 dollar gift certificate.

Then even still should have kissed her freakin rear end up one side, and down the other.

Good for her, I hope she gets the $54 million. I also hope that the managers who she dealt with lose their jobs.

Poor customer service is the norm these days. It's absolutely ridiculous.
 
The guy who sued about the pants was a judge I believe. I also believe he lost reelection of his judgeship(?) for that.
 
This story did NOT surprise me one bit. Maybe at least something good will come of it.

Personally.. I hope she gets the full 54mil... Why.. cause BB has by far one of the worst customer service departments ever.

And to top it off... 99.9% of the people who work there don't even have a clue what they sell or anything about the stuff they sell if they do happen to know where in the store it is.

That is the main reason why CompUSA went out of business. They refused to hire competent people.
 
tvdang7 said:
how do you lose a laptop tho........
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After having worked in Best Buy stores and at the Best Buy service center I can tell you it is much easier to lose a computer than you would like to think and much easier to use than Best Buy would like to admit.
 
I hope she wins the $54 million. Everyone I've ever dealt with at Best Buy's customer service has either been absolutely useless or a total douchebag.
 
well maybe if she wins somebody out there (with her laptop) could identity theft her for the lot... ;D awesome.... some dude stole the laptop thinking he could scam a few free things off ebay, logs into a bank account with $54M ooooooohhh... that would be sweet
 
Ok so I stopped by the store where it happend, one guy that I used to work with still works there and gave me the low down. Apparently this story gets interesting as they have already settled with her by giving her a new laptop, $5,000 for legal fees, and her money back for the old one and the gift card worth 1k as well. Not to mention a letter of apology from corporate. Now I am happy this company is getting what it deserves for the overall lack of effort they put in customers but after finding out what she got (it was a $2,500 macbook pro) her $1100 back and 1000 in the best buy gift card, 5,000 in legal fees and the apology from Brad Anderson of Best buy, I think she needs to nip it in the bud. Anyhow just wanted to give you guys a heads up. Best buy still sucks fyi.
 
That's great that she got restitution, but that does not absolve BestBuy of their initial behavior and past behavior against other customers.

I have nothing but disdain for that company, and they need to be taken down a couple of notches.

F#^$ BestBuy!
 
I used to work for Bestbuy Here in SouthernCalifornia. We lost peoples stuff all the time becasue of not enough staff and poor training. Many things were told csutomers that werent true and the extended waranty seems like it good but isnt, you are out of a computer for 2-6 weeks to just replace a HDD that can be done instore. Bestbuy gettign what it deserves.
 
AthlonXP said:
Ok so I stopped by the store where it happend, one guy that I used to work with still works there and gave me the low down. Apparently this story gets interesting as they have already settled with her by giving her a new laptop, $5,000 for legal fees, and her money back for the old one and the gift card worth 1k as well. Not to mention a letter of apology from corporate. Now I am happy this company is getting what it deserves for the overall lack of effort they put in customers but after finding out what she got (it was a $2,500 macbook pro) her $1100 back and 1000 in the best buy gift card, 5,000 in legal fees and the apology from Brad Anderson of Best buy, I think she needs to nip it in the bud. Anyhow just wanted to give you guys a heads up. Best buy still sucks fyi.
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Am I the only one that doesn't even think she deserves that? They should have covered the cost of a comparable notebook based on specs and throw in an extended warranty or switched her old warranty to the new machine. End of story. The paperwork she signed covers them loosing the data. While I can understand being pissed that the store lied to her I lost all respect with her bs lawsuit and cry out for help.
 
swatbat said:
Am I the only one that doesn't even think she deserves that? They should have covered the cost of a comparable notebook based on specs and throw in an extended warranty or switched her old warranty to the new machine. End of story. The paperwork she signed covers them loosing the data. While I can understand being pissed that the store lied to her I lost all respect with her bs lawsuit and cry out for help.
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The 54m was just for media attention...i would have kept that up as long as BB didnt settle with me. The lady should have stopped all that when BB settled though. To keep going with it all is just a waste of time..it would just be thrown out of court.
 
It's funny how it's always some computer-illiterate person who's always afraid of their identity being stolen.

If someone stole my PC I'd lose some artwork I didn't back that week maybe, but who the hell keeps credit card numbers or anything important money-related on their hard drives? If someone stole my computer, I'd lose nothing I couldn't just re-install. I don't get these people.

Anyway, I hope the 50 million dollars is just a way to get their attention, 'cause there's no way anyone in their right mind could actually ask BB to pay her that much money...not even an American judge! :D
 
swatbat said:
Am I the only one that doesn't even think she deserves that? They should have covered the cost of a comparable notebook based on specs and throw in an extended warranty or switched her old warranty to the new machine. End of story. The paperwork she signed covers them loosing the data. While I can understand being pissed that the store lied to her I lost all respect with her bs lawsuit and cry out for help.
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Losing the laptop is one thing, but she apparently was lied to for weeks, and that to me is the real problem here. If they’d simply admitted to losing it in the first place, it wouldn’t have been nearly as bad. Lying repeatedly to cover up a mistake is completely unacceptable behavior and breaks the most basic trust in business.
 
Campbell was informed that she had a bigger problem than a lost computer – the potential for identity theft. She also learned that Best Buy was in violation of the district's security breach notification law, which requires companies that have lost a consumer's data to tell them. To date, she has not received that notification.
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dawp said:
That's a big one for me. They broke the law by not informing her of the missing laptop that may contain personal info in a timely manor and lying about it to boot.
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This.

I guarantee that is why BB settled so quickly. I would bet they would usually fight her on a suit like this because she did sign the waiver that says they are not responsible for lost data/etc. They would probably have a pretty good argument that they were only responsible for the replacement cost of the laptop.

However, when a company screws up and breaks the law somehow, they are usually VERY eager to settle the suit.

I represented a client in a suit against a car dealership (I usually only do estate planning, but it was for my great aunt so I went slumming for her :) ), and once I pointed out 5 separate laws that the dealership broke, they were more than happy to give the car for free (about $20,000), $25,000 in punitive damages ($5,000 per offense), and $8,000 in legal fees. Easiest $8,000 I have ever made and it taught the dealership a lesson or two about trying to screw old ladies.
 
heatlesssun said:
Losing the laptop is one thing, but she apparently was lied to for weeks, and that to me is the real problem here. If they’d simply admitted to losing it in the first place, it wouldn’t have been nearly as bad. Lying repeatedly to cover up a mistake is completely unacceptable behavior and breaks the most basic trust in business.
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Yea that is completely unacceptable. BB definitely needs to be held accountable for this, and for hiring employees who can manage to keep up with things. (not that BB employees are bad at all, but im sure there are a few.
 
stefan231 said:
I used to work for Bestbuy Here in SouthernCalifornia. We lost peoples stuff all the time becasue of not enough staff and poor training. Many things were told csutomers that werent true and the extended waranty seems like it good but isnt, you are out of a computer for 2-6 weeks to just replace a HDD that can be done instore. Bestbuy gettign what it deserves.
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You think getting a warrrenty for a laptop is bad? I have seen far more laptops that needed more spent on them during their 3 years or warrenty then the warrenty itself cost than I have seen not need work done on them.


Big D. said:
It's funny how it's always some computer-illiterate person who's always afraid of their identity being stolen.

If someone stole my PC I'd lose some artwork I didn't back that week maybe, but who the hell keeps credit card numbers or anything important money-related on their hard drives? If someone stole my computer, I'd lose nothing I couldn't just re-install. I don't get these people.

Anyway, I hope the 50 million dollars is just a way to get their attention, 'cause there's no way anyone in their right mind could actually ask BB to pay her that much money...not even an American judge! :D
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Ever hear of a program called Quicken. Its not a very popular piece of software so you might not have ever heard of it. Seriously though. Doing taxes on your computer is now a popular thing, as is online banking and using money programs like Quicken or Money. Not to mention tons of other programs that could be used by a small business to manage money. Does your work hand write every paycheck and W2 forms? If not do you want to guess how they did it?
 
swatbat said:
Am I the only one that doesn't even think she deserves that? They should have covered the cost of a comparable notebook based on specs and throw in an extended warranty or switched her old warranty to the new machine. End of story. The paperwork she signed covers them loosing the data. While I can understand being pissed that the store lied to her I lost all respect with her bs lawsuit and cry out for help.
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The losing data refers to crashing a drive or accidentally doing a secure erase of a HD, not losing the computer. The lawsuit is warranted. And if that 54M number clues a few people into how crappy bestbuy(sucks), then it was worth it.

Big D. said:
It's funny how it's always some computer-illiterate person who's always afraid of their identity being stolen.

If someone stole my PC I'd lose some artwork I didn't back that week maybe, but who the hell keeps credit card numbers or anything important money-related on their hard drives? If someone stole my computer, I'd lose nothing I couldn't just re-install. I don't get these people.

Anyway, I hope the 50 million dollars is just a way to get their attention, 'cause there's no way anyone in their right mind could actually ask BB to pay her that much money...not even an American judge! :D
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You never know what ends up on your computer. I don't store credit card numbers on my machine, but there might be something that leads to something that gets them enough info to use social engineering to steel my ID....not likely, but it could happen.

I'd think that most people that use quicken download their credit card and bank info with that program....and even if it's password protected, given enough time, someone could probably get the info.
 
They messed with a lady with money. Oops.

They deserve to lose $54m after offering a $900 gift card.

Too bad this cant be turned into a class action and cause them to lose hudnreds of millions. $900 gift card is just disgusting and horribly immoral.
 
I used to work at a Best Buy Geek Squad. Like every other company out there they cut costs by under-staffing departments so employees were constantly miss-placing things while they multi-tasked all day. Between processing repair orders for peoples' stuff and taking it back to be placed in queue I was often confronted with 3-4 other people/issues/questions/whatever before I even had a chance to place the stupid things down! I hope companies stop trying to solve problems like this with more retarded policies and finally figure out that they need to hire more people to make things work smoothly.

It might sound like I'm defending myself here, but I actually was never the one at fault. I only sympathize! We humans are not like computers, we aren't built for multi-tasking! We can only do one thing at a time (though most of us have learned how to interleave to some extent).
 
I'm from minnesota and i've always been a big supporter of best buy, even before EB and Gamestop really started messing with their customers with display copies and all that nonsense that compulsive gamers that PAY for new games hate, i still liked going to best buy and just physically choosing my own copy in its security case.

But i must say Best Buy has fucked me hard in the past, especially ones OUTSIDE of minnesota, i'm not sure if this is a coincidence or not, but the Best Buys in Los Angeles literally stole my money. They sold me a hard drive, i said the outerwrap seal on the box looked a little funny, the guy said it was fine but i made sure he noted it, i took it home and, oddly, SEALED in an ANTI-STATIC BAG was a rusted piece of a hard drive. I took it to the store, kindly asked them what the heck this was and for an exchange and they said no.

Granted, their reasoning was sound, how are they to know i didnt just toss something else in the box after i opened it? Then again the fact remains is that presuming i was telling the truth i had just gotten royally screwed by them.

**This was a few years ago, just last month though i was at an Arizona best buy and was looking at DS games and i saw Revenant Wings and though i might purchase it, it was the last copy though and i saw a VERY minor tear on the side of the seal, i tried not to let my compulsions get the best of me (and my annoyance that best buy has increasingly left off security boxes with more and more types of media since the old days) but i asked the guy if he had any more copies in the back that werent "blemished' as i put it.

So anyway the guy gives me a funny look and asks what the problem is, i explain my past story (although the truth was i wasnt suspicous, i literally was being a bit compulsive, the HD story was more of a front), so he says "alright lets check" and he rips the plastic off and opens it (at which point i would have refused to buy it anyway), and guess what, THE GAME WAS GONE.

Anyhow, it's alarming, but i must say all that nonsense has only happened to me outside of Minnesota.

P.S. irregardless of geography though i would say the Geeksquad department and their policies are dick-cheese, not merely from a observatory standpoint but at a desperate point i did use them, i asked them for further help with work they performed and they demanded more money instead of merely taking a look at the problem that was their original responsibility to fix, they also gave me lip. I think that all this time with Best Buy and they have become scam artists, i dont think i'd even trust a pre-paid for warranty with them (as convenient as such a thing would sound because then i'd have a local place with alot of connections able to physically look at my OEM when it breaks).
 
TheAmerican said:
I used to work for Best Buy. I loved tellling customers they were full of s**t when they would try to scam me. Like buying a CD, going to the car, then coming back in and saying that the CD was scratched to hell. Clearly, they switched for their CD that was bought 2 years ago and then run across the driveway.

I happen to think this lady is on the right track. She has guts for trying to shove up their a**. Companies and fellow Americans need to start protecting our own people. SS#'s and other personal stuff is of the utmost importance. Someone needs to man up and I am behind her for making BB do it.
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According to RIAA the customer didn't buy the CD he only bought a right to use it. Since the physical CD is property of RIAA/affiliates, the client should get a free replacement for the damaged media in order to exercise his bought right to use the media. Otherwise a full refund is in order.
 
the best buy here in MN sucks as well.........Rosedale store is the biggest offender
 
All I can say, go Raelyn go. She won't get 54 million and certainly doesn't expect to, but BB is scared crapless. I love to see this stuff. :)
 
sulfur_lad said:
All I can say, go Raelyn go. She won't get 54 million and certainly doesn't expect to, but BB is scared crapless. I love to see this stuff. :)
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I seriously doubt Best Buy is scared. Again I don't think this woman has a legal leg to stand on to get 54m in damages or even an 16th of that. Best Buy also has enough money to hire the best lawyers to deal with this. Trust me they aren't scared. The only thing that is bothering them is the bad PR.
 
Dan_D said:
I seriously doubt Best Buy is scared. Again I don't think this woman has a legal leg to stand on to get 54m in damages or even an 16th of that. Best Buy also has enough money to hire the best lawyers to deal with this. Trust me they aren't scared. The only thing that is bothering them is the bad PR.
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according to AthlonXP at the top of page 4:

Ok so I stopped by the store where it happend, one guy that I used to work with still works there and gave me the low down. Apparently this story gets interesting as they have already settled with her by giving her a new laptop, $5,000 for legal fees, and her money back for the old one and the gift card worth 1k as well. Not to mention a letter of apology from corporate. Now I am happy this company is getting what it deserves for the overall lack of effort they put in customers but after finding out what she got (it was a $2,500 macbook pro) her $1100 back and 1000 in the best buy gift card, 5,000 in legal fees and the apology from Brad Anderson of Best buy, I think she needs to nip it in the bud. Anyhow just wanted to give you guys a heads up. Best buy still sucks fyi.
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damn, no edit here.

basically she got what she wanted but i seriously doubt that this will change the way BB does business.
 
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