Interesting/Weird Stories in the News

From Yahoo! News:

Best Buy Loses Laptop: Owner Sues... for $54 Million

Tue Feb 12, 2008 11:33PM EST

Don't dismiss Raelyn Campbell as a crackpot. Not yet. Listen to her story, and then decide if she's doing the right thing by asking Best Buy to compensate her to the tune of $54 million for a laptop that went missing when she took it in to Best Buy for repair under the store's own extended warranty.

Like many people, Campbell bought an extended warranty for her laptop when she bought it from Best Buy, and she took advantage of that when the power button broke off after a year. Best Buy accepted the machine for repair and said it would be ready in two to six weeks. But six weeks passed and the computer wasn't ready. After three months of ruthlessly hounding the company, Best Buy finally admitted it couldn't find the machine.

Ultimately, Best Buy offered to pay her $900 for losing the machine... as a gift card. She countered that it had originally cost over $1,100, not to mention all her data that was now gone for good. She demanded $2,100, and Best Buy simply ignored her.

At this point, Campbell was made aware that all her personal data on the machine could lead to a major identity theft issue, though Best Buy never filed their legally required notice that she was at risk. That was the last straw, and she filed suit for $54 million, representing herself. Best Buy has since upped its offer to a total of $4,100 if she withdraws the case. She says she doesn't expect to win, but wants to go to court anyway to force Best Buy to explain how her laptop was lost.

I have to agree that $54 million seems wildly optimistic, but it's amazing to hear how smug Best Buy has been throughout this process. Lowball, "go-away" offers that don't even value property properly, much less the value of the data inside it, are frankly embarrassing, and good for Campbell for making an issue out of it... even if she doesn't ultimately prevail.

------------------------------------------
Yeah, she won't get anywhere close to the $54M, but it's great to see Best Buy get embarrassed by the bad publicity... :victory:

bmwracer wrote:From Yahoo! News:

Best Buy Loses Laptop: Owner Sues... for $54 Million

Best Buy is a hunk o' shit...Their prices suck, their employees are dolts, and their customer service is crap. One time I had to return something for repair under their extended warranty plan...it took them 3 months.

The only thing right is that yellow is part of their stores' trade dress....cuz they do a piss poor job at serving their customers.

Tu_triky wrote:Best Buy is a hunk o' shit...Their prices suck, their employees are dolts, and their customer service is crap. One time I had to return something for repair under their extended warranty plan...it took them 3 months.

Yes on all counts... I hate that place.

I hope this lead to some major consumer revolt against Best Buy... They need to get a heaping helping of humble pie.

bmwracer wrote:
Yes on all counts... I hate that place.

I hope this lead to some major consumer revolt against Best Buy... They need to get a heaping helping of humble pie.

They stank. The only reason I went there in the first place was, at the time, I had received a gift card 2 years prior and I finally decided to go spend it on something.

I don't think I'll ever be going back...actually I've heard lots of casual complaints from friends about their abhorrent service.

Tu_triky wrote:I don't think I'll ever be going back...actually I've heard lots of casual complaints from friends about their abhorrent service.

And their store policies suck, too.

bmwracer wrote:
And their store policies suck, too.

Don't doubt it...like I said it was a one time affair. One time I went in there when I was shopping for my replacement TV....just to see their prices...they are ridiculous. For the prices you pay there you would at least hope you're getting some sort of value-added customer service...but you don't.

I've never had a problem with Best Buy before, and I go there often for Xbox games. Mind you, I don't have much of an opinion on them, either. I do find service at Future Shop better... but I think they're practically the same company... so whatever.

Where do you guys usually shop for all your tech needs?

Wynter wrote:I've never had a problem with Best Buy before, and I go there often for Xbox games. Mind you, I don't have much of an opinion on them, either. I do find service at Future Shop better... but I think they're practically the same company... so whatever.

Where do you guys usually shop for all your tech needs?

Honestly, almost all my electronic/technology purchases these days are done online...the brick and mortar/big box stores cannot compete on price and usually I don't have to pay sales tax either.

Tu_triky wrote:

Honestly, almost all my electronic/technology purchases these days are done online...the brick and mortar/big box stores cannot compete on price and usually I don't have to pay sales tax either.

Ahhhh okies. When we made my sister's PC, we bought all the parts from a small computer store run by (a very good looking) Chinese guy. The whole lot was dirt cheap.

Wynter wrote:

Ahhhh okies. When we made my sister's PC, we bought all the parts from a small computer store run by (a very good looking) Chinese guy. The whole lot was dirt cheap.

Takeshi Kaneshiro?

Tu_triky wrote:

Takeshi Kaneshiro?

I'd buy a computer for each family member (all 45 of them) if he worked at that shop. :smitten:

Too bad he ain't Chinese. Too bad he ain't an employee. Too bad he lives only in my dreams. :pout:

Wynter wrote:

I'd buy a computer for each family member (all 45 of them) if he worked at that shop. :smitten:

Too bad he ain't Chinese. Too bad he ain't an employee. Too bad he lives only in my dreams. :pout:

He is Chinese...he's half-Taiwanese.

Tu_triky wrote:

He is Chinese...he's half-Taiwanese.

O right, the Republic of China.

Tu_triky wrote:Don't doubt it...like I said it was a one time affair. One time I went in there when I was shopping for my replacement TV....just to see their prices...they are ridiculous. For the prices you pay there you would at least hope you're getting some sort of value-added customer service...but you don't.

Yeah, you don't.

They got hammered several years back for trying to force customers to purchase service agreements and withholding in-stock items if people didn't buy the service agreements...

Bastards. :grumble:

bmwracer wrote:
Yeah, you don't.

They got hammered several years back for trying to force customers to purchase service agreements and withholding in-stock items if people didn't buy the service agreements...

Bastards. :grumble:

That is so whack. :shakehead:

Wynter wrote:

O right, the Republic of China.

Appellation notwithstanding, the only reason Taiwan became flooded with ppl was the Chinese Nationalists fled the mainland after they were defeated by Mao and the Communists. There are some native, aborginal Taiwanese peoples but obviously they make up a small portion of the population.

Wynter wrote:I've never had a problem with Best Buy before, and I go there often for Xbox games. Mind you, I don't have much of an opinion on them, either. I do find service at Future Shop better... but I think they're practically the same company... so whatever.

Yes, they're the same. What pisses me off is they try to make people afraid, the product their buying is no good. Then they sell you an extended warranty. Even before Christmas, one employee tried to sell, for a couple in their 40's, an extended warranty for a PS3. The FS (FutureShop or FullofShit) employee told them the controllers were breaking after 2 years. The console was on sale for only 1 year... so I how f did he know. Some guy told them, so they didn't take the warranty. :mrgreen: They were very happy. BTW, the employee receive 50% of the warranty. You can make a lot of dough with that.

For games, they are still better than ebgames. Sometimes they sell you used games for the price of a new one. I even had savegames once, on a new DS games. They are usually $10 more than FS and BB too. :usuck:

Wynter wrote:I'd buy a computer for each family member (all 45 of them) if he worked at that shop. :smitten:

45! Damn. Your parents are like bunnies. :sweat: Probably lots of twins and triplets?

Tu_triky wrote:Honestly, almost all my electronic/technology purchases these days are done online...the brick and mortar/big box stores cannot compete on price and usually I don't have to pay sales tax either.

Yes. :victory:

tabana wrote: 50%

Wow that's a huge slice of pie!

Tu_triky wrote:Wow that's a huge slice of pie!

There's your motivation for employees to try to ramrod warranties up the customer's A..... :grumble: