"Privacy in Peril" Draft Op-ed

America’s privacy protection laws and policies are perilously inadequate. If my recent experience with America’s largest consumer electronics retailer is any indication, more proactive approaches are urgently needed, lest countless consumers fall victim to the costly and increasingly common crime of identity theft.

The Federal Trade Commission etimates that as many as 10 million Americans each year have their identities stolen, either through sophisticated scams or “low-tech” schemes. Losses to businesses and consumers may approach $53 billion per year.

In response to particularly egregious violations in recent years, both the public and private sector have upgraded consumer protection policies, and most states have adopted legislation to mandate prompt notification of potential privacy breaches to customers.

Nevertheless, I have learned the hard way that laws and policies – in the absence of aggressive enforcement – fall short.

Around May 25, a laptop that I entrusted to my local Best Buy store for repair was stolen. Based on indications that proper procedure was not followed on that day and an employee’s revelation that a false record was created weeks later, I believe that the perpetrator of the crime was a Best Buy employee and that the store tried to hide the theft.

As if the store’s initial actions were not appalling enough, Geeksquad “customer service” agents responded to follow-up inquiries with lies about the repair status and location of the phantom computer. These tactics continued until early August, when one conscientious employee finally saw fit to disclose the fact that there was no record that the computer had ever left the store.

More importantly, tax, financial, and other sensitive personal information saved on my laptop were in the hands of a criminal throughout the entire process. Despite this, not once did a single Best Buy representative prioritize (or acknowledge) my vulnerability to identity theft. The first warning I received about potential exposure and the need to protect myself came in late October – from a lawyer I consulted, not Best Buy.

Local statutes and laws in its home state of Minnesota should have compelled Best Buy to disclose the theft and potential privacy breach to me immediately. Best Buy’s official privacy policy asserts that it takes “great care in safeguarding… personal information and in complying with all applicable federal and state privacy laws and our own internal standards and best practices.” Best Buy’s systematic failure to honor its ethical and legal obligations to protect my interests belies this claim and left me unnecessarily exposed for months.

Fortunately for me, whoever has my computer failed to leverage the information it contained before I could subscribe to credit monitoring and identity theft protection services. Unfortunately, I will be forced to bear this cost and concern for years to come.

Were it an isolated incident, rather than the latest in a series of publicized violations by Best Buy and other companies, I would probably walk away without wondering if my experience is but the tip of the iceberg. Were it the act of a single employee rather than an organization-wide culture of disregard for obligations to its customers, I probably would not believe as strongly as I do that the issues involved merit broader consideration.

First, we as consumers need to take responsibility to get better informed about the risks of identity theft, what we can do to minimize vulnerability to it, and how and when we should report violations.

Second, the government should continue efforts to raise awareness. Moreover, local officials and Congressional leaders should ensure existing and pending legislation adequately address consumer needs and empower authorities with the mandate and resources to aggressively enforce the laws.

Third, laws, enforcement policies, and the courts should emphasize prevention of identity theft as well as restitution for damages after personal information is compromised. Authorities should proactively pursue cases where failure to hold a company accountable for ineffective policies could result in significant damages to consumers if practices are left unchanged – even if the initial case does not involve widespread damages.

Finally, Best Buy and other companies should undertake independent audits of the effectiveness of policies and educate employees on the importance of giving privacy protection the priority it deserves.

Five months of calls, visits, and letters to Best Buy went unheeded, so I requested help from the authorities in October. Best Buy’s response: a low-ball compensation offer and a statement to the Attorney General’s Office that “Best Buy feels we have appropriately addressed this issue.”

I disagree, and have filed a lawsuit with the hope that court and public scrutiny might motivate Best Buy to change its assessment and take action to prevent harm to future customers. I doubt I am Best Buy’s first and only victim, but, by bringing attention to the issues and urging aggressive responses, I hope to be among its last.

Raelyn Campbell is a former Best Buy customer. Her blog can be found at: bestbuybadbuyboycott.blogspot.com.

248 comments:

1 – 200 of 248   Newer›   Newest»
Anonymous said...

Raelynn,

I caught the headlines of your incident and read the article and your blog. All I have to say is GOOD FOR YOU!!! I think its outstanding and I think it is long overdue. I have seen this coming for awhile, which is why I have avoided Best Buy's computer business for awhile. Best of luck and I hope you get EVERY PENNY.

Anonymous said...

You are crazy.

Anonymous said...

This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. $54 million dollars....please! You are exactly what is wrong with the American society who thinks they can exploit the legal system to get rich quick. Take your refund, gift card, maybe a few thousand dollars and get on with your life.

Anonymous said...

I too was a VICTIM OF BEST BUY.
AND I live not more than a few miles from their Corporate Headquarters.
AND my BEST friend worked for one of their VP's!
We purchased 2 MPS players called Jukebox MP3s a few years back one night a few days before christmas.
we got the items home and there WAS NOTHING in the 2nd items box, except 1/2 of a broken set of headphones and a laptop battery.
When we called the store we were told "too bad", its our problem and we should have looked before we left the store. Dont come back since its our scam and the police would be called if we tried to return to the store with the problem.
We then called our attorneys and after 2 letters sent to Best Buy, we were told to basically take a flying leap and that they really didnt care what we did.
The items were $450 each then by the way.
After telling my Best friend this information, she took the letters from the attorneys, and the boxed item which still had its wrapping on it to her superior.
They noticed that it had secondary store rewrapped plastic on it.
Like it had been opened and then rewrapped by someone in the store or outside the store and then put back on the shelf.
They even saw that someone had restickered the item, then re wrapped and not the other way around in which it should have been.
The store manager called me that day and said " I am sorry for your issues, but all we can offer you is a gift card for a total of $250 and we will admit no wrongdoing.
I wanted it overwith and took it.
I should not have.
This company has done this type of thing before from what I have been hearing.
My own parents had the same thing happen to them when they bought a VCR many years ago.
They were told to go home and never come back, and that it was their scam.
If you or ANYONE you know has had problems like this or any other prepurchase or loss, or theft of items at Best Buy or any STORE.
Please contact your State Attorney Generals Office, Then Contact the Better Business Bureau, and Do us ALL a favor,
Contact ANGIES LIST at ANGIESLIST.com where businesses in your area are truly followed up on and the customer has a voice!

And of course all of this is simply my opinion and my experiences with one company.
Imagine that.

Sincerely
T. Ziesmer
Plymouth, MN.

Anonymous said...

You're nothing but a self centered, Obama-voting, lawyer-loving, world-owes- me-everything, whining brat. Talk about a sense of entitlement. Geez. Just because you live in the hyper-liberal, anti-business (unless your a minority business of course), anti-corporate DC microcosm of "what's right is right and darn it I have rights!" doesn't entitle you to think that the world, Best Buy, or anyone for that matter gives a rat's about your stupid laptop. I have a number you can call to retrieve your laptop: 1-800-who-cares. Today I'm going to Best Buy to get some stuff and tell them that it's in spite of people like you.

Anonymous said...

To those that previously commented that "You are crazy" and "This is the most ridiculous thing..." You should be thanking and praising this person for standing up for all our rights! I suspect you posted your responses without first reading the VERY NICELY and DETAILED DOCUMENTED complaint and history; if you read it and still posted as you did, then I feel sorry for you and those that believe likewise; you are weak and spineless.
To Raelynn - follow through! What you are doing is standing up for consumers EVERYWHERE!
Rick

Anonymous said...

This company has some major problems. Bait and switch is one of their big scams. With their corporate promotion of mis-representation and deceit in marketing, is it any wonder that some of their employees think it's ok to steal from the customers. Since you've alerted me that their employees can't be trusted, it will be a cold day before I hand anything over to their trust. Keep after them. Mayby they'll clean up their act.

Anonymous said...

Saw you on CNN. GO FOR IT!!! I had my 9 month old computer serviced by Best Buy 2x in a row and the last time I swear - it didn't even turn on - and they had the nerve to say it was repaired. I did get a new one after MUCH arguing, but I've never bought another thing from them in almost 6 years. Everything we bought from them in that one yr period broke - phone, camera, etc. I've had no problems since shopping at Circuit City. GOOD LUCK!

Anonymous said...

I think this is long over due. They have played similar tricks with us. I completely stopped going to Best Buy. They sold me service plan for a vaccume cleaner saying that they will also clean it once every three months. When I took it for cleaning, I was abused saying that I am day dreaming. They do not have any control on their store employee and they are commissioned. So they do anything to sell - they can even steal your credit card to charge the sale and get commission on that. BE CAREFUL SHOPPING AT BEST BUY. They should actually put a sign outside their store SHOP AT YOUR RISK.

People making fun of this law suit - get in trouble once and be abused by Best Buy - you will know why this is important. I should say this suit should be for $54 billion; provided you keep your expenses and fair compensation and give the rest to the community.

Unknown said...

While I agree with the other commentors that 54 million does seem to be a ridiculous number, I have also had a horrible experience with Bestbuys Geek squad. I should also let you know that they have linked your story on the Drudgereport.com.

My own experience was in June of last year when I took my fully functioning desktop to their Edmond, Oklahoma branch to have another hard drive installed. It took them a week to get my computer back to me. I asked the tech if there were any issues with the installation and he said it went perfectly. When I got home and tried to turn my computer on it wouldn't start up. I looked inside the tower case and my hard drives weren't even hooked up.
I took the computer back to the store, more than a little annoyed. The squad tech was apologetic and took my computer back. It was a week later before I finally got word that I needed to talk to the Geek Squad supervisor. I called several times during this wait to try and get an answer on how long my replacement would take and kept getting the run around.
When I went in to talk to their supervisor he informed me that their techs could not install the hard drive and that my mother board was failing. Since my mother board was failing they stated that it wouldn't be possible to install the hard drive. I was angry as all hell. I took them a working computer and received a broken one in return.
After many insulting exchanges where the best buy employees were initially helpful then rude. Several conversations with the general manager I finally accepted a refund for services not met and took my computer to a local privately owned repair chain. They had my computer up and running perfectly within five hours. Bestbuy's incompetence has insured that I will never use nor recommend them for any service in the future.
I wish you luck in resolving your matter with them.

Anonymous said...

So you asked for $2,110.35, then offered to settle for $2,500, then told the Washington AG that you'd "settle" for $5,000. Now, you are tying up the legal system and contributing to one of the biggest causes of price increases, business insurance increases etc, by filing a suit demanding an obscenly exploitive amount of money. $54 Million?? For a lost Laptop??? You're sick.

I understand the frustration, the anger, even the sadness of losing photos, music, documents or whatever else was on your laptop and I too would not have accepted their original or even their 2nd offer. But, seriously??? $54 Million dollars??? Get over yourself!

What a grotesque waste of the court system.

A smart person, who was invested in protecting their data would have had those things saved to CDs or an external hard drive. Saving your identity information on a laptop is just plain stupid. Leaving your identity information, apparently unsecured, on your laptop, then taking it in and leaving it for repair is moronic.

Best Buy should have ZERO responsibility for your needing to "protect yourself" from potential identity theft.

Get the FAIR AMOUNT owed to you for your "pain and suffering" and get your stupid suit out of the system. If they offer you $10 grand, that's MORE than enough to compensate you fairly. You're just being greedy, thoughtless, and self serving.

bill winn said...

If your motive for seeking such a large settlement, 54 million dollars, is to drive Best Buy to a better policy concerning situations like yours then you agree that you are not suing them to make yourself rich. So will you sign a pledge to donate the money to charity?

bill winn said...

If your motive for seeking such a large settlement, 54 million dollars, is to drive Best Buy to a better policy concerning situations like yours then you agree that you are not suing them to make yourself rich. So will you sign a pledge to donate the money to charity?

Anonymous said...

hahahahahahahahahahaha...crazy indeed.

1. to enact policy change you should have evidence that there is a history of policy inefficiencies...not just you happen to be the 1 that had a problem.

2. Fair market value should be offered to replace THAT model of laptop...not a large amount of money so you can go buy the newest most expensive thing on the market.

3. Suing for 54 million...HAHAHAHAHAHA... you lost a laptop...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...54 MILLION? Were there top secret irreplacable documents stored on there that are not backedup anywhere in the world. Was there a cure for cancer on the laptop that is now in someones hands for them to reap benefits? 54 MILLION....hahahaha...give me a break.

Anonymous said...

Initially when I read about this in the paper, I thought it was another extortion attempt just like the judge with the pants. Upon reading the facts, it became very clear (and believable) that BB decided upon the tactic of making it so painful to seek justice that she would simply give up. She made multiple reasonable attempts to bring this to a conclusion, which BB in their arrogance, dismissed. Normally, high dollar amounts are unrealistic when both parties are reasonable and trying to bring about a solution. BB is not. At this point, I say, BB should settle for $100K and use it as a lesson learned about bad business practices.

Anonymous said...

I, too had a "lost computer" problem for 2 1/2 months with Best Buy. And, yes, the Geek Squad people gave me several stories about where my computer went. Each one said I'd get a call within 48hrs. Never happened. Ultimately, I was given a new computer. I told them I'd be after them if identity theft occured.

tntlitz said...

We boycotted years ago.Our ezperiences aside, our close friend who is a local business owner of a high end bath company bought 4 speakers for his house and when he opened the boxes the speakers were used....the company did similar things...lied, accuses him of doing it, refusing to take care of it... it took his contractor to straighten it out and here he is a local merchant.

Anonymous said...

After coming across this lunancy, I felt compelled to respond: I agree, in part, with the poster who stated that "you are what is wrong with this country." In addition to the multitude of things which are "wrong" with the country, you are but one small cog in that machine: true, a raving nut-job of a cog. I did not have the stomach to read all of your blathering about the incident: suffice it to say that there is no possible way that this can be a legitimate claim. It boggles my mind; especially after you TOOK the FAIR compensation offered by the company. You like the woman who burned herself with coffee, and the man who sued the dry cleaners for his lost pants: something for nothing. I wonder if I can sue you (and them) for being complete and total morons? I think that I will pursue it with my attorney. Why should you be the only one to get paid: I too, have suffered at the hands of Best Buy, via you.

That, however, is merely my opinion. If you did not wish it, you should not have started this blog.

J. Smith

Anonymous said...

Life is way too short lady - end this now, swallow your pride and move on to more important things. We, too, had a bad experience with The Geek Squad. We accepted their compensation, no longer use their services and have moved on. Please do the same and quit making an idiot of yourself.

Anonymous said...

To anonymous 2/13/08 9:953 AM: Raelynn said she was the first to admit that the amount was ridiculous. How exactly is she "what is wrong with the American society"??? What seems to be wrong to me is how these corporations think they can screw people over and they have people like you in the palms of their hands. Someone like you would take the money and move on and would never fight for change.

Raelynn: More power to ya!!

Anonymous said...

Oh Geez, spare me your drama. You are really "Falling on the sword" for all of Best Buy's future customers... That is a lame attempt at finding a reason to sue. You should be ashamed of yourself and it's because of disgraceful leeches like you that our insurance rate are astronomical. Get a friggin grip on reality lady.

But since, "all comments must be approved by the blog author" I am quite confident that this won't be put on your blog.

DLS said...

you loose all credibility when you sue for $54 mil. You look like a scam artist even though you make some good points. Would you agree to donate everything over say $10,000 to charity? Or are you really just another person who thinks they are owed something?
Will you do it?

Anonymous said...

Raelynn - your situation reflects how we as a consumer base best “change” in order to adjust to the reality of today's marketplace ... and not simply “adjust” in order to change!

A major difference, and not a semantic/wordsmithing play … the former being a proactive response, and the later being reactive ... which is totally not my or it seems your approach.

The choice of changing the system, rather than adapting/adopting the status quo, is a no-brainer! We either change our approach, or else passively accept things others are/have planned for us.

You go!

Anonymous said...

Your an idiot, yes your laptop was lost while in the care of Best Buy. However, if you keep that much personal information on your laptop your the one with the problem not Best Buy. Every 10 year old knows not to put important personal information on any computer. All important information should be saved on another device like a flash drive or external hard drive. Your personal information is safer now that Best Buy lost it than you tooling it around with you online with no protection and sorry Norton and spysweeper are not adequate if you really keep that much personal data on your PC. Another thing, did Best Buy lose it or did the shipping company lose it? Best Buy uses UPS, FedEx and DHL. So did it get lost while being shipped or while they were handling it.

I agree that they should have fixed it sooner but suing them for your personal protection is ludicrus. YOUR THE ONE who put your personal data on your computer, and like I stated above it would be so much easier to get that information off someone like yours PC without you losing it or it actually being in someone elses hands. If you put that much data on your PC it was most likely as easily accessible to someone who would steal it as it was to you. So good luck in looking like a fool your doing a great job so far.

Unknown said...

Raelyn,You are indeed a courageous warrior and I wish you the best!!
I learned years ago that Best Buy was an incompetent company to deal with. They lost a printer that I had brought in for repairs. No one seemed to know where it was or for that fact cared.
It became very clear to me that the Company had reached it's "Peter Principle". They do not have the skilled people in all areas to do a proper job. Yet they seem to be able to construct a huge new center office and pay high wages to the upper management. Seems as though they have forgotten how to maintain their clients. In time they too shall fall unless they change their approach to the customer. Unfortunately that seems to be the way of the computer industry. I just went through hoops with Micro Center. Spent a pile of money and my computer still doesn't work..
As we discussed this in line at the Mpls. store the general consensus was get a cheap, no nuts and bolts computer. Buy no repair contracts and when it dies, throw the piece of junk out. But then what is that doing to our environment!!
I wish you all the success in this battle.
St Paul,MN

Anonymous said...

We had an issue with my daughters laptop. It had stopped running and we brought it in for repair diagnoses. We informed them that if it could not be repaired we would tke it to a recovery shop and get off my daughters college letters, projects and many photographs. When we returned they had to format it and did not even reinstall windows! We were furious and asked to see the technician, he was off that day at the Junior College going to school. We lost everything on her computer after specifically telling them not to do that, and they still tried to charge us! Needless to say we tell everyone this story and do not go there anymore. GOOD LUCK!

Anonymous said...

I think I'd settle for $25 Million, then ask Beast Buy President to buy 100 15 Second spots on TV saying they were wrong.

Think your going to have to settle for what was offered, the lawyers will get rich out of this deal

Anonymous said...

I can tell a lot about your personality by reading your case. You first off are a liberal democrat. You are unemployed (with no real intention of looking for a job). You quit your last job because you weren't appreciated. You are highly educated (but still haven't learned anything and never will). You have a pro-bono attorney cause you don't believe in work and would never pay someone for the work they do with your own money. Your only willing to pay for the lawyer if you win a bunch of money you know you don't deserve!

Unlike you....Best Buy got to where they are through hard work and thousands of dedicated employees. You now think because of one error, you deserve to take every penny they have worked so hard to earn and jeopardize thousands of jobs in the process?

Do us a favor and move to Canada! You don't understand what America was built on and you are wrecking our country.

What you do deserve is a comparable computer and all of your software and songs to be loaded onto it. No More, No Less. They have paid you this. Move on. Let it go!

Anonymous said...

Bravo!! You are awesome! Hold their feet to the fire! Maybe they will think better next time an incident like this happens. It will only better protect us ( consumers )!

Anonymous said...

Your $54MM lawsuit represents so much of what is wrong with Americans and American society.

While you know doubt have the legal right to pursue damages, which you already have received, this amount is nothing short of ludicrous. This lawsuit will serve only to encourage other people to pursue similar like-minded frivolous lawsuites and waste countless dollars of taxpayer's money in the court system. You should be ashamed and embarrassed.

Anonymous said...

Good for you. I am glad you have had the perseverance to go through this. I had a great deal of trouble with Best Buy also. I brought my notebook in for a repair while under warranty and they did nothing but lie to me and never fixed the issue. I will not ever buy anything there again. They need to realize they don't sell anything I can't get somewhere else cheaper.

Dave

Anonymous said...

You go get 'em!. And to the person who said "This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard"--You don't watch much tv or read much news if you "Think this is the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard. "Please" yourself.

Anonymous said...

I am sorry for your loss, but in no way can I agree with your over-inflated assessment of damages.

You are seeking damages partially related to 200 hours spent of pursuing this matter. However, it is you that chose to spend that inordinate amount of time. That was your choice and not one in which you deserve to be compensated for.

The court system was intended to dispense legal justice, not vindictive punishment.

Take their best offer and move on with your life.

Anonymous said...

It so hard to believe that there are people in this world as stupid and naive as you.

You don't want me on your jury. I find it hard to believe you had all that valuable information and did not have a backup. How leave identity information on the machine and turn it over to a third party

All you deserve is the cost of the laptop and a minor punitive damage if you can make the lying charges stick. That would be $500 to $1000.

Grow up and move on.

Sheesh.

Anonymous said...

Your attempt to convince the public that that this lawsuit is for some altruistic attempt to make the world a better place is insulting. You deserve nothing more than a new computer and maybe a couple thousand for the inconvenience. I hope you get laughed out of court, and stuck with the fees.

Drew

Philadelphia

Anonymous said...

The exact same thing happened to me. Took about 4 months before they replaced the laptop. I couldn't believe the stories I got from the GEEK's

Anonymous said...

Where do you come up with $54 million dollars? I understand that you were wronged, and I appreciate your effort to make a statement for the consumer. Asking for $54 million is making a mockery out of yourself and serves as a reminder that exploiting corporate America is as bad as the lies and wrongs that were done to you. Come up with something a little more realistic and perhaps you would have a few more people backing you up.

Unknown said...

Normally would tell you that people like you trying to shake down a large corporation are what's wrong with America. However, I have taken time to read your blog in its entirety and I have had two awful experiences with Best Buy's
Geek Squad. The incompetence of those people is amazing. After reading your entire story I can see that Best Buy had plenty of opportunity to admit its mistake and settle for a very reasonable sum.

Anonymous said...

Raelynn,

You can't be serious? I mean honestly!

The offer was COMPLETELY reasonable by Best Buy. Your case brought against them is unethical, irresponsible, and DISGUSTING. People like YOU indirectly take money out of everyone else's pockets to put in your own. Do you honestly think that this $54 million won't be recovered through the consumer or in business insurance where other business are penalized by paying HIGHER insurance rates for idiotic cases such as this?

I truly hope this turns out to be a waste of money and time on your part.

Dave

Anonymous said...

If you leave sensitive material that is not encrpyted on your laptop, you are always vulnerable to potential theft anyway. You should also keep your data backed up. Their behavior seemed consistent with what I would expect (poor), but given what you've gotten, MOVE ON! Or do you know about DC ex-Judge Roy Pearson and his pants?

Anonymous said...

Best Buy and customers like this deserve each other.

Anonymous said...

This is just another 20 something that does not want to work for anything.

Anonymous said...

I hope you and your lawsuit get tossed out of court on your ear.
You sue-happy McDonald coffee spillers make me sick. You've been compensated. How you're treated during the process is basis for your continued patronage.
You've got to be a liberal.

Anonymous said...

My Brother took his desktop computer in to Best Buy in Arizona for repair and a week later he kept calling them as it was his business computer with clients data on it and the they said it could not be repaired and the the had shredded the hard drive sop he had lost all of his data and they would not compensate him as they said it was damaged. But as I told him later data can be recovered from the hard drive as it was a mother board failure that had caused his computer problem.

Anonymous said...

Why don't you go for $500 million? Please, get a life. Crap happens, move on and get over it. Is this what you want to be remembered for? There is too much human suffering going on for you to get riled up about a stolen laptop. If you want to take action, take action over with the millions of AIDS orphans in Africa.

Anonymous said...

you and your liberal friends are tearing this country apart. JUNK LAWSUITS p.s. work for your money don,t sue for it.

Anonymous said...

Raelynn,

I have had many run ins with Best Buy. They have people that are unscrupulous especially with the Geek Squad.

I took my computer in for warranty service. When it came back, it was not working (would not boot up). It says on the paperwork that all tests were passed satisfactority. Apparently, it did not. I had the laptop sent back to Geeksquad. When it came back, it was not working again with the same symptoms. Again the paperwork showed that all tests were passed satisfactority.

What does that tell me? Geeksquad and Bestbuy are unscrupulous liars!!!

Anonymous said...

Good for you!!!!Corporations that pull in millions of dollars yet feeling they can low ball the price and steam-roll over the little guy without taking any heat. Their caviler approach to their responsibilities is evil. I had a similar case against Ebay and won but, man it was a fight to right their wrong and after it was all said and done they still tried to make me feel like I was at fault and requested me to “never talk about the case”. They ,Best Buy, ought to pay you every dime you’re asking and then maybe the rest of us wont get screwed!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

$54 MILLION? C'mon lady. You can't prove those damages.

They should have taken better care of your property, but you've been well-compensated for your loss. Move on.

Anyone who stores personal information unencrypted on their laptop DESERVES to lose their identity info.

If you didn't back up your critical info, you DESERVE to lose it.

Best Buy should sue you for defamation. You're a loser.

Anonymous said...

My father is a former business executive with years worth of business contact information and correspondence. He purchased a laptop shortly after he resigned from his long-time employer and transferred all of this information to the new HP laptop he purchased from Best Buy. Less than one month after the date of purchase he returned it to the Best Buy store for repairs and they shipped it off. They failed to back up his hard drive (which they claim is their practice) before replacing it with a new hard drive and years worth of information was lost.

I think losing a career's worth of contact information and correspondence is something Best Buy should have to compensate for...and that compensation should be a lot more than the cost of a $1,500 laptop.

Anonymous said...

First of all, NEVER accept money if you plan on suing. It makes you look greedy. Of course, suing for $54mm for a laptop pretty much answers that question anyway. I had a great experience with Best Buy and guaranteee all the naysayers that ANY company will have stories of good and bad.

Anonymous said...

Thanks,

I will take your advice and boycott Bestbuy.

Hey folks, go to Bestbuy, get the manufacturer and model number you like and go to Amazon.com and buy it. Since receiving idiotic service from Bestbuy a couple years ago, Ive found i can save tons of money over Worstbuy prices, and get the product maybe 2-3 dyas later. This has helped me because if I know it will take me a few days to get the product, I actually spend less and end up not buying things I really do not need.

Especially at their high prices.

Anonymous said...

Do you realize you've wasted 6 months of your life stewing over this? Don't you have anything more important to you in life than this? You obviously don't. If this doesn't work out for you financially, maybe try dumping hot coffee in your lap at Burger King.

Take your settlements, then go get a life, and enjoy it lady.

Anonymous said...

$54 million, you are what is wrong with this country.

you deserve to have your laptop replaced, and myabe a little something extra.

BUT 54 MILLION !$!$!$

You are nuts!!!

MJS said...

Please continue to stick it to Best Buy! We dropped our TV off with the Geek Squad last Fall for repair and 6 months later, after countless phone calls to Chicago (the repair center), countless trips and phone calls to the local store (Roseville, MN), a BBB complaint, and a complaint with the Attorney General; we have our TV back, unrepaired, and a $100 gift card to Best Buy where we will never shop again.

We got a different story every time we talked to someone from Best Buy about the repair... it will be done Nov 11 & cost $950, it will be done Dec 20 and cost $200, it will be done Jan 31 and cost $750, etc. At one point during a phone call with the local store manager, she excused herself and a younger employee of Best Buy got on the phone and stated that the manager could not return to the phone.

Best Buy can not stay in business if it operates like this. Please boycott.

M. Schulke,
Arden Hills, MN

bigbadsmith said...

I have to admit, at first I thought you were just trying to take advantage of the system. After reading your blog I believe you have every right to sue for that amount, it's not really about the money now, it's about the principle. I believe after all of this, they will settle for a great amount, and it will be worth your while. Good luck and hang in there. Don't settle with their first offer, make them dig a little deeper.

Anonymous said...

Your first mistake was shopping at Best Buy. Ever since they converted their employees from commission based to hourly pay their service is not existent.
That said, you are not well...Please seek help. I know that you folks in DC are used to dealing in Zillions of $$'s of somebody else's money so $54 million might seem as nothing, but please. It's not as if they lost your pants, it's a laptop and if you keep personal information on a laptop you deserve to be in trouble.
Do a right thing.
Beau Philips

sgoat said...

well, your story has convinced me never to shop at best buy ever again! And while I do feel that $54mil is quite a bit of cash to resolve the situation, I completely understand your desire get get their attention! Big business like this will continue to victimize the little guy unless they are punished severely. $54mil sounds like a good start! I hope you get at least half of it! Good Luck!

Anonymous said...

Raelynn,

Thanks for going to the trouble of not accepting the compensation and instead, pushing for Best Buy to change their practices and prevent this from happening to other customers.

Privacy is a serious issue, idnetity theft is rampant, and I can just imagine the fear, indignance and dismay I would feel if I found out that all my personal information, photos, music, were "out there" somewhere.

It's a shame that Best Buy didn't simply take responsibility, financial and ethical, and make the necessary changes to prevent this happening to customers in the future.

I love shopping at Best Buy, as they do have the best prices. However, sometimes companies are motivated solely by the dollar and fail to act appropriately until their dollars are at stake.

Sure, our legal system is bogged down with frivilous suits filed by people that want to make a buck. But it seems that you are taking the heat and burden to prevent this from happening to others. So, for that, thank you. I get what you're doing.

Best of luck with your suit.

Anonymous said...

I am not usually a cheerleader for corporate companies. But come on! Give me a break! Are you doing this just to get your name in the paper and show everyone how upset you are? Boohoo! Grab a tissue, wipe off your tears, bitch to your friends, get Best Buy to pay for your computer and other expenses, then shut up! The employees made a mistake and best buy seems to be trying to make right with you, but no you decide to SUE FOR 54 MILLION DOLLARS? Good luck to you and your dumbass attorney in getting anything more than your computer. Also how much is your retainer and fees? I hope you do lose straight up or win the money back for the computer which your attorney will take a piece of and you are left with less then what you would have gotten if you had not been such a baby. Your probably voted for Hillary.

Anonymous said...

The huge amount of your lawsuit brings attention to flaws in in-store service. I am sure you don't expect anything close to that but I would award you a minimum of $1 million to teach Geek Squad a lesson.

The nick name for the Geek Squad is Peek Squad. They view and copy data from computers which come into repair. They steal peoples idenity and other important data.

Giving you the run around for 3 months terrible.

Don't ever, ever take your computer into Best Buy for repairs. They cannot be trusted.

Anonymous said...

Why don't you take all the time it has taken to write that huge blog and do something useful with your life like help someone in need.

Anonymous said...

Get a life.

Anonymous said...

$54 Million Dollars?????

You're laptop cost 1,100, in which you were probably running Windows OS.

So, let's break this down now!

1,100 with Windows, so obviously it would lose your "irreplaceable" items.

The time lost: since when does time deserve $53 million? There is no way that you would spend over a million dollars on computer accessories; it is just plain retarded.

Get a fucking life. You are doing it because you are retarded. You are like that dumbass who sued McDonalds for making her coffee too hot.

Anonymous said...

the problem is that if our government enacted the protections and companies would enact these protections...your laptop would costs twice as much and would take 6 months to get. :)!

Anonymous said...

What is wrong with you. Imagine! The people at Best Buy are HUMAN and made a mistake. They have compensated you IN FULL for a depreciated computer as if it were new. If you did not have your information backed up that is YOUR FAULT. You are an amazing whiner. Would you like some cheese with that whine?

Anonymous said...

If you had oopsidentally left your laptop behind at a coffee shop and never saw it again, there is no way you ever would have spent $54M on replacing it or on identity theft protection. Be realistic.

Anonymous said...

What? You didn't like being compared to the judge whose trousers went temporarily AWOL?

Anonymous said...

My experience shopping at Best Buy a few years ago was so discouraging that it caused me to look for another store and thats how I found CompUSA. As a former director of worldwide customer support for a large corporation, my personal opinion was that the problem is much higher than the manager level. The employees I dealt with were just plain poorly trained and poorly managed and it seems by your experience that Best Buy has some policy and attitude problems.

Anonymous said...

I agree totally with your lawsuit... Best Buy does not care about being reasonable and ignores any real customer service and refuses to take responsibility for anything they do. This is chainwide. You should demand a copy of all records of customer dissatisfaction and you will find my complaints in there as well as thousands of others I am sure. There are bound to be many items like your in there if they kept them at all.

Anonymous said...

Best Buy would redeem themselves if they fired everyone involved. customer reps, Store manager and anyone else who falsified information. Figures it was stolen, its freaking DC for chrissakes. Some of the employees are probably wanted for some sort of drug or criminal offense. Better yet BB should close the store. I must say that a couple bad apples should not ruin the whole company. I have had some really great customer experiences..i.e. a Nintendo DS not working and they simply gave me a new one (I had a 2 year warranty) and transaction took 2 minutes. I think you must be a law associate for a DC firm. You are just way to knowledgable for the wording of your letters. That'c cool. I want you as counsel.
Good luck and remember that not all Best Buy employees are bad, just a couple stores and departments are run by slime. Best Buy needs to screen these folks better ESPECIALLY IN DC. Tenlytown yea yourlaptop is probably being sold on the streets of Anacostia or NE.

Anonymous said...

1. your are just like the other wacko and his pants lost by the dry cleaners.
2. there really should be some sort of law preventing wackos like you from using the internet... Complete waste of bits and bites...

Anonymous said...

If you were prudent you would have taken a miniscule fraction of the time you have spent with this ridiculous scheme to BACK UP YOU DATA! But of course, this is America --- it can't be YOUR fault - it HAS to be mean old Best Buy. Take the money for the laptop, learn a lesson and shut your pie-hole.

Anonymous said...

Ma'am,

Quit crying. They lost your computer. Shit happens. They've compensated you $1600 for a used computer. More than it is probably worth. Best Buy did not build your computer, nor did they cause it to fail. Any unprotected information you had on the machine that was not backed up or encrypted in some manner is also not the company's fault. That blame rests solely for you. They are not to blame for your miscalculation. They are, however, liable for the lost property, for which you have been justly compensated. I sincerely hope that you are held accountable for bringing such a frivolous suit into the court system, further log jamming the quagmire of red tape that already exists.

Anonymous said...

Good Luck to you. I hope you are able to shut them down. I was in a Best Buy store in Winston Salem, NC and was behind a lady in line who brought her computer in for repair and her soon to be ex-husband's new girlfriend came in and pretended to be her and picked the computer up. Apparently the computer contained all the financial information and other pertinent divorce information that he wanted but was supposed to have. Long story short, Best Buy said oh well sorry for the mistake and handed it over to the police.

Anonymous said...

Do you realise what effect on society an enormous payout such as $54 million for a lost laptop has. Higher insurance premiums across the board from insurance companies who are the ones that foot the bill when a stupid magistrate grants the amount. You should be ashamed of your self.
First of all, get over it and stop doing the sad clown imitation. Use the funds you were given and buy a new laptop. That amount should get you a fine working second hand machine, which is better than what you lost. You are a damn fool for having all that information you complain about on your laptop where someone could have done a snatch and run on you at any time. Where are your backups.
I have no sympathy for except for the original time wasting by the company at fault. Get your game together and get on with your life. I hope you get your butt kicked in court for being so stupid.
cheers,
dave.

Anonymous said...

is Robert Delissio the same person that was involved in allegations of improper vendor chargebacks at Home Depot?

link:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/09072006/business/home_fires_two_business_suzanne_kapner.htm

I hope you win. Not sure it will happen; best Buy is too big to fight. But your suit inspire us, the she-eople

Larry
CA

Anonymous said...

I found your blog from the Drudge Report. I now see it has been picked up by Slashdot. Good Luck!

Anonymous said...

Get a life you looser/lib/dem.

Unknown said...

Raelyn,

You should consider posting the letters from Best Buy lawyers and staff. Do not let the legal BS at the bottom of their letters frighten you, as you *do* have a right to reproduce that coresponence, else you would be totally unable to even provide copies to your own lawyer.

As it stands, we can see your side of the story. How about showing what Best Buy said, word for word... letter for letter?

Anonymous said...

Could you seriously not find a better way to make some money in this life?

My heart breaks every time I see your story covered by a news outlet, in the place of real issues that are deserving of collective attention.

Is a soul worth $54M?

Anonymous said...

Well done. After reading your story and all the steps you took to try to resolve this issue with Best Buy, I think it's great that you've that you've not backed down, and I think you should be compensated for the time you have had to spend resolving this. Obviously the request for 54mil is a bit ridiculous, but you are willing to admit that that is just to draw attention to the corporate irresponsibility and neglect to which you have been subjected. I hope you collect a fair settlement.

Anonymous said...

stop wasting everybody's money and hurting this good company. calm down, get a life and don't be greedy. whatever money you get comes out of 10s of thousands of shareholders and employees

Anonymous said...

Nobody liked the dry cleaner and noboy will like you. I am sorry for what happened to you but get a grip. I hope your next computer has a virus.

Unknown said...

Good for you for doing this. Yes, 54 mil IS ridiculous, but businesses need to get the message that consumers are tired of getting shafted by companies that simply do not care.

A note to any business owner or CEO that may be reading this. Hey- training your people to take responsibility and enabling them to make decisions to resolve problems actually SAVES you money, A company that does the right thing when they make mistakes actually tells me that they can be trusted. A company that shirks responsibility makes me want to tell everyone NOT to do business with them.

Hmmm. pay 5k or 54 mil, hard decision...

The bad PR that this bought for Best Buy? Priceless

Anonymous said...

This is exactly what is needed in order to force Best Buy from running over the innocent who has had property stolen from it's custody and refuses to deal with it. I hope that Best Buy will be found liable (it will) and this case makes national news. Best Buy deserves for the country to know how they treat customers who experience serious damage from trusting that they will be treated properly in their care.

PS, I'm glad to see Drudge Report has picked this up. Now it's out. Good.

Anonymous said...

People that want you to get every penny are idiots. You're not going to get 54 million.
I'm sorry you lost your data, but have you had any issues with identity theft sine the loss? My guess is no, and you won't.
I'm sure BB will cover you by providing five years of credit monitoring services which would be reasonable.
Concerning your data, if you think those pictures and files are important, you should back them up. There are FREE services that will back up your data continuously, in secure, encrypted data centers. I pay under $50 per year for the service - unlimited data.
They are not responsible for your data loss, you are. If you are lazy, you loose.
Best Buy should provide you with a credit, a new laptop and credit monitoring. That's it/

Anonymous said...

Thanks for giving the industrialists currently in power even more reason to weaken consumer protection options.

Irrational, self-absorbed, self-serving actions like yours are exactly what some coke-addled lobbyist will be holding up to Congress as an example "consumers out of control."

When we are no longer be allowed to sue, when consumer protection statutes are gutted and when corporations have even more power than they do now, we'll have horses' asses like you to thank.

You are worse than a waste of skin; you are a dangerous waste of skin.

Unknown said...

I also applaud your unfortunately necessary action against Best Buy. Today, large companies seem to believe they can circumvent true service by providing truly abysmal customer service. If all commentors read the history of your actions they will realize you are not in this for financial gain but are making a stand for customer rights. In the future, if you require computer service I will provide it free of charge, ahpsi.com.

Anonymous said...

A reasonable request for damages would have bought you credibility and empathy. Sadly, your $54MM request is simply too ridiculous to be taken seriously under any circumstances. As such, Best Buy can point to this and reasonably suggest that you are unreasonable or just plain crazy.

rolodexter said...

Bravo. About time. Geek Squad folks aren't engineers, but they parade around like they're qualified technicians. I send my personal computers to our tech department at work, because I know of service providers like the Geek Squad that are no more than hired hands that have time to fiddle with the machine; I know for a fact that a good portion of their cases are referred to tech support at MSFT, Dell, HP, etc--you know, something you'd do, if you had the time, but nothing technically above anything you can do yourself. I hope that the blog brings to you more wronged BB customers--probably get a class action going.

jk said...

"I work part-time as a Geek Squad Agent within a Best Buy location (posting anonymously for obvious reasons). I have been told first-hand by more than one manager on more than one occasion to lie to a customer when it comes to damage and/or loss to their products that is the fault of Best Buy. On the numerous occasions I have protested this type of "customer service" I have been told that to admit anything is to open the company up to liability."

This quotation was a thread comment left on a website (slashdot.org) which discussed your case against Best Buy. I leave a link at the bottom of the post. I found the comment reading about your case, and I wanted to let you know this information is out there. It might really help your case.

Your attorney might like to hear that arguably Best Buy might have a corporate practice specifically informing employees to lie to customers about the whereabouts of lost computers. Any testimony or evidence of such corporate practice would really help show that punitive damages are necessary and adequate.

http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/02/13/2029226

Anonymous said...

Good for you. I love reading about someone standing up to big business. I hope you get the full amount because I'm sure its far less then the money BB collects from not doing the moral thing for their loyal customers every single year.

Anonymous said...

to the contrary - I have had excellent service from Geek Squad guys.
drop the suit
act normal
look at the video of the parlayzed guy that got pushed out of the wheel chair - his demand, training for the officers who did it - not money.
a nun a mouse

Anonymous said...

Good For You! Screw Best Buy. The people who are calling you crazy should read your comments, you are just trying to raise awareness. Well done. I'm pro-business, but these companies should no they can't get away with screwing consumers and blowing us off with waivers and disclaimers. I hope you win something.

Anonymous said...

I think she is entitle to sue who or what corporation she felt that the other party cause any wrong doing. I also think a message has to be sent to big retailer like bb. They only know how to advertise to lure you in to buy the products. They should open a non affliated geek squad to bb. In you case keep it up. We are as u.s.a citizen has to treat others with respect epescially when I paid for it.

Anonymous said...

what a joke you are?

how does it feel to be a laughing stock? $54 million to "send a message" - that's great. Tying up our courts with frivolous lawsuits when you were offered (and accepted) the $1100 + and gift card. Congratulations on your 15 minutes of fame - now you can go hangout with the moron that sued the drycleaners for $54 million - hope you guys are happy together

rolodexter said...

Class action

Anonymous said...

I wonder how many of the negative comments are from the best buy employees who lost her computer???????

DAS said...

Obviously you are someone that is looking for a free ride in life just like that idiot Washington DC judge that sued a dry cleaner over a pair of cheap pants. You are also obviously someone that has never risked your own money to start a business. People make mistakes in life. As I understand the story, Best Buy gave you full credit plus an additional $500. What more do you want lady? Why don't you sue for a billion dollars and put the company out of business...then you'll have the satisfaction of seeing thousands of people lose their jobs. If I were Best Buy I'd sue you for $54 million for being a stupid consumer that ruined a product that was bought in their store.

Anonymous said...

I think many of you are missing the point. She knows that 54 million is too much, but if she sues them for any less, it won't get Best Buy's attention. So, in order to achieve her aim of changing the business practice of Best Buy she is suing them for an amount which will make them take notice. (i.e. hitting them where it hurts.

She seems like she wants to take the moral high ground with this - I'd like to see her continue along that line by donating the bulk of the award to charity, if she wins. Of course, she should keep an amount which will cover legal fees and other expenses, and otherwise adequately compensate her for the ordeal.

This would, I think, address two issues - it would force Best Buy to sit up and take notice, and it would highlight the imbalance in current litigation laws - an individual should not be able to enrich themselves by litigious means, but the amounts need to be such that even large companies can feel the pain.

Anonymous said...

This is ridiculous. Everyone who buys a computer from Best Buy ends up trying to get something for free - above and beyond what they actually purchased. Did you backup your data before sending your computer off for repair? If not that's your own fault. You were offered $1100 and a $500 gift card which you gladly accepted. I hope you end up paying back the legal fees to Best Buy for this frivolous lawsuit.

Geek Squad is a benefit to Americans. It has provided an outlet for computer users who prefer having a person they can go and asked questions to free of charge. Where you can take your computer and get diagnosed and repaired without having to send it off on your own to your computer manufacturer at your own expense. Before you would have to go to some mom and pop shop called Dr. Computer that would lie to your face and gladly fix something that wasn't broke (because you just didn't understand how the computer functioned) -- Dr. Computer loved taking your money. $54 million dollars could take Geek Squad off the map and ruin a good thing for everyone.

Do you think your computer manufacturer would have been as kind to offer you $1600 in compensation for your losses? Think again. You would be talking to some middle-eastern in an anonymous call center overseas that would be hitting the mute button and laughing at you in front of all his colleagues. "you say you want to speak with my manager? Sure thing, let me put you on hold... CLICK!"

Anonymous said...

For the user that thinks best buy "balls the price" of computers... they actually don't make anything on computer sales. If they did, then best buy employees would be buying computers for their friends, family and everyone in their neighborhood at an incredible discount because employees get products at cost plus 5%. Unfortunately there is no discount for Best Buy employees because the computers are already being sold at cost. Where they make there money is buy selling services like 3year protection plans with accidental damage protection. If you have ever purchased a computer from say Dell... you can get a 3yrs warranty but you have to call a service center (and spend an hour on hold) to determine whether or not you have a problem and then they will repair your computer ... but... you likely pay for shipping. If you dropped your computer, or spilled something on it... well too bad. That is physical damage and you just voided your warranty. Best Buys warranty will actually fix your computer if you left your computer on top of your car and drive away!

Anonymous said...

Let them BLEED!

We are on your side,
Wishing you all the luck in the world!

Anonymous said...

QUOTE "The nick name for the Geek Squad is Peek Squad. They view and copy data from computers which come into repair. They steal peoples idenity and other important data."

That is the most ridiculous thing I have every heard.

Unknown said...

ok heres the problem, lets say best buy gears up and keeps everything 100 percent safe .... and I MEAN ONE HUNDRED percent safe. how much will it cost your kids 10 years from now to get their laptop fixed? more than the cost of the laptop! its like if you want to be 100 percent safe at an airport... your ticket will realistically cost 5000 dollars and you will have 8 hours of screening before the flight! do you want this?

Anonymous said...

Why would you take your laptop in for repair and leave sensitive personal data on your laptop in the first place? That is your fault. I have shopped at Best Buy for decades and they have always bent over backwards to take care of any problems I have encountered. Ridiculous lawsuits such as yours drives up the cost of doing business which is ultimately passed on to the consumer.

Anonymous said...

can you say life lock. You are wasting time and money, my money. My tax dollars will be spent on a judge, jury, and court room just so you can get your jollies. You have been given compensation over and above what normally would have been expected. Take some of the responsibility and back up your stuff. you already said you have not been damaged by this incident. You must know if there are no damages, no damages can be awarded. Do America a favor and drop your charges. How many people will your lawsuit cause to lose their jobs.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to spend some money at Best Buy today, in response to your opportunistic whining. What a country we live in, full of people like you.

Sorry you lost your data. Now get over it.

Anonymous said...

When can we make this a class action lawsuit. Many of us have been hit by Best Buy with their restocking fees and non customer support. Hope you get that amount and more. Corporations usally make these types lawsuits go away by dragging the whole thing out until you can't keep fighting for what's right. Hope you can endure

Anonymous said...

Great, now Best Buy will close down and we will have to pay more for electronics.

THIS IS HOW HEALTH CARE COSTS BECAME SO HIGH.

Thanks for destroying our way of life, lawsuit happy nut!

Anonymous said...

You are making a mockery of the court system. Why not be a part of the solution instead of part of the problem?

Anonymous said...

Raelynn, you are my new Hero. Give 'em Hell.

Anonymous said...

It's about time someone makes a point here. I'm with you all the way girl!
Best Buy cares only about profits.
Geek Squad is designed to rip off people who are not computer savvy.
First you pay for a plan when you purchase the computer. Then try to use it up the road when you have a problem.
Geek Squad transfers you a dozen times only to end up in their department to set up house calls....where a silver tongued technician tells you it is software issues, NOT HARDWARE.
Only hardware is covered on the plan I purchased for $200.

I ran my own diagnostic test and of course my hard drive failed.
I am disgusted with both Geeks and Best Buy.
All they want is your money, money, money.
So you go girl, get some of their money. They are guilty of neglect, dishonesty and more.

Anonymous said...

Just what America needs, another frivolus lawsuit. Does BB owe you a new computer? Yes. Do they owe you anything else? Sorry, but no. While I agree that BB employees made mistakes, and possibly tried to conceal them, that does not give you the right to tell them how to run their business. As with all consumers, your empowerment does not extend beyond the choice to do business elsewhere.

Anonymous said...

Way to tie up the legal system and waste tax payer money. I hope when you lose they charge you the time and money it cost the legal system. Shame on YOU!

Anonymous said...

Clearly some of these people posting comments don't understand that its not about the money its about the store policies.

Best of luck! I haven't bought something at a BestBuy in 2 1/2 years now... Never going back..

Anonymous said...

Raelyn,

First, I would like to preface my following comments by saying that I worked (note the tense) for Best Buy on the Geek Squad for a while. (Thus the anonymous post)I understand that my experiences in one store do not qualify me to discuss Best Buy as a company (or the store you had troubles with), but I feel that my experiences as an employee may shed some light from "the other side". I would also like to say that I have spent quite a bit of time reading the history of your tradgedy on http://bestbuybadbuyboycott.blogspot.com/. The comments i make here are not without reading.

Second, I will praise your dedication and motivation to pursue a seemingly impossible feat - holding to one's values is not something that is always praised in today's society. Unfortunately, the sum of money you are sueing for, $54M is quite a large sum, and since this money is going to you (and not say, a charity) it is reasonable to understand how the values I mentioned may be questioned. Were you to display that it isn't "about the money" for you by designating all settlements to go to a charitable cause (who may be laboring to end reasonable human suffering...not laptop losses and corporate lies) you may get wider support. In this way, the sum of $54M could be correctly interpreted as an "attention getter" instead of greed.

Finally, I hope to encourage you that not all Geek Squad agents lack so much integrity as to steal/loose customer computers. Obviously, your experience is a prime example of the contrary. I do not blame you for never wanting to shop at Best Buy again - I wouldn't either. Understand also that it is very possible that many of the agents you delt with were not intentionally misleading you, but reading what they saw on the computer screen in front of them. It does, in fact, sound like someone falsified records about your machine - and, in point of fact - it would have been this misinformation that other agent would go by. (Just a thought)

Anyway - I hope this makes a small difference...rather insignificant though it is as a blog. I sincerely hope that both you and Best Buy learn more about solving issues...with or without $54M.

Anonymous said...

You make me sick. You are exactly why this country is so screwed up because people like you submit a $54 million suit over a missing laptop. A Laptop?! I put you in the same category of the guy that sued the dry cleaner for $50 million. I would hate to see what you do if you get a bad snickers bar that does not measure up to you the exact measurements of the other snickers bars in the bag. This si why healthcare is so costly because idiots think they can just pull a number our thir arse, go find a scumbag attoney who is stupid enough to file this and yet again watse news headlines on you instead the important matters in the world.

Anonymous said...

If you require the services of an experienced assassin (41 confirmed kills) I'm Available!

Anonymous said...

A good lesson learned. NEVER bring your computer to be fixed by the corporate hog who has teenagers not even out of high school working for them. Local is the only way to go and that's true for all things, accountability. I know there's a local computer repair shop in your area, they're everywhere (although true sometimes just as shady).

Anonymous said...

I think you are an opportunistic predator who is just trying to abuse our legal system. Your life wouldn't be worth 54 million in court, what makes you think your laptop is?

Anonymous said...

I had the exact same problem with Best Buy Geek Squad in Los Angeles.

I had an HP laptop that I took in for repairs. The computer belongs to a public Nasdaq company with all its employees information, tax information, confidential information, SEC filings, contracts, etc.

Best Buy lost the computer for months and told me they sent my HP to Gateway for repairs. Then they told me that Gateway lost my computer because they did not know why there was an HP at their service center.

Believe me, our company counsel is preparing our lawsuit.

And for those of you on this blog arguing about frivolous lawsuits, would you not be angry if your employment data was on my computer that disappeared for four months at Best Buy, Gateway, or god knows where it went?

Anonymous said...

Raelynn,

I couldn't wait for those who have written negative and insulting comments about you to start to having their own problems with BB. Perhaps then, they would understand the degree of frustration you have gone through.

Anonymous said...

Unbelievable, of course it's everyone else's fault. It's only a computer.If it were lost or stolen you still end up the same way. get over it enjoy to new laptop buy yourself a life with the $500. and quit burdening the courts with this type of foolishness. Are you going to sue the banks who have lost thousands upon thousands of peoples personal info?

Anonymous said...

You are 100% insane. I hope they toss this case and you right on your ass. This is EXACTLY what is wrong with America, Ms. Raelynn. I can guess by your name and location that you are an upset mad black woman. If you want racism to stop in america, don't due stupid things that make people hate you.
I also bet you walked into Best Buy with a "the world owes me everything" attitude, and was rude with the first onset of the issue.

You are not just effecting best buy the company, but you are effecting all consumers if they actually have to pay this.

What could you possibly have on your laptop that is worth 54Mil.
Not a damn thing.
Don't forget the slime ball attorney that took this case. As far as I am concerned, you and him should be on the Homeland Security Terror list. You are no better than the 911 guys.

Kylie said...

Sorry for your troubles it seems truly taxing and I see merit in what you are trying to accomplish.

I used to work as an Information Security Officer within a large corporation. When a laptop was stolen we would consider this a security incident when it contained Personal Identifiable Information and it would be tracked and documented. Someone would be assigned to the case (Security officers are to be impartial and the people who lost/stole it) and would follow to completion.

Trust me you wouldn't want to be on the other side of an argument with an Information Security Officer :-) when it comes down to incompetence, personal data and cover-ups as HR is normally quickly involved and possibly law enforcement.

Legal is brought in immediately on ANYTHING relating to Personal Identifiable Information (PII) to protect both the corporation (lawsuits such as this) and the client. Legal department would then provide free credit protection if any risk to their identity without being asked and contact the client and state what happened (whatever they can divulge).

That is in a perfect world that Best Buy doesn't live in but they will be moving there soon, as that is the way the times are moving. The United States is quite behind on privacy laws but the financial industry and government are catching up slowly. Other large corporations will eventually have no choice but it is definitely an added expense and culture change. Unfortunately, they will wait till legally or financially motivated to do so.

If you are not looking to make a profit keep a tally of your expenses and time in your blog. State that any settlement of your lawsuit you will take your expenses including cost of your time (at current salary rate). Any remaining balance either state you will keep a small percentage and list the charities you will donate to for the remainder. This may remove some the people who attack you for thinking you are money grubbing.

I wish you the greatest luck in your battle. Carry on!

Anonymous said...

I have had a similar experience with Best Buy/Geek Squad. The problem is that you never know if you are dealing with BB or GeekSquad. I sent in my 2-yr old laptop for a simple drive repair. The laptop came back from teh KY location with a damaged LCD relpacement. BB claimed it was all ready broken and therefore replaced it without telling me. I asked for a new laptop LCD, BB responsed with the offer to ship it back for another 2-week round trip of "repair". The final alptop received was still damaged and BB would not replace what they had broken nor would they admit that the repair to the LCD was not necessary. When I attempted to resovle at teh local store I was told there was no "Geek Squad manager" and therefore no resolution.

Anonymous said...

I would go for $104M.

Anonymous said...

That's quite a scam you're pulling. People like you are ruining our justice system. Like another poster said, work for your money instead of suing for it.

Oh, and I've had many great experiences at Best Buy.

Anonymous said...

Hello - did anyone READ the actual blog?

The $54 million is for the principle of the matter not the actual unit.

Think about it - BBY could have replaced her laptop and software for less then a few grand if they had come clean immediately and this would be done with.
But the huge corporation thinks it can push the little guy around. Rock on with the lawsuit (if you are not making this all up that is.)

BTW - do you have your original service order receipt - the one they would have given you when you dropped off the laptop?

Calicogeko said...

Just wanted to add my support. I wish I had stuck up for myself when I had shady service at CompUSA (which I believe has been bought out recently - no surprise) when they similarly jerked me around with my iBook.

Good luck.

Anonymous said...

Ms. Campbell,

As a person who has experienced Best Buy's general avoidance of responsibility and outright deception, I've got to say that I hope Best Buy takes notice and does some things to fix an obviously broken system. Congratulations for putting them on notice.

I had an extremely bad experience with Best Buy and my own laptop - one where I could have very easily ended up with someone else's data, had I not been honest with them. In retrospect, I wish that I had taken the data, found its proper owner, shown it to them, and let them sue Best Buy.

I've seen some folks say that the amounts in question are ridiculous. I've got to agree; they are. And that's the problem - Best Buy doesn't take you seriously unless you put a value like that out there. They didn't take me seriously, and I was standing right there in the store, looking them in the face.

If there's any way I can help you in your lawsuit (you may need to prove a pattern of negligence or something), please don't hesitate to contact me (and I'll do it for free because I'm that upset with them). Contact information can be found on my website in the link provided you. My Best Buy experience can be found in my blog on that site.

Joe

Anonymous said...

I applaud your efforts and approach on this.

I brought a laser printer into Best Buy for repairs. A month later they called and told me it was done. I went to the store and they gave me a different, much older model printer.

I said that this was not my printer.

They said, "Yes, it is."

I said look at the serial number on this printer and my receipt.

They said, "Oh, its different".

I asked where my promter was.

They said, "We don't know."

I asked if they lost it.

They said, "No, we just don't know where it is. It's not lost."

This went back and forth for a few minutes. Of course it was lost, but they would not admit it.

Then, they offered me $100 for a $400 printer.

The arguing went back and forth. Eventually, they gave me a $400 store credit to buy a new printer.

The problem was poor tracking or total employee stupidity.

I think some lazy employee went back to retrieve someone else's printer that was being repaired, and grabbed mine out of total laziness/stupidity. Best buy then gave my printer to someone else. Being that it was a newer model, that person, said nothing and left. What a deal, bring in an old printer and get a newer one instead.

I, on the other hand, got screwed. best Buy lied and lied and only in the very end admitted that they lost my printer.

This happened in Arlington, VA.

Best Buy has serious problems. This law suit is great. I hope it changes Best Buy for the better.

Anonymous said...

No, I am not in favor of suing with the way our society is going today but, Best Buy needs to change their practice. I had a Portable DVD player that I had bought for my daughter for christmas, with the warranty. The machine quit working and we took it back in, they told me the warranty was only good for some odd reason and of course that reason was not what was wrong with the machine. I told them to fix it anyways, they kept it for approx. 2 months, because they have to send everything to the main headquarters to be fixed, they contacted me when it was done. Ha Ha, done, they had fixed nothing and said it could not be fixed, but I still had to pay 25.00 to get the machine back from them(unfixed) and sign a form saying I was satisfied with their service, boy did my husband blow a cork. He was quite upset, and they had to get the Head Geek Squaders to tell us to leave the store. Without my machine, not, I didn't pay 25.00 and I made them make up a form that said I was not satisfied with their non service. Good for you Raelyn, Best Buy needs to learn customer service, that's the name of the game.

Anonymous said...

You are completely and totally right! I hope you win! Good luck! And please ignore all the people who said that you are wasting your time and other disparaging remarks. Some people simply do not get the concept of fighting for your rights and principles; in their complacency, it is people of this sort that are ultimately responsible for big and small crimes against humanity. Don't let them break you.

Anonymous said...

Good job. It can be so frustrating trying to get good service. If Norstroms sold computers I would buy them there!

Anonymous said...

I never cared for Best Buy. High prices, poor service, and a general feel that we are simply nothing more than meat for their grinder. If you wanted to punish someone for a driving offense, make the fine 250$ and that would hurt most of us. If you want to punish Best Buy for poor business practices, it would take more than 250$ or even 5000$ to hurt them. In that way, 54M is fair and proportional.

While many of the detractors here think you are insane or worse, it will be interesting to see if this causes Best Buy to wake up and start putting the customer first.

I was a loyal customer of CompUSA for years for that reason. I never felt second class and always enjoyed the best customer service. Not so at Best Buy, but look who's winning now. Perhaps Best Buy has the world exactly where they want it and those who shop there are just meat for the grinder. If you really want to change Best Buy, then don't shop there. Obviously between the corporate bosses and their legal systems, they prefer to put more money into defending their practices than drawing customers. The only thing you can take from that is that they have enough customers that they can choose who they do business with.

Maybe 54M won't hurt them, but hopefully, this affects their other bottom lines. Perhaps they should hire some accountants who are good at math to show them they could have made up the difference if they would have just made reasonable restitution up front.

As for the Geek Squad, I have nothing good to say. I was forced to go there because no one else locally sold Kingston RAM. I found that I wasn't certain which module I needed and I took the laptop to the geek squad desk and asked if they would unscrew the RAM cover and the jack ass said he would not because I was going to install it myself. Needless to say, he lost his store business that day and I ordered what I needed on the Net.

This is an example of the problems at Best Buy. They simply will not do anything without extracting the most money from your pocket. Even if their lack of compliance leads to a no-sale, they are vindicated because there is some other sucker standing in line.

The next town over from mine has a Best Buy distribution center and is well known as one of the most crime ridden places in a crime-heavy town. Still, nothing ever comes of it and they continue business as usual.

Anonymous said...

You have balls. I like balls.

You're doing the right thing and hopefully you make a few bucks out of it on the side. ;)

Sorry, but the only way a company fixes ANYTHING is if it costs them some money. If she said, "Hey it's no big deal. It's just a computer." then Best Buy would continue with it's weak practices.

Hit them where it hurts.

Anonymous said...

Dear Raelynn,

When I first saw the Headlines about the $54 million dollar suit with BestBuy I have to tell you I was really skeptical, but after reading all that has been published about this suit. They need to be held accountable for this and much more.

I too have had a run-in with BestBuy and have never done business with them since.

It's noble of you to want justice for yourself and others who may fall prey to BestBuy and the Geek Squad... I myself would like to see them put thereselves out of business. Consumers BEWARE!

Regards,
Gary
P.S: Be true to thy self.

Andy said...

I'll post what I left on Consumerist... "Yeah, you sign that contract you basically say you are "TRANSFERING OWNERSHIP" of your computer to Best Buy, if their resolution was to give you $900 for your computer that you bought in the last 3 years for $1,100, I'd consider that a win for you. What sucks is the guys at the counter don't always offer backups or explain to you that "more than likely" you'll never see your data again, and the fact that it takes 3 months to throughly investigate what happened to your notebook.

If your data is important, backup!
If your computer is important, BUY ANOTHER ONE, so when the first breaks down you'll have a backup computer. "

More than likely your computer wasn't stolen, it was lost. Sorry for your loss. I also read you accepted $1100 + a $500 gift card as a settlement, lucky. If I were Best Buy I'd sic 100 lawyers on you.

Anonymous said...

SUE THE PANTS OFF OF THEM!!!....
They have lost the sight of the consumers needs and services.. Make an example. Yes a 54 million dollar hit is what it takes to reform their services ..

They make more than 54 million dollars a year ripping off honest hard working people that pay for their ridiculous service plans and lousy customer services.

We should do a class action!

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear you are taking Best Buy to task. If nothing else, maybe they will change their business practices in securing people's personal data.

I had a bad experience with them concerning my computer. I took my desktop in to be repaired and asked for a data back-up of all my information. When I went to pick it up, they handed me a DVD with "my" data on it.

When I got home, I started to upload the data DVD onto my computer, only to realize that I had someone else's information. I took the DVD back to Best Buy and told them that they had given me someone else's data that included names, social security numbers and birthdates. I informed them that they needed to be more careful with people's personal information and asked them to provide me with my data. I was told that they would call me when my data was ready for pick-up. I didn't hear anything for the rest of the day and called the following day to get a status. I was told they had been busy and would get to it sometime that day. Again, I didn't hear back from them and called the following day only to be told that they must have deleted my information.

I went into the store and spoke to the person at the Geek Squad desk and told them that I was very disappointed with their customer service and the mishandling of my personal information. The guy at the counter wasn't even concerned that someone else may have my information.

When I asked to speak to a manager, I got an eye roll and heavy sigh from the Geek Squad tech. When the manager finally showed up, he acted like he had better things to do other than trying to resolve the issue I brought to him. Instead of an apology, I got, "Well, I guess we will refund you the money for the data back-up." I was so frustrated when I left, the first thing I did when I got home was file a complaint with the corporate headquarters about the lack of response and poor customer service. Surprise, surprise, I got absolutely no response from them.

Needless to say, I no longer patronize Best Buy and I warn everyone that even brings up Best Buy not to shop there because of these issues. Good luck!

Daddy said...

Good Luck. I hope you are able to get somewhere with this. I had similar outrageous frustrations with a car dealership. I ended up writing a letter to the CEO threatening to take it up to the Better Business Bureau and other organizations because what they were doing was bordering on insurance fraud, but to make a long story short I was able to get the issue rectified but it took 5 months.

I recently created a website to log consumer complaints, affectionally called poopoobutt. It is http://poopoobutt.blogspot.com/

Please feel free to post a summary of your experience to share with more readers.

Thanks,

Anonymous said...

Hey
Good luck. I don't agree with the huge lawsuit, but maybe it will get BestBuy to quit screwing around. BTW you should have bought an Apple.

Anonymous said...

LEARN TO BACKUP YOUR DATA...NOT ANYONES FAULT BUT YOUR OWN IF YOU DONT INVEST IN A $99.00 BACKUP DRIVE. GO WORK FOR YOUR MONEY!

Anonymous said...

File for discovery for records of lost laptops/computers sent in for repair.

Anonymous said...

File for discovery for records of lost laptops/computers sent in for repair.

John Macey said...

Hi,

I have to agree here. I have taken PCs to be repaired, lost data "because" some unskilled "techie" said it must be done.

I have taken PCs to be examined, then told the the mother board was dead, and the PC must be replaced. That was a lie.

At one point it go so bad that both SONY, and H-P eventually send me new systems.

Of course, I lost all my data, personal files, and spent endless days / weeks / months having to put it all together again.

The bigger question here is, as you say, where did your data go?

"Techies" have no idea what to do, and will keep passing the buck to some one else, and the user looses.

I'll be trying to put your post on my Linux WordPress Blog.

You have a class action suit here! And, I'm not a lawyer. The Internet may be open, but not your Hardware.

Go for it!

JJMacey
Phoenix, Arizona
www.jjmacey.net/blog

Anonymous said...

I have experience with BBY an have as a customer, and as someone working for them observed their long behavior of bait and switch, come ons, and sleazy ways in which they treat customers and competitors. There are many good people who work at BBY, and also some really awful prople. There are fewer now that they have serviced out many full time jobs to contract companies.

Now, for the amount of this law suit, if it were a $100 Million, it would not get their attention as they are a $30,000,000,000 monster.If you take into account all of the nickles and dimes the sleazy grifter activity would easily account for hundreds of millions.

The idea is for a firm to treat people honestly and not have to be sued for lies, cheating, and frankly open theft!

Anonymous said...

It's unbelievable... The worst is that you have a chance to win in our crazy society. But I hope you will lost the case because you don't deserve so much money for a computer. And it's a pity that you don't realize it...
I wish that someday you lost too someone's stuff and be asked paid millions $ for it...

Emmanuel

Anonymous said...

I can only imagine the aggravation of having a lost computer. I had my car stolen and my personal and buisness laptops were both inside I thought I would die because in this day in age we keep so much info on them. If Danielle Steels lap top was lost she might lose the sequal to her next book or her last book. I think it is impossible to put a value on a laptop. 54 million may be ridiculous to some but until it happens to you a person really can't say. BEST Buy is a million dollar company they should have gave you a new computer plus 5000 plus all the software you wanted. They are a crooked company who doesnt understand simple decent customer service. I have heard horror stories about best buy and its tactics. I think all their employees are kids and geeks and they need to train them better. I hope you win and if you look deeply at their company I am sure you are not the only person they have wronged over the years.

LIBK RECORDS said...

To anyone who is willing to get the class action going I applaud you I wish I knew how to do it, I am all for it and I will be the first to sign up. I was charged a restocking fee for a computer that I returned and their policy was implemented after I had bought it when I tried to talk to the manager she refused to refund the $75.00 fee she then asked me to leave and when I asked for another manger she assaulted me. This was all done in the presence of my small child. She also erased the video tapes and lied to the police about what really happen. The police were going to arrest me but believed me because they could understand why the time frame of me being in the store was no where on the surviellance tape. I tried to press charges against her but because I didn't have an independent witness they would let me. I contacted Best Buy's coporate office and they gave me the run around for months and finally concluded that the manager didn't assault me she was just trying to escort me out the store even though she struck me in my chest and grabbed me. Best Buy covered up my incident as well as other stuff and they learn to do it at a local level that is why their corporate office is so good at it, it is apart of thier day to day practice. I hope you get more than a settlement, I hope you run them out of buisness their practices are very discrimintive sexiest and racist. They need to be taken down and I wholeheartedly believe a class action is the way to go.

Anonymous said...

To anyone who is willing to get the class action going I applaud you I wish I knew how to do it, I am all for it and I will be the first to sign up. I was charged a restocking fee for a computer that I returned and their policy was implemented after I had bought it when I tried to talk to the manager she refused to refund the $75.00 fee she then asked me to leave and when I asked for another manger she assaulted me. This was all done in the presence of my small child. She also erased the video tapes and lied to the police about what really happen. The police were going to arrest me but believed me because they could understand why the time frame of me being in the store was no where on the surviellance tape. I tried to press charges against her but because I didn't have an independent witness they would let me. I contacted Best Buy's coporate office and they gave me the run around for months and finally concluded that the manager didn't assault me she was just trying to escort me out the store even though she struck me in my chest and grabbed me. Best Buy covered up my incident as well as other stuff and they learn to do it at a local level that is why their corporate office is so good at it, it is apart of thier day to day practice. I hope you get more than a settlement, I hope you run them out of buisness their practices are very discrimintive sexiest and racist. They need to be taken down and I wholeheartedly believe a class action is the way to go.

Anonymous said...

I worked in a BestBuy in Canada, for the geeksquad, and, all I can say is that kind of shit happens all the time.

Our Manager told us to lie to the client, and we ended up saying something closer to, I don't have any detail, it's under reparation...i'm sorry. Even if the laptop IS NOT under reparation, cause it's lost, or cause it was not send to the repair center yet, after 3 moths(wow) BestBuy is the worst place ever, for employee and customer

Anonymous said...

I would encourage consumers, especially small businesses, to seek out local experienced computer sales and service companies. The ability to talk to the same person each time you are in need of service and build a long-term relationship is an invaluable resource. Best Buy and "big box" stores may lure you in with cheap prices on cheaply made products. But spending a bit more money for quality may prevent having to return for repairs anytime soon.

Anonymous said...

Raelynn...I can only pile on and applaud your initiative. I bought an HP Pavillion9308 from Worst Buy last June, including many peripherals and software. After the PC enjoyed three round trips to CA to the HP repair facility and I encountered one moron after another at the Geek Squad in Line Tree, CO, I wrote a personal letter to Mark Hurd (CEO of HP) and Bradbury Anderson (CEO of Best Buy) to relate just how screwed up their companies are on the customer end. The result? A note from Dean McCloskey of the "Executive Resolutions Team" on behalf of Mr. Anderson which says in part "...I was unable to locate your service repair with the information you provided." This after countless trips to their store and just as many spun stories. Ultimately, they lost the recovery/back-up disks and gave me a machine that wouldn't even connect to the internet. I gave up...paid $250 to have a local computer consultant fix it, which he did in a day.

Go get 'em, girl! Worst Buy's point of sale model, abominable customer service, and bureaucratic bumbling has earned them that name. If you reach class action status, let us all know!

P.S. I got a Fed Ex speciual delivery letter from Best Buy last week that says my computer is ready for pickup!!!!! Ahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

If you don't backup your data, then you are taking a risk of losing it anyway. That's your fault, and nobody elses. If it were that important you would have a backup.

I've never had a problem returning items to any store, Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. I truly believe a lot of these allegations cannot be proven, yet somehow people buy into it.

Anonymous said...

Wow, it's pretty obvious that there's a lot of people making comments that haven't read your entire blog. What a shame that so many people jump to conclusions and to judgement. Shame on them.

Had they read your entire blog, they might be more sympathetic and understand what you're doing. Do every naysayer and name caller, go back and read her blog, in its entirety, without prejudice. You'll see what the purpose of the lawsuit is and see beyond the lost data, it's more than that.

It's disheartening to see the hateful comments. Society is so fast to be mean to each other; so sad. Really read what she's saying before you judge and all you comparing her to the McDonald's Coffee suit (and some to the Burger King Coffee suit - you've got the wrong restaurant!) do you even know the whole story behind that suit or just the headlines?

Read beyond the headlines, there's always more to the story and try compassion.

Anonymous said...

I don't know if it is worth $54 mil but I also have had a problem with Best Buy and took a $300 gift certificate for payment. I took my Acer computer to Best Buy as the power cord was not charging the battery when I plugged it in. I was told that it was not the power cord and given a hassel about repairing my computer. As a result I purchased a new HP laptop but put the Acer in Best Buy for repair as well. I was given a 30 day trial for "Word" and in two days I was locked out of Microsoft Word. When I took the laptop back to Best Buy I was told that it was perfectly logical that my 30 days had ended because I had clicked too many times on the temporary software. I was in a pickle because I teach and my class was beginning. I had to call HP to get the temporary 30 day trial restored with no direction orhelp from Best Buy. In the end My Acer was repaired. It was only the power cord. However, I was told that the insert jack was also replaced. By this time I was one day over the time to return the HP. I had to write the Executive Office in order to get permission to return the new HP. It was quite a stressful time. I wrote to Best Buy's Corporate office and was given a $300 gift certificate. It turned out well for me but I wonder how many more seniors and other individuals have gotten a raw deal. Maybe your suit will cause Best Buy to train or re-train their staff and maybe customer relations will improve.

Louise

Anonymous said...

Good Luck

I had a major problems with Best Buy last September. Unlike you, I accepted a $300 gift certificate.
Maybe your case will cause Best Buy to improve its customer relations.

Anonymous said...

I gagged watching you say in an interview "it isn't about the money"...yeah right!!! I guess that means you are giving away to charity whatever monies Best Buy gives you in settlement right?!

Anonymous said...

Raelynn,
I completely understand what you are doing. This is a very wide spread problem and glad to see someone sticking up for their rights. I am a former employee of Best Buy who had taken his computer in for repairs under a service agreement. After a month I started to question where my computer was and was given excuses about it being sent to St. Louis for repairs. After two months I really started to question. Finally after 3 months I told my manager I could not sell the psp agreements because I could not sell a product that I did not believe in. At that comment it was less than an hour I was told my familys computer had been lost and they couldn't help me out. As a employee who was not willing to sell their psp agreements they quickly gave me a new (not as good as I had) computer to get me back to selling their product.

Anonymous said...

(<$5000) is not fair compensation for any computer. You could buy a pimp laptop and refurnish your house for $5000. Now I see where this is going...

Anonymous said...

YOU GO FOR ITT!!! I Dont like Best Buy and it is about Damn time that someone steps up to them - I hope you win!! you've got ballzzz :)

kingofnobes said...

This woman might have a little credibility in her "cause" if she said she was going to donate anything she won in court or via settlement to charity or a worthy cause. But the fact is that she is trying to blackmail a deep pockets company out of as much money as she can. Worthless excuse for a human being.

Anonymous said...

A valid enough issue, but you lost me in your letter to BB demanding that the Store Manager be removed. Sorry bur neither you nor any other customer has that power. Best Buy may or may not decide to discipline him, but it's not up to you. And I fail to understand why you are so insulted by his email responses to your friends when YOU are the one who put them up to contacting him in the first place. The Store Manager does not owe your pals any sort of explanation on an issue not involving them. And lets face it, you are way beyond the realm of reason with your lawsuit. You are just wasting the time of our court system with this nonsense. Hope you are enjoying your 15 minutes. You'll no doubt be a joke on Leno or Letterman very soon.

Anonymous said...

I would do the same. This isn't about money but to force a better attitude and proper regard towards customers from support and services in all businesses. How many of us have had similar experiences of having to chase up our request for customer support or services and meeting with having to endure pre-corded messages, no response, and if able to contact support having to repeat our cases, shuffled from one person or department to another, unable to get a satisfactory solution. I believe most people just give up or settle for whatever (usually almost insulting, inadequate) compensation that are offered.

Anonymous said...

The idea behind seeking such an admittedly, deliberately exorbitant judgement is mainly to focus attention on Best Buy's arrogant negligence in resolving the theft or loss in a straightforward and timely manner.

For those focusing on the sum while admitting that they've not read the entire sequence of events and the reasoning behind choosing such a large sum, you'd find that such a large award is neither expected nor reasonable, in the traditional sense; rather, this sum was carefully chosen solely in order to spotlight needed publicity on BB and their practices, which do not appear to be merely anecdotal. I've heard far too many stories of similar disregard for customer issues on the part of BB for this to be dismissed as a case of someone abusing the legal system for blatant financial gain.

The whole point is to direct attention toward how sadly typical is BB's policy of thumbing their nose at the consumer--- not to gain obscene riches. As an admitted, and quite brilliant, ploy to make BB accountable for their disregard and negligence in securing the property which has been placed in their care, this suit should have the effect of forcing BB, through bad publicity, to change their policy. That is the point of this lawsuit, not a calculated attempt to get something for nothing.

Anonymous said...

It's another example of Best buy being more about the money than about the customers. If they can't provide the service that they "say" they offer. Then try to bully or low ball people.... Then they deserve the law suit. That's what it's about! It holding Corporations responsible and not letting big business walk over the little guy. Ms Campbell has my full support.

Anonymous said...

Not everyone can be kept 100% happy at every store all the time. you people are ridiculous!
definitely they should compensate you for the lost lap top and whoever lied to you should have action taken against them. but you realize that you decision to sue them for 54 million is make you look like the moron. Not Best Buy! Not to mention not all Best Buy stores are the same.
My finacee is a geek squad supervisor and people are constantly complaining about stuff they think should have been done differently. Or that is was done wrong. People in this world are never happy with what they get.
I have heard numerous stories about them sending pieced into the services center and things getting messed up or lost, so maybe the problem lies with the service center and not the store itself?
Regardless they owe you something, but not 54 million dollars!!

Anonymous said...

Way to Go! Do NOT back down!

I had the same thing happen to me!

I was in a major lawsuit...all my trial information was on my laptop. It was a whistle blower case. It was a non-profit fraud case.

BestBUY lost my laptop and I lost the case. I had the same run around that you did.

They told me the man working on my laptop and who was delievering it back to the store was in a car wreck and my laptop was distroyed. I never believed them.

The data on the unit was priceless!

Anonymous said...

Good for you girl! Unbelievable comments from those who call you names like "crazy" & "you're what's wrong with American society". I bet they are the thieves out there who steal laptops from innocent people like you. I'm sure they cheat, steal & lie. They sound like guilty little whiners. It is very amusing to read their comments to you AND the fact that they are all "anonymous". It's too bad people like them are allowed to breathe air. How stupid & child-like for them to call you names. Don't listen to their ignorance. They really need to get an education. It's too bad that there are idiots in the world like them who don't support you in this matter of you the consumer getting taken advantage of. They are just jealous because you are a smart woman for sticking up for yourself. You go girl!

Anonymous said...

Raelyn,
You are fabulous for sticking up for yourself! What a great woman you are! Shame on them for passing the blame & acting like that to you. We have all been screwed over by these situations but you definitely deserve to win with all this effort you have put forward. Don't listen to those that are child-like calling you names. Best of luck to you & can't wait to see what they have to say now! You know about 99% of the public supports you so, YOU GO GIRL!

Anonymous said...

Do you really think they are going to give you anything more then what you have received? Best Buy is not responsible for you data loss. It’s in the fine print. If you were so worried about your data, why did you let them send out your laptop with your hard drive? This is your fault. If you had a rip in your purse and you were going to send it out to get repaired would you leave your money, wallet and what ever personal stuff in it? NO! Yet for some strange reason you left your hard drive in the computer. This is object that stores all your files. Oh let me guess they didn’t ask you if you wanted to take it out. You’re a moron and you just want the money and your not going to get anywhere with this. That’s why when I go to best buy to have my computer repaired I pay an arm and a leg because of the law suits people try to claim.

Anonymous said...

I saw you on the Today show & good for you!
To those retards who don't understand why 54 million? Get some sense morons. It's what gets attention. If she were to headline it as "$1000 lawsuit for lost laptop" she would be ignored and your dumbass wouldn't be able to harrass her.
Wish you the best of luck!

rey said...

I still say people should contact Raelynn and turn supply letters describing their Best Buy horror stories. Maybe they can supply other proof like receipts etc. This blog shows Best Buy has a secret policy of screwing the customer whenever possible. Demonstrate there is a true history of the same events with other customers.

As for the so called anonymous writers, I am sure most of you are at least being paid by Best Buy to post. That is why more anonymous entries are anti-Raelynn while the named ones are pro. The anonymous one are using language like, "you are crazy," "Obama-voting" and "Your an idiot." Raelynn should try to capture the IP addresses/dns names of the writers and determined how many are coming from Best Buy addresses. Yes, I smell many rats. Use that information against Best Buy.

The non-BB anti-Raelynn writers are phony hypocrites. How do I know this to be true? I know many people like them. All talk about trivial lawsuits and such. They all have DIFFERENT opinions when it is THEIR problem. They are the first ones running to a lawyer screaming "SUE THE BASTARDS!"

BB deserves what it is getting.

Anonymous said...

Raelynn

First of I want to say that all of the information on your computer should be backed up on an external hard drive or on disks so you dont lose your pictures and music etc. You also should realize that "stuff" happens and that Best Buy was reasonably compensating you for your loss. Now you want to toss a 54 million dollar law suit at them because you did not get your way... WOW. It's people like you who are taking advantage of these minor issues and exploiting them for 15 minutes of fame and unreasonable compensation. I hope you lose the law suit and learn a valuable lesson.

Anonymous said...

Keep it up!! We need more people like you who stand up to these big corporations who believe they can do anything they want. The people who are bashing most likely in there life have never stood up for anything they believed in. Or they just see the $54 million suit, stop reading, and start making assumptions instead of intelligently reading that $54 million was the only way to get there attention after months of bold faced lies! Thank you Raelynn.

Anonymous said...

Is it just me or is it thoroughly obvious that Best Buy (aka "anonymous") is now attacking this poor woman on this blog? Anonymous, whoever the f*ck you are, your intentions are so obvious it's sad.

I hope she wins and Best Buy learns that consumers do have rights.

Anonymous said...

It's interesting that most of the negative comments are from people who don't seem to have read the details of this case.
Yes, $54 million is ridiculous. Raelynn has already admitted that. But it not only got Best Buy's attention, it got yours! And that was the point of it all. Yes, there are many people who would take advantage of the legal system. However, what is just as wrong with society are the many companies that will take advantage of consumers. Anyone who thinks it's only one group causing the problem is either ignorant, in denial or just plain stupid. Even if corporate America were 100% ethical you would always have outrageous litigation. But, then we don't really have to worry about that ever happening, do we? I would have a problem if a jury did indeed award $54 million. But $10,000, costs for identity protection for 20 years, plus a $1-5 million punitive award doesn't seem out of line, as long as Best Buy also agrees to clean up their act. (If you've never been through something like this, maybe you just can't understand.) Best Buy should also be accountable for any criminal offenses committed.
Further, as the executives of a company have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of their shareholders it seems to me that some shareholders out there would be dissatisfied with Best Buy management enough to take legal action against them. Yes, Best Buy stock was already trending downwards, but that may also be due to the other lawsuits against them. It doesn't take a genius to see that Best Buy is an out-of-control company. And responsibility for that can always be found at the top.
To anyone who thinks Raelynn should just take less compensation than the value of the laptop and all its contents and "get on with (her) life": I hope this happens to you...and I guarantee you will be the first to scream not only about how you were cheated, but also how your situation is "different" from Raelynn's!

Anonymous said...

Two interesting observations to note about the comments here:
1. A surpringly large number of writers have commented on Raelynn's "stupidity" for leaving personal information on the laptop. Maybe they don't realize that not all computer users are as savvy as the average 10-year old who has grown-up with computers. You know there are still people who can't program VCRs, DVDRs and TIVO. And, may she actually was naive enough to think Best Buy was a reputable and ethical company.
2. Have we really become so used to being screwed over by stores that we just accept whatever they want to offer as compensation for lost items or services not actually received? I am surprised at the number of people - both for and against Raelynn - that have just caved in to store pressure to settle for less. Maybe if you had taken a stronger stance back then Best Buy would not have grown so arrogant.

Just because you are knowledgeable about something doesn't mean everyone else is. Just because you are willing to accept less for your troubles doesn't mean everyone else should. Try to put yourself in their shoes before forming your conclusion. You know, it wasn't long ago that Viet Nam, Gulf War and Irag War veterans were viewed as crybabies...amazing how a little insight can change one's views.

Unknown said...

Hi Raelyn, I'm a IT manager for a large corporation and have been the "Computer Guy" that helped all of my friends with their PC's. I have to say that I 100% agree with you. I have always given the advice to stay away from Best Buy when buying an actual PC. I don't think you are crazy or ridiculous and I certainly do not think you are part of America's over use of litigation problem. I have served as an expert witness for the various townships and counties near where I live in Philadelphia. If at all you need an expert computer witness, I will do it for free. I will even pay for my travel and hotel accommodations out of my own pocket.

Anonymous said...

It is still unbelievable that people are so stupid & think this is a ridiculous matter. I am so embarrased for them! They obviously didn't read your letters! Raelynn, I hope you win & show all those horrible employees that you aren't going to sit back & take it. For the idiot who tried to compare your situation with "sending your purse out to repair with your wallet still in it..." what a complete idiot! Another non-educated person to go along with the one who accuses you of trying to get your "15 min of fame...trying to take advantage of minor issues..." minor issues?! are you kidding?! WOW! you ARE real dumb! It's a good thing they put anonymous b/c they should be SO embarrased! Anyone related to them or knows them would be cringing & embarrased for them too!
Best of luck to you Raelynn!

Anonymous said...

Hey Raelynn,
Just wait 'til something similar to your situation happens to those who don't agree with you. They'll be wishing they had your balls!
You go girl!

goatley said...

1. Your claim that best buy allowed your laptop to be stolen is oxymoronic at best.

2. They are not responsible for your maintaining privacy data on your personal computer. You put yourself at risk there and are due no compensation.

3. You have no knowledge of Best buy control procedures and thus no basis for a claim that Best Buy was negligent.

4. Lost pictures and other data see "personal responsibility" you should have backed up your information on at least a monthly basis.

conclusion: You are irresponsible. Pay your stupid tax and move on.

goatley said...

For the A-hole post well takes one to know one.

goatley said...

Hmmm I rebut the lack of facts in her argument and put forth the contributory negligence argument and the best the opposition can come up with is “your stupid”. My, what an intelligent response. Maybe you could spell check my post and point out all the typos. Ad Hominem, the sure sign that an argument has been lost.
score: goatley 1.
opposition 0

Unknown said...

@Goatley,
Sir, you are freely entitled to your opinion. I respect your views however, you may not understand the real reason the lawsuit was brought.

She is not suing because she lost data or the actual laptop.
She is suing because:
1.) They lost her laptop that had personal information critical to her and not only failed to notify her, per legal requirement - they attempted to cover it up.
2.) Best Buy has repeatedly lied about the status of the laptop and has even doctored records.
3.) They are not liable if the hard-drive dies or if they have to re-image the drive. However, they ARE liable if they allow it to be stolen. In which case they are liable not only for the cost of the hardware, they are liable for the replacement cost of the software and the data.
4.) They are only liable for the current estimated fair-market value of the laptop if the laptop is unable to be repaired and she is still under the store warranty. If they LOSE the laptop or allow it to be stolen, they are liable for the exact price of a comparable replacement.
5.) True, she doesn't know Best Buys policies and requirements for customer privacy - however it is apparent that they failed miserably.
6.) Best Buy has shown repeatedly that it didn't give a rats behind and threw the least amount of money it could at each request.
7.) It made and UNAUTHORIZED transaction to her credit card. Albeit, to give a credit. It was still unauthorized and violated a few laws.

Now, all you see if the large lawsuit. She is not suing to get a large cash settlement. She is suing to get media attention. Which she has. Her story went around the world, its on blogs, its allover the news. Best Buy has a big old spotlight and every action it does is being seen by customers, ex-customers and possible potential customers around the world. That is why she filed a $54m lawsuit.

Will she see a dime? Probably not. I think at best, she'll see $8,500.

The fact of the matter is, Best Buy didn't take her seriously. Even after the $54m lawsuit, they still don't. It is apparent from the lack of intellect in their lawyers correspondence with Raelyn, that they still don't give a crap. Just wait until they start seeing the news impacting their numbers. Sure, it won't make a dent, but it doesn't have to. Even the smallest amount of lost profits that can be attributed to Raelyns quest and they will finally own up to what they did to get back into the publics good graces. It's just PR.

Was that an intelligent enough response for you?

Cheers,
GT500Shlby.

WEDNPLNR said...

Raelynn

Good for you. I had a really bad experience recently with Best Buys and the Geek Squad. They ruined my laptop and the Geek manager was rather rude (Germantown, MD store.) I called their corporate office and they are as useless as the Geek Squad themself. I hope you get a HUGE chunk of change from them and I hope this lawsuit causes them to loose enough business to make them work a little harder for their customers and take care of things that are left in their care for repair.

Anonymous said...

Poor goatley sounds so stupid. Looks like many agree. There are no lack of facts in anyone's argument except yours. Stop all your silly "I am smarter than you" games & leave this blog now. I know you are trying to appear intelligent but you are not. No one wants to waste their time with people like you who don't give Raelynn any credit. You are a closed minded jerk.
Don't bother trying to scramble up some remark to this because I'm not going to bother looking at it. I know you woould like to feel that "an argument has been lost", give it up. Go find something useful on this planet to do. Go volunteer at Nursing Home & get some humbleness!

GT500shlby, don't even waste your time or energy with this goatley thing. Neither should anyone else- it's not worth it.

Good luck to you Raelynn!

Anonymous said...

Hi Raelynn!

I had an awful experience at BestBuy Chicago (North Ave.). I really thought I was in the twilight zone when dealing with "them"! I took my computer in for a "clean-up" they said it would be ready by the end of the day. Wouldn't you know, it was ready by the end of the 2nd month! It was hysterical! They couldn't find it, then they thought they did but didn't, then they thought someone had given it to the wrong customer- I mean seriously! It was like Candid Camera!
The mgr. was semi-sympathetic b/c I went in there almost everyday to find him & have him work on locating my computer. He admitted to me that his workers were fabricating entries in the computer to make it look like work was actually being done. When he finally got his hands on it almost 2 months later, not 1 person had even looked at it or worked on it. He sat there & did it all himself & gave me a bunch of other upgrades & stuff on it because he was at the point of embarrasment for the company & everyone involved. He also didn't charge me for anything.
I would tell people at work & my friends about it & it was then I learned how many others had similar bad experiences at BestBuy. It's been about 5 years & I have never stepped foot into that store since & I don't ever want to!
You have my support!

Anonymous said...

I'm not saying what your doing is right or wrong, But please lets look at a couple things here if you took you laptop into any store (Not Just Best Buy) and you had a service plan and they like most stores send it out to the authorized service location and it gets lost! I'm sure that it did not get lost on purpose. UPS loses stuff all the time. so does fedex and the post office. next you cant sue a company for what might happen because has nothing has happened yet! you cant blame them for you leaving personal data on your machine either.(do you own a flash drive) you said they put money back on your Card and gave you $500.00 gift card wow that was more then they needed to do. if you read most service plans from retailers they don't cover software or personal data anyways. we live in a world where people store all there data on laptops and computers and when they break they run into a store and say please help me all my information is on there and I cant get it to work. please you gotta help me my laptop is my life. what you need to do is take responsabilty for your on actions. Suing a store only makes them change there policy and raise prices for the rest of us.

Anonymous said...

I too am involved in a dispute with Best Buy. I purchased an iPod from them in August 2005. At the time, the cashier suggested that I take out a three-year extended warranty on the unit. He advised that iPods are very temperamental and that a warranty is a wise idea. He went on to explain that if at any time during this three-year period the iPod broke, Best Buy would repair it free of charge. Further, if for some reason the unit could not be repaired, Best Buy would give me a comparable replacement. This made perfect sense to me, so I took out the warranty. The iPod worked beautifully until December 2007, when it suddenly stopped functioning. I tried recharing it, I hooked it up to an iPod deck and to my computer -- nothing. The unit was totally dead. Accordingly, I brought the iPod to Best Buy to see what could be done. A Geek Squad member inspected the unit and advised that it had indeed crashed. He then verified that the iPod was still under warranty and that, pursuant to that warranty, Best Buy would repair or replace it free of charge. A couple of weeks later I received a call that my iPod was ready for pick up. I arrived at Best Buy the next day, only to be told by a different Geek Squad guy that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the unit and that I would have to pay a $35 no-fault charge to retrieve it. I pointed out to him that the unit was broken when I had brought it in two weeks earlier. His own Geek Squad co-worker had verified that it had crashed. Geek#2 maintained his position. I then asked to speak with a manager. I was told that I would not receive a different answer from a manager. I tried to reason with Geek#2, but got nowhere. I asked to speak with a manager several more times, each time being refused. Geek#2 then suggested that I call Best Buy's Corporate Office. I detailed my saga to a rep in Corporate, who advised that the charge certainly seemed inappropriate. However, she could not waive it. She suggested that I pay the $35 and promised that she would send me reimbursement in the form of a $35 Best Buy gift card (a flimsy resolution!). At this point, I was so frustrated that I decided to give in and pay the ransom. Before pulling out my wallet, however, a thought occurred to me. I asked the Geek if I could see the iPod for a moment. Amazingly, all of my music had disappeared. I pointed out to him that if, as Best Buy claims, the unit was working perfectly when shipped to them and if, as they claim, they did no work on it, the music should still be there. Geek advised that Best Buy had apparently reset the iPod (thereby negating his earlier claim that Best Buy had done nothing with the unit). When he realized that he had contradicted himself, he advised that resetting is not covered by the warranty. I was faced with the prospect of paying a bogus $35 charge for a two-and-a-half-year-old iPod, with no music on it, that would undoubtedly crash again (as Best Buy claims to have performed no repairs on it). I decided to leave the unit, and obnoxious Geek#2, and purchase a new iPod in BJ's. I then returned home and detailed my situation in a letter to Best Buy's Corporate Office. A few days later I received a letter from Best Buy claiming that nothing was wrong with the unit and that I remain responsible for the $35 no-fault charge. I wrote again to Best Buy and asked how it is possible then that I have a receipt from Best Buy advising that the iPod had crashed. By maintaining their ridiculous allegation that the iPod was working perfectly when brought in for service is not only an insult to my intelligence and integrity, but also to the competence of their employee who originally inspected my iPod. A few days later I received another letter from Best Buy, basically insinuating that I am lying about the situation. It's blatantly obvious that Best Buy is in the habit of selling warranties that they have no intention of honoring. It's unconscionable that Best Buy refuses to honor its contractual commitments with their customers. Sadly, for a dispute over $35 and a broken iPod, and as a result of truly shoddy customer service, "Best Lie" has lost a customer for life. I will never again shop in that store.

Best of luck in your lawsuit, Ms. Campbell!

goatley said...

Dear Pam,

Thank you for the statistics but they teach math a little different in your world. There is hardly a 95% agreement, much less over 95%. A review of the first 20 posts yields the following:
10 agree
9 disagree
1 no opinion

Sweetie that's 50% agree 45% disagree a virtual tie. Next time you want to add statistics to your post please don't pull them out of you axx.

Anonymous said...

Although her situation is unfortunate, she really has only herself to blame for any loss other than the laptop itself. The document you sign when you turn in your systems states you should back your data up, that they take no reponsibility for it and that it should contain nothing of a personal nature (well there's a no brainer!)
So.......they owe her for her lost laptop but nothing else.

Unknown said...

Actually - a few of the previous posts are untrue.

That paper may *SAY* that they are not liable - however it is improbable for someone to remove ALL of their personal data from a machine every time they need to have it serviced.

Also - they are only protected when they need to re-image the drive or the drive itself fails and needs to be replaced. Also - it has to be REASONABLE that they replace/re-image the drive.

EVERYTHING ELSE, like losing or letting the laptop be stolen they are more than liable for.

People, out of all those liability forms you sign for various reasons, only about .4% are actually held up in court.

Now - Best Buy is LIABLE... 100%

I am about a hair away from writing an Amicus Curiae to the judge about this particular case outlining this.

John Macey said...

At what time does this become a "Class Action"?

I've not bought anything from Best Buy in years, and certainly will not trust any electronics purchase to be made there!

Unknown said...

I had the same thing happen to me at the Best Buy store in Bloomingdale, Illinois. I left a computer in June 2007, after threatening them, I received it back in September 2007. There was evidence that a geek squad employee was using it for his personal usage, a there was all kinds of networks on the computer, and the sound card was disabled. The only problem that the computer had was the power system needed replacement. Best Buy offered me $ 549.00, which I declined. This seems to be a standard practice at Best Buy.

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