Another 54 million dollar lawsuit

[ditchdj]

http://redtape.msnbc.com/2008/02/a-l...p-a.html#posts

---If Best Buy wasnt such assholes about it I would have been happy to tell this woman to screw off.

[MCSledgehammer]

While it's crappy that they lost her computer, I shall only say "This is why one should back up one's hard drive on a regular basis". Wouldn't solve the identity theft, but would certainly allow her to get on with her job and save her photos and such... External hard drives are your friend....

[symposes]

I agree with her completely.

Bestbuy effectively told her to "screw off" when they lost her computer, and jerked her around like that.
she said she doesnt expect to get much money, she just wants the situation fixed.

and if her id did get stolen because of this, she could face an untold amount of damages.

[Broomjockey]

I'm inclined to cut her some slack over the ridiculous amount since she says flat out that she chose it to reflect the pants-suit, and to get media attention. Basic showboating. Law 101. Get the media on your side, and you've got half the case won. I smell eventual out-of-court settlement for 5 digits.

[MMATM]

I call 6 digits.

Identity theft, especially with the amount of media attention it's gotten in the past, is a big deal. Best Buy doesn't want to look like the bad guys (even though they are, trying to have her sign a "confidentiality agreement" aka "don't tell anyone we were such assholes and might have screwed you for life") so they'll settle for a super-high (but not $54M) sum and hopefully work on keeping people's private information more secure.

This story is one reason I never shop at Best Buy unless I have practically no choice in the matter, as in I have a gift card for their store and I need something only they carry locally.

[PepperElf]

what i find interesting is how they were telling her "the part's been ordered" and "it's on it's way"... while the computer had been missing for a while.

(another reason why I'm happy with my mac... my BF brought his laptop in to an official Aple store for service - fixing the dvd drive cos it was making funny sounds, and a new case cos his was dented. The apple store gave him an estimate of 7 days. They called him after about 4 days to tell him it was ready for pickup - so that's TWO bonuses...fast work, and the courtesy of a phone call to tell him.)

[edible_hat]

I wish I had a $54 million computer.

[Crazeyal]

Okay..

Being careful with my language so as not to stir up DOS MODERATORS, but the ire being sent towards this woman is puzzling to me. If you read the article, the woman was CLEARLY wronged, abused, and a BB manager blew her off with a reply that basically said "So don't shop here, there are other customers!"

Plenty of people would LOVE to reply to SC's like that.

But from appearances, this woman doesn't seem to be sucky. Hell.. If BB lost *MY* laptop, LIED to me, and then offered me 75% of the COST of the laptop as compensation?? The woman was ABUSED Does she deserve 54 million? No. Will she get it? No. I hope she gets a few hundred thousand, and the people responsible for this gross negligence have their wages garnished for years to pay for it!

[marasbaras]

If someone who worked for me lost a customer's laptop, they'd simply be fired. Period. No excuse for that.

These guys jerked the woman around and screwed her over. She gets to be appropriately compensated. AND, the jerky business gets to be appropriately punished.

I'm amazed at all the comments to the effect of "she's crazy" or "she got what she deserved". Huh?

It's like the woman my mother knew ... complete anti-abortion zealot. Picketed abortion clinics. Thought that doctors at those clinics were murderers, the works. Until she got pregnant by "accident" with her boyfriend. THEN, it was different.

People need to be less judgemental and lighten up. This woman was majorly screwed over by Best Buy and they just lied to her for weeks.

[Broomjockey]

but the ire being sent towards this woman is puzzling to me.

I'm amazed at all the comments to the effect of "she's crazy" or "she got what she deserved". Huh?

Ignoring Crazeyal's attempt at provoking the mods... I'm puzzled as to where you two are reading to come up with comments like that. I count two. With one vague. That's less than half.

And actually, I think MMATM is right, it's going to be 6 digit settlement, as I didn't properly figure in the identity theft bit. I also think Best Buy will be announce "new techniques for inventory management" or some crap like that, which will really just be some asinine rigamarole that the associates will never go through.

[tropicsgoddess]

That's just horrible that it takes a $54 million dollar lawsuit to get BB to address the issue on the lady's lost laptop. What was worse was how they offered a $900 gift card before the lawsuit when the laptop she had cost more than that. I just wonder how the fuck they managed to lose her laptop in the first place.

[Crazeyal]

I would have been happy to tell this woman to screw off.

I wish I had a $54 million computer.

And if you read the website, there are people SLAMMING this woman. From some of the replies I've read on other threads, there are perfectly happy and loyal BB employees and/or customers. Large chains have all sorts of levels of dedication and there are simply good stores and bad stores EVERYWHERE. Treating someone in this matter DESERVES such a response. I bet BB is taking notice, and the idiot manager is rightfully worried for his career.

[gbm85]

I think it's time to close this one down and move any further discussion over to Fratching.