Woman Sues Best Buy For $54M Over Lost Laptop

[bubba]

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

How much compensation does a consumer deserve for the loss of a laptop computer loaded with personal information? Raelyn Campbell figures it’s $54 million -- if you throw in a little extra for lost time and frustration.

Six months after bringing a damaged laptop computer into a Best Buy electronics store for repairs, and three months after the firm admitted losing it, Campbell filed the whopper of a lawsuit recently in Washington, D.C., Superior Court.


Best Buy has told Campbell that her demands are unreasonable, and has tried to settle for far less. But Campbell said she didn’t start out making astronomical demands. Months of stalling and brush-offs by the company led her to the drastic measures, she said.

Best Buy spokeswoman Nissa French said the company couldn’t comment on Campbell’s story, citing the ongoing litigation. A lawyer for Best Buy did not return phone calls or e-mails.

When Campbell bought her new laptop in 2006 at a Best Buy store near her D.C. home, she said a clerk talked her into paying $300 for an extended warranty. She thought that was a fortunate choice when the computer's on/off switch broke about a year later.

In May, she brought the computer back to the store and was told repairs would take two to six weeks. That wasn't terribly convenient for Campbell, who works for a nonprofit Asia research firm and travels frequently overseas.

But six weeks turned out to be a wildly optimistic estimate.

[Alathald]

$54M is a bit much but this is still funny as hell! I'm rooting for her, someone needs to put Best Buy in their place...I remember last year they were accused of showing fraudulent prices from other vendors to consumers by connecting to their internal network rather that the internet when showing those prices. Guess what goes around really does come around

[Amy]

I think she deserves more than what BestBuy was offering her for sure. She may have to get a new SSN, etc. I think that $54 is extreme, but like she admitted, that was for publicity.

[bubba]

You have to wonder how often they do loose someones stuff.

[Bio-Hazard]

My sons best friend was a member of the Geek Squad at one time and they loose stuff (or stolen) on a regular basis. To bad more people don't make a stand like this lady is doing. Then just maybe they would take a bit better care of other peoples property.

[vicaphit]

That is a lot of money. Though if it had company information on it, that could be some pretty important data.

[stopthekilling77]

I think that $54 is extreme, but like she admitted, that was for publicity.

suing is like living for your dreams:

shoot for the moon - if you miss, you're bound to land among the stars anyway :D

[Topher]

Though if it had company information on it, that could be some pretty important data.

She would have be a true idiot to put company data into the hands of Best Buy.

[Tim Burton]

They lost my mother's laptop for 6 months and when they got it back, the HD didn't work and they didn't fix the keyboard like they said they would.

I have not done business with that company in the last 4 years and I have cost them untold amounts of money by directing people to buy at newegg or pay me at a better rate (for them and me) to fix their computers and such.

[Tech_Greek]

You have to wonder how often they do loose someones stuff.

When I worked there things got stolen so much that they started locking up all the returns from the Service Department in a cage. The amount of stuff the service centers lost that we sent is just ludacris as well but sometimes it can be credited to the Geek Squad member who did not put in the Serial # correctly, etc.