Skip Links

Network World

  • Social Web 
  • Email 
  • Close

Woman hits Best Buy with $54M suit for losing laptop

By Robert McMillan , IDG News Service , 02/14/2008

A Washington, D.C., woman has filed a lawsuit seeking $54 million in damages from Best Buy after the electronics retailer lost her laptop computer last year.

The lawsuit was filed in D.C. superior court last November but was publicized in media outlets this week. According to plaintiff Raelyn Campbell, Geek Squad technicians at Best Buy's Tenleytown, D.C., store lost the computer sometime around July 2007, then the company misled her about its whereabouts for a few weeks before finally admitting on Aug. 9 that it had been lost.

Best Buy offered Campbell $1,110 and a $500 gift card in compensation, something she calls a "lowball" offer on a blog she has devoted to the issue.

According to her, the point of the lawsuit is to publicly embarrass Best Buy into changing its privacy policy in such cases.

"To me, the big issue is not the low-balling and bullying tactics, but Best Buy's systematic disregard for its customers' personal information and potential exposure to identity theft," she wrote in her blog. "I am hoping the attention that the lawsuit and this website generate might motivate Best Buy and other consumer electronics stores entrusted with products that contain consumers' personal information to adopt thorough procedures and policies to safeguard customers' property and personal information against theft."

Best Buy can't say much about the issue because it's still before the court, but the company is working to find out what went wrong, according to company spokeswoman Nissa French.

"We're obviously embarrassed and disappointed that we were unable to resolve this customer's issue. We've tried to resolve this dispute and feel badly that it escalated to a lawsuit," she said in an e-mail.

Campbell could not be reached for comment.

On her blog, she admitted that the $54 million in damages she was seeking was an "absurd amount," but said that she chose such a large sum in order to draw attention to the problem.

Laptop thefts are frequently the source of widely publicized data breaches. On Wednesday, Lifeblood, a Memphis, Tennessee, blood collection agency, said it was notifying 320,000 blood donors after two of its laptops went missing. The computers contained personal information including Social Security numbers.

Partner Content

Brilliantly simple security and control solutions for email, web and endpoint

www.sophos.com

Stopping data leakage

Learn how to exploit your current security investment to control the information that flows into, through and out of your network.

Download the white paper.

Why detection rates aren't enough

Evaluating endpoint security products is a time-consuming and daunting task. Learn the six critical questions you need to ask to prospective vendors to get the right endpoint solution.

Download the white paper.

Unauthorized applications: Taking back control

Employees installing and using unauthorized applications like IM, VoIP, games and peer-to-peer file-sharing applications cause many businesses serious concern. How do you control these applications?

Download the white paper.

Comments (10)
Login
Forgot your account info?

Join A Class Action Suit against Unethical BestBuy behaviorBy Mingming on March 23, 2008, 3:51 amPlease add my name to the class suit list as I am also a victim of BestBuy unethical business. In December 2006, BestBuy refused to replace my 2005 laptop I bought...

Reply | Read entire comment

Best Buy SuitBy Cathie on March 16, 2008, 5:01 pmIf they have a class action suit I would gladly add my name to the list too. They refused to replace my 2000 laptop even though I've brought it back 6 times for...

Reply | Read entire comment

Include me in a class actionBy Letty Dorney on February 29, 2008, 9:51 pmInclude me in a class action suit if it ever comes to light. I too was treated like garbage by not only Best Buy personnel but also the General Manager at the Sunland...

Reply | Read entire comment

Best Buy Suit over a laptopBy Elena Abreogu on February 18, 2008, 8:33 pmI will gladly join this woman in a class suit against Best Buy after I was treated like sh*t when I claimed my right to a replacement laptop under their warranty! You...

Reply | Read entire comment

Best Buy Suit over a laptopBy Elena Abreogu on February 18, 2008, 8:33 pmI will gladly join this woman in a class suit against Best Buy after I was treated like sh*t when I claimed my right to a replacement laptop under their warranty! You...

Reply | Read entire comment

View all comments

Add comment
Anonymous comments subject to moderator approval. Register here for member benefits.
Have a NetworkWorld account? Log in here. Register now for a free account.

Videos

rssRss Feed
Save The Date!
What They Are Saying

Investment of a Technology should be 'held off' because there hasn't been enough investment in it yet? Is...- Anonymous

Join the Discussion