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How much is a lost laptop worth?

Posted at 10:59 AM on February 12, 2008 by Bob Collins (13 Comments)

About $54 million, according to a Washington, D.C. area woman, who has filed a lawsuit against Best Buy. Raelyn Campbell, took her $1,100 laptop to Best Buy to get it fixed, and three months later the store admitted it lost the laptop. Best Buy offered her $900, then $1,100 after the district's attorney general got involved, then $2,100 after the lawsuit was filed.

"I can't help but wonder how many other people have had their computer stolen (or) lost by Best Buy and then been bullied into accepting lowball compensation offers for replacement expenses and no compensation for identity theft protection expenses," she told the Red Tape Chronicles blog.

Best Buy refused comment.

Comments (13)

$54M? This is completely absurd - no one has a laptop whose loss is worth even 1% of that, and this is just another classic shakedown of a big corporation by a greedy lawyer and a willing stooge. For sure Best Buy should compensate her for losing the laptop, and that compensation should rightly be greater than the value of the computer, but this simply ridiculous. Ms. Campbell should be as ashamed and embarrassed by her unmitigated avarice as Best Buy should by their sloppy incompetence.

Posted by William Clark | February 13, 2008 1:38 PM

I could be mistaken about the common usage of the "M", but in the printing industry it means 1,000. That makes your headline only 54 thousand, not 54 million, which would be represented by 54MM.

Posted by Mary | February 13, 2008 1:49 PM

Of course, the amount is absurd, that is part of the point - to get the attention of the consumer, and the corporation, which she clearly has. Months of runaround with the company she bought the computer from is not excusable. But, rather than have the case dismissed, which happened with the case she has copy-catted, she should definitely lower her bid, because she does deserve something. Somebody has to get screwed every once in a while by a giant corporation. If you're outraged by this shameless usury on both sides - don't shop there. The best part about the story is that she took the computer back to get fixed with her warranty (which is generally a waste of money anyway).

Posted by Carrie | February 13, 2008 2:37 PM

Comments have failed to take into account the value (present and future) of Ms. Campbell's ID loss. If someone got away with my computer (or maybe yours), they woud have access to lots of my personal and financial data as well as credit card codes. That loss might not add up to millions for Ms. Campbell, but if there have been more than a few such "losses" at Best Buy and maybe a few other repair shops, the losses could be considerable. I support the principle of her claim, especially if it gets their attention and causes them to take more security precautions with other people's computers/data/ID.

Bob in Newport

Posted by Bob Andeson | February 13, 2008 3:48 PM

The point is not the amount she is asking for, it's the principal on which suing. Best Buy has been giving poor coverage and service on computers and various appliances for years. Not only did they not fix the computer, but they LOST it. There is a valid concern of identity theft here and I think this is an important case in finally making Best Buy stand up and admit when they’ve screwed up.

I refuse to shop at their stores anymore, and I generally will always support a Minnesota based company. I completely support her efforts to be compensated for what’s been lost. I myself dealt with the nightmare of Best Buy’s support when I naively purchased my first computer there including the warranty coverage. I ended up recycling my old laptop and having to buy a new Dell online after Best Buy fried my hard drive and would not admit to it. I only wish I would have had the motivation and drive to take the issue to the next level instead of taking the blow to my savings account.

Posted by Clare | February 13, 2008 3:55 PM

Identity theft is a real concern here, and one worth taking into serious consideration.

Intersetingly enough, I had some on-line identity theft (i.e. eBay and Amazon) and it just so happened that the theft occurred the ONLY time that my computer was out of my possession. It happened to be at a Best Buy for a new hard-drive installation.

Curious.

Posted by Daniel | February 13, 2008 6:32 PM

I agree that the 54 million is a bit excessive (I'm sure the court will reduce any amount awarded anyway). The issue is not only the loss of her financial security, but perhaps the risk to others as well. It is not mentioned in the article, but perhaps this woman uses the computer for employement. Also, if the Best Buy in question lost that computer, perhaps they've lost other computers as well. Perhaps the entire Best Buy company lacks customer protection measures putting all non-cash paying customers at risk (think credit-card tranaction data loss).

Posted by Chris | February 14, 2008 12:19 AM

That amount is only to gain publicity, as she previously stated in another news article. It was after another lawsuit in which a woman got media attention for suing for 54 million. I dont see why she couldnt have accepted the offer that was the price for her laptop plus $1000.The data is a good point, however, it should have been her responsibility to back up or remove all important documents before checking it in for service. Im sure she signed a waiver when checking it in that mentions waiving all loss of data.

Posted by Robert | February 19, 2008 12:01 AM

It's ridiculous to claim she has to pay for an identity theft protection (as she said in other interviews) She should not have kept that information on her computer, but if it was absolutely necessary, she should have saved it somewhere else before sending it in for service. She knew it would be out for a while, servicing computers always takes a while. If you read the paper SHE SIGNED when bringing it for service, it says she agrees that she has backed up any data and it may be lost as a result of repairs. Would she sue the bus company if she accidentally left it on the bus? There are always going to be a few mishaps in a giant corporation like Best Buy, thats how everything goes with large businesses. Not that I would be happy if they lost my computer, but I would be smart enough to remove my personal files before giving it to them, and trusting they would give me a new computer if something were to happen to it. The first offer was a low ball, but the second and third were acceptable.

Posted by Sallie | February 19, 2008 12:08 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asY_I8y6C0M

Take a look at this woman's blog. She doesn't feel that this number is reasonable, and has no idea what number it would take Best Buy to wake up to preventative identity theft and fair treatment of customers.

Posted by Ryan | March 1, 2008 7:23 AM

Don't know where that link came from. Here is the link to her blog:

http://bestbuybadbuyboycott.blogspot.com/

Posted by Ryan | March 1, 2008 7:27 AM

kvkjvnmvnkvv,lv,nbn

Posted by craig | April 6, 2008 7:12 AM

I believe that Best Buy should be punished. The larger the punishment the better.... they need to learn a lesson! How better than to go after their money to wake them up!

Posted by Annette | January 16, 2009 10:55 AM

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