I recently sent a new PC purchased at our local Best Buy (purchased in April of 2017) in Bakersfield CA to get an estimate on repairs. The hinge had broken and pulled out of the monitor case separating the case at the hinge location. The PC was sent by the Geek Squad to a facility to evaluate and provide an estimate. Due to the estimate being as high as it was $595 I declined the repair. The item was returned to Bakersfield for me to pick up. When I picked it up the computer, it had extensive damage beyond what it had when they received it from me. As the employee approached me with the PC I could see the damage done by the Geek Squad. The case was separated from the monitor all across the bottom and up one side, wires were hanging out, and plastic to the case was completely broken off. I asked what had happened to my PC and got a blank stare the employee followed by the store assistant manager providing me a number to call which I did. I was informed that several departments all claimed it was not their responsibility and would not respond to me other than by email. I placed a call to the local store and the manager will not return my call. Is this something I can take to small claims court or am i just supposed to except that a company can damage someones personal property and not have to suffer any consequences. I do have witnesses as to the condition the PC was in when I brought it in. I had my office IT visually look at the hinge prior to bringing it in but he didn't handle it at all. Just looked at the hinge and advised to bring it for an estimate.
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Best Buy returned PC Damaged
- Thread starter Shallam
- Start date
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adjusterjack
Senior Member
Before you took it in you had a computer with a broken hinge that you probably couldn't have gotten $50 for.
You declined to have the repairs done.
Your computer has additional damage but you still have a computer that's not worth $50.
You can sue in small claims court for the pre-estimate value of the broken computer but is it worth taking time off from work and paying court fees for something that was already broken before you took it in?
That's for you to decide.
Snowbird80
Junior Member
Shellam,
I don't have any legal experience, but I do work in the IT industry and used to work on the tech bench of a major electronics retailer years ago.
Based on your description of original damage and their estimate, it sounds like they felt the monitor assembly needed to be replaced. Based on the additional damage after it was returned to you, it sounds to me like they tried to open up your monitor assembly during their troubleshooting process and did a hack job.
I would check the repair order you signed and see exactly what their liability is here. If it states they're not responsible for ANY damages, you're out of luck, but if it says they're not responsible for any damage that occurs during transit to their repair facility, you may have a leg to stand on. Based on your description of the damage, it sounds to me like the damage occurred at the repair facility when someone opened up your laptop to troubleshoot it.
If your repair order indicates that they DO assume liability for damage that occurs at the repair facility, AND you continue getting the run around from Best Buy, I would take photos of the computer and post them as well as your experience with the store and its management (name names if you have them) on Best Buy's Facebook page. Stick to the facts, and avoid being emotional, and make sure the post is public. Social media can be quite effective in motivating a company to do the right thing. If that doesn't work, then consider speaking with an attorney to determine if a small claims case would be in your best interest or not.
In the meantime, take your computer to a local reputable mom and pop computer repair shop and have them take a look at it. Hope for the best, but be prepared that the estimate may be similar to Best Buy's assuming you do need your monitor assembly replaced since they do tend to be really pricey, often 50% or more of what you paid for the computer itself. The "good" news is that it's possible you may not be out any additional money from Best Buy's screwup if the parts they messed up would've been replaced anyway had you opted to repair in the first place.
Next time you buy a laptop, consider purchasing accidental damage coverage through the manufacturer, which would've covered this repair. I know HP and Dell both offer it. It's well worth it, in my opinion.
In the future, NEVER go to Geek Squad. The folks they hire tend to be very entry level, and some unfortunately lack the common sense and professionalism to avoid troubleshooting and repair tasks that are beyond their abilities.
Good luck.
I don't have any legal experience, but I do work in the IT industry and used to work on the tech bench of a major electronics retailer years ago.
Based on your description of original damage and their estimate, it sounds like they felt the monitor assembly needed to be replaced. Based on the additional damage after it was returned to you, it sounds to me like they tried to open up your monitor assembly during their troubleshooting process and did a hack job.
I would check the repair order you signed and see exactly what their liability is here. If it states they're not responsible for ANY damages, you're out of luck, but if it says they're not responsible for any damage that occurs during transit to their repair facility, you may have a leg to stand on. Based on your description of the damage, it sounds to me like the damage occurred at the repair facility when someone opened up your laptop to troubleshoot it.
If your repair order indicates that they DO assume liability for damage that occurs at the repair facility, AND you continue getting the run around from Best Buy, I would take photos of the computer and post them as well as your experience with the store and its management (name names if you have them) on Best Buy's Facebook page. Stick to the facts, and avoid being emotional, and make sure the post is public. Social media can be quite effective in motivating a company to do the right thing. If that doesn't work, then consider speaking with an attorney to determine if a small claims case would be in your best interest or not.
In the meantime, take your computer to a local reputable mom and pop computer repair shop and have them take a look at it. Hope for the best, but be prepared that the estimate may be similar to Best Buy's assuming you do need your monitor assembly replaced since they do tend to be really pricey, often 50% or more of what you paid for the computer itself. The "good" news is that it's possible you may not be out any additional money from Best Buy's screwup if the parts they messed up would've been replaced anyway had you opted to repair in the first place.
Next time you buy a laptop, consider purchasing accidental damage coverage through the manufacturer, which would've covered this repair. I know HP and Dell both offer it. It's well worth it, in my opinion.
In the future, NEVER go to Geek Squad. The folks they hire tend to be very entry level, and some unfortunately lack the common sense and professionalism to avoid troubleshooting and repair tasks that are beyond their abilities.
Good luck.