The $54 Million Laptop

Stanislav_J writes "It happens to the best of us: you drop off your laptop at the local branch of some Super Mega Electronics McStore, go to pick it up, and they can't find it. Lost, gone, kaput — probably sucked into a black hole and now breeding with lost airline luggage. It would make any of us mad, but Raelyn Campbell of Washington, D.C. isn't just mad — she's $54 million mad. That's how much she is asking from Best Buy in a lawsuit that seeks 'fair compensation for replacement of the $1,100 computer and extended warranty, plus expenses related to identity theft protection.' Best Buy claims that Ms. Campbell was offered and collected $1,110.35 as well as a $500 gift card for her inconvenience. (I guess that extra 35 cents wasn't enough to sway her.) Her blog claims that Geek Squad employees spent three months telling her different stories about where her laptop might be before finally acknowledging that it had been lost. For those who follow economic trends, this means that a laptop's worth is roughly equivalent to that of a pair of pants."

Comments

Re:Mod Parent Up

[garcia]

I don't disagree that she deserves more than a few thousand dollars and gift cards from Best Buy, but the woman herself said:

I will agree with you on one point: $54 million dollars is not a reasonable amount to request for a stolen computer and related expenses. However, I want to make clear that this lawsuit is not simply about compensation for the expenses and time I have had to expend as a result of Best Buy's negligence and irresponsible practices. It is about motivating Best Buy to do what it should have felt compelled to do on its own, i.e., address the blatant, company-wide breakdown of privacy protection policies that I experienced, so that future customers do not have to endure what I have - or worse.

I'm sorry but suing for an incredibly large amount of money just to make a point is a bit ridiculous and when you publicly admit that you're doing it mostly out of spite, it makes you look like an ass.

$54 Million

[obduk]

I do agree that this is a valid case, however the money cannot be justified. Yes, she should receive money covering the cost of the laptop when new, and money for the cost of her time and money spent protecting again fraud resulting from the loss of her data, but this surely this still does not amount to $54m. For that kind of money, she could start a new life, with a new name, and not have to worry about the loss of her data.

Re:Mod Parent Up

[Darinbob]

And if she had sued for $10,000, Best Buy would have just paid it out of court, and not change any of their actions or policies or seek to fix problems. Even if they settle out of court for a far lesser amount, you can be sure Best Buy is going to be doing a lot of shouting and yelling at the Geek Squad Goons. For a mere $10,000 it's not worth it to waste someone's time to shout and yell, or even create "How to Smile at the Customer" training pamphlets.

That's the whole point of punitive damages: to make the penalty large enough to hurt instead of being a mere business expense.

Amount is to get attention

[hengist]

From TFA:

Campbell said that she doesn't really expect to get $54 million, but chose the amount to attract attention to her case.

She doesn't say her laptop / data is worth that amount, and she knows she isn't going to get that amount, she's being smart and hurting Best Buy before they get to trial, by bringing negative publicity upon them. The amount is a blunt instrument applied to an arrogant corporation.

Creative RIAAing

[bagsc]

1. Record 360 tracks (videos, or of you talking on your microphone) on your laptop.
2. Give laptop to someone
3. Wait for laptop to be stolen
4. Sue person responsible for laptop for $1000 plus $150,000 per track of copyrighted recorded material for a total of $54 million