Need advice

Need some advice from an "outside" set of eyeballs.

October of 2008 a lady brought a laptop in with a busted screen. I charged her $200 for the replacement of it, and found that when the laptop was powered on
it had a bad motherboard.
I told her it might have a factory recall on it and for her to bring me the reciept. Three months later, she did.
I found out there was no recall on it, and told her she should come pick it up. She did, about six months later - far after my 60 day policy had expired.
I had only used the DVDRW off of it, but told her that I would get another one to replace it.
Several months later, she came back with it and said she wanted it fixed. I looked into replacing the motherboards which was expensive, and decided that if I just kept her laptop and ordered one exactly like it off of ebay then I could use hers for parts to offset what I had spent on the "new" one.
The situation happened when my dumb a$$ used a drive image to restore the computer replacement I had bought for her. It contained someone else's personal information
and I should have known it or at least checked - but didn't.
Now - the guy who's information it is is upset - and this woman is basically holding his data hostage, demanding that I pay her in full what she paid for the computer back in 2004 / 2005. I told her that I wasn't going to do that, that she could kick rocks - then she said I should just get her original laptop up and running which at this time needs an LCD, keyboard, ac adapter, hard drive, cdrom drive, motherboard and who knows what else.
She already has a replacement computer, I couldn't care less about her being happy or not. A policy is a policy and they are meant to be followed. She has this guys medical records and all sorts of extremely personal information. The police were notified, but said there wasn't anything they could do unless someone tried to actually use his information - OR - unless she called and made demands based on her posession of this data.
I think that I've went above and beyond what anyone else would have done, and that she's just trying to use this to her advantage to get something for nothing - at the same time straining my relationship with a really good client of mine in the process.
It has been over 2 and a half years since her computer was functional, and just recently she has started making a stink about it.

Advice guys/gals?

Thx

I would tell her to do whatever she has to do and to piss off. Let her use some of that info, for whatever her reasons are. Afterwards, call the cops. I'm pretty sure they don't take that kind of thing too lightly.

MOTF!

It was the responsibility of the Guy who sold you the computer to remove his personal infor, You havent done anything wrong and you should just let the 2 fight it out, You seem to have done the right thing in all honesty and saved the lady a Fair amount of money because you provided her with a replacement, I dont know what she is Holding the data "Hostage" For its not like it will cause you suffering in any way, As i say Its up to those two to work it out now, Youve done your job

Tell the bitch to pound sand! Forget her and her laptop. If she comes with any demands, tell her she has exceeded your service warranty, and exercise the " right to refuse service"!

Originally posted by sykickvision
A policy is a policy and they are meant to be followed.

I was leaning in your favor, until you said this. Policies are policies, laws are laws, but I see in numerous cases where the proprietor can not tell the difference. It gets worse when establishments begin to think that their policies is some sort of law and try to make the customer believe that it is.

Hold up now:

The situation happened when my dumb a$$ used a drive image to restore the computer replacement I had bought for her. It contained someone else's personal information

Correct me if I'm wrong. You bought her a replacement laptop, and used an image made from some other customers system?

I'd hope you've got linux on there, or at least if it is windows you gave her a LEGIT serial number, because if you merely cloned someone elses windows install and put it on her laptop, you've broken copyright laws. If it's an OEM install (windows preinstalled from HP or DELL or whoever) then that key is only good for that 1 machine, so she might even end up with microsoft piracy warnings.

That also goes for any commercial software on that image.

anyways, not really sure what you can do now, she's got the information and she's basically trying to extort you.

reply to post by phishyblankwaters


I didn't elaborate.
The way I do this is to have a pre-fab'ed image of particular systems that have not been activated yet. I use the info (key) on the laptop to activate the windows therefore it's legit.

I have no less than SIX signs clearly stating that I will not be responsible for items left longer than 60 days. It's not like I immediately sell them - but there's a clear difference between 60 days and two years.

reply to post by Skewed


You think it's valid to leave a computer @ a repair shop for 24 months and then expect it to be in working order whenever you decide to come pick it up? Having changed your phone number as well?

Originally posted by sykickvision
reply to post by Skewed

 

You think it's valid to leave a computer @ a repair shop for 24 months and then expect it to be in working order whenever you decide to come pick it up? Having changed your phone number as well?

Well, if I paid you to fix it then yes, I expect that it would be working. But I will concede that it is not your problem if the customer takes an excessive amount of time to come back and get it, and would possibly charge a storage fee in those cases. But it still does not change the fact that it should be working if you are being paid to fix it.

reply to post by Skewed


I beg to differ.
If you tow your car into the shop to have the engine replaced, and note that on the walls AND on the slip they provided you back that there was a 60 day period in which you had to pick up your vehicle or it would be forfeited. So the mechanic calls you a week later & tells you that the engine has been replaced, but the transmission is shot as well. Neither of you could have known that (or admitted it anyway, unless you're trying to screw the mechanic) until the engine was replaced. So...you just leave it there for two freaking years. The mechanic says - no, we stripped parts off of it because you never came back to get it and it had a preexisting condition beyond what you said it was. He feels bad & replaces your car. Unknowingly, there are confidential documents in the trunk belonging to someone else, because the mech was a dumba$$ and didn't check the trunk.
So now, you call the mech back and tell him he can have the car & papers back IF he fixes your ORIGINAL car.
No...I'm not doing it. I've decided while I'm typing this - this is extortion, or an attempt at it. Getting the law involved.

When you used the DVDRW off of her laptop without permission is when YOU violated the agreement.

At that time you sould have just replaced the DVDRW and been done with it.

The laptop purchased on ebay, It is NOT your responibility to remove the data, if the seller did not want his data on it he should have taken care of that before he shipped it. You have nothing to do with that.

For the future : Display a sign that would read that items left over 90 days will be sold. Now remember if you sell someone's computer after 90 days you are only allowed to keep the invoice amount, the balance MUST be forwarded to the owner. You can inflate the invoice by adding a storage fee.

No good deed goes unpunished.

reply to post by sykickvision


I am only going by the details given. There are always more than one side to a story and I only have one of them. So, I cannot make a fair decision with the info at hand.

reply to post by sykickvision


Yeah, I'd tell her "Listen lady, some friendly advice for ya, take this computer of yours and stick it where the sun dont' shine-- now beat it, birdbrain!!' then I'd throw that old piece of crap computer on the ground. Problemo solvedo.

Originally posted by inchworm
reply to post by sykickvision

 

Yeah, I'd tell her "Listen lady, some friendly advice for ya, take this computer of yours and stick it where the sun dont' shine-- now beat it, birdbrain!!' then I'd throw that old piece of crap computer on the ground. Problemo solvedo.

reply to post by inchworm


That's pretty much the route I'm going....apart from the getting her done in for extortion.

Thanks guys.