Q: Ok, so last year my sister got a laptop from best buy, and she got a one year warranty so if anything at all went wrong with it, she wouldn't have to pay a cent. Well, apparently she didn't get it shut down before she shut the lid and when she put it in her case it overheated and melted something on the inside so it wouldn't turn on. She gave her friend all the details and he said it had something to do with the motherboard and all her info should be fine. So we get back to best buy and give it to geek squad, we come back a week later and they put a new motherboard in, but they told her when it was syncing with the hard drive it erased all her data. That day she was apparently feeling not too crabby because she didn't say anything about it (i would have caused a huge scene) and she got her laptop home. About a week or two after that she gets a call asking if she wants all her info back, apparently the dude that helped her the first time lied to her. So they give her 2 numbers to call and neither work, so she faxed them and finally got a hold of them and they are going to try to sell her her info back on an external hard drive for $400 (When they called her back about getting her info her warranty was up by then). So, what do you think we should do when we get there? I'm going to go with her and I'm pretty sure I'm going to yell at them and make a huge scene (like I planned to at first) until they relinquish her stuff for free (like they should have at first, she didn't want them to touch the hard drive). Anyway, if they don't give her info back for free, I'm definitely going to file a report with the Better Business Bureau. Thanks for reading (i know, it's novel length) :D any comments would be appreciated.
A: What best buy probably did is backed up your sister's data on an external hard drive before they reformatted it (read: wiped it, it usually has to be done when replacing the motherboard), which is pretty much common practice. They SHOULD NOT charge you to get your data back, as it is also common practice to put the data back onto the hd when the repair is complete. What I would do, is go to the store and ask, forcefully but not angrily that you want the data back on the drive and you will not pay for it. If the data is on an external hd, they should be able o connect it and transfer all the data right in front of you. Don't yell, don't raise your voice, and don't make a big scene. All it does is usually make you look stupid and almost never helps the situation. Let them know you aren't happy at all with their service, but don't turn into the irate maniac that you wouldn't let your kids around. If you aren't an adult, bring one with you, preferably a parent or guardian. Most salesmen will talk down to kids or anyone under the age of 20, so an adult will led you credibility and ensure that you are taken seriously. hope this helps!