Attorney General Jim Petro Sues Best Buy For Unacceptable Business Practices
August 19 , 2004
Best Buy Complaint (as filed)
Sound Clip from Press Conference
COLUMBUS - Attorney General Jim Petro today filed suit against Minnesota-based Best Buy Co., Inc. (“Best Buy”), which operates retail outlets throughout Ohio and via the Internet. The lawsuit alleges that Best Buy engaged in a pattern of unfair and deceptive acts and practices. The Attorney General’s Office received hundreds of consumer complaints during the last few years with the highest concentration of complaints alleging, among other things, that Best Buy repackaged used goods and sold them as new, failed to honor rebates, failed to honor refund and exchange programs, and failed to honor extended service contracts.
“The sheer number of complaints coupled with the types of allegations my office received prompted us to file this lawsuit.” Petro said. “The primary objective of this lawsuit is to bring Best Buy into conformity with Ohio’s consumer protection laws and ensure that Best Buy’s Ohio customers receive the service they deserve.”
Additional Consumer Sales Practices Act violations alleged in the lawsuit include: failure to honor implied warranties of merchantability, substandard and/or inadequate customer service, and making false and misleading statements to consumers.
In the complaint, Petro asked the court to prohibit Best Buy from engaging in practices that violate the Consumer Sales Practices Act, and to order Best Buy to reimburse consumers who lost money or otherwise did not receive the full service they were promised. The complaint also asks that Best Buy pay a civil penalty of $25,000 for each violation of the Consumer Sales Practices Act.
Best Buy is a Minnesota corporation located at 7601 Penn Ave., Richfield, Minn.
For Additional Information on this Press Release:
CONTACT: Michelle Gatchell, Attorney General’s Office, at (614) 466-3840 |
