duped at circuit city

Copy of a letter sent to Hewlett Packard and Circuit City:

February 12, 2007

I would like to report a case of distributor misrepresentation. Yesterday, I bought an HP Pavillion notebook for more than $1100 from a Circuit City (#3664) in Brooklyn, NY. As I simply couldn't afford the protection plan, the sales agent presented an option to buy the recovery disks in case something happened. I mentioned that the disks are usually included with the computer at purchase. He replied that the information was located only on the hard drive. For a cost of $70 I was sold two DVD's under the pretense that the disks were only available through a separate purchase, and the disks were authentic HP products. After picking up the machine a few hours later, my husband reported that the disks were burned DVD's from our newly purchased machine. I was furious for several reasons: I was not told that the consumer was able to burn the disks him/herself nor how these disks would be created. I had wasted money. Most importantly, I had purchased a product for which I had already paid and labor that I didn't need. I called the HP sales information line to ask if this store had been authorized to sell me these disks. The answer was an absolute no. [The call was made at approximately 10 am; however, I did not note the agent's name.]

I plan to seek a refund from the store immediately for these disks.

I am reporting this incident in hopes that you will address any known fraud or underhanded sales tactics by retail locations selling HP products. If the store charges for the labor of creating the disks, there should be total transparency in the sale so customers can make informed decisions. This practice reflects poorly on the retailer but more so on HP if the manufacturer is aware of these types of underhanded deals.

I really enjoy using my HP notebook at work and insisted I get a quality computer for my home. Please continue to provide great service to your customers by making every effort to ensure that they are treated fairly.

Thanks,

L. Stokes

Concerned Customer

My aim is to agitate and disturb people. I'm not selling bread, I'm selling yeast. -Miguel de Unamuno, writer and philosopher (1864-1936)

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