Is it legal to sell laptops preconfigured with Geek Squad dohicky?

[Exterous]

Originally posted by: EarthwormJim

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf
This has been mentioned a number of times elsewhere. What happens is that they will unseal laptops and load their crap on it then charge the extra $50 or whatever it is for that service, not giving buyers the option.

If the retailer is breaking the seal then they should be advertising the fact that said laptops are "used" no?

No, they break the seal AFTER you have paid for the laptop.

Typically no - they have a set number of them already 'pre-customized' or 'pre-optimized'

 

[Exterous]

Originally posted by: Mike
It really only becomes an issue if you want to buy an advertised laptop and they have a listed minimum in their ad. What BB and CC will do, is preload a % of their inventory. So if the ad comes out and says BB will have at least 10 of a certain laptop, but when you go there Sunday morning they only have 6 new ones that have already been purchased, and the remain 4 of 10 are preloaded with geeksquad shit, then they are legally obligated to order one for you at the advertised price.

What i see done is they take a certain number over the 'guaranteed in stock' ones and pre-optimized them. Then they can say "Well, we only had x of those but we do have y of these others"

 

[alkemyst]

If it's any of the software copyrighted by 'geek squad' like the utility to turn U3 thumbdrives back to normal it would be illegal as installing Windows without a legitimate key.

 

[BigPoppa]

I work for the Geek Squad. Stores shouldn't be preloading ALL laptops, just a certain portion of each SKU. If they are and the customer doesn't want the optimization, we either 1) restore the computer to factory defaults or 2) don't charge for the optimization. Any legality questions would need to be taken up with BBY corporate, I can't answer those questions.

 

[EarthwormJim]

Originally posted by: Exterous

Originally posted by: EarthwormJim

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf
This has been mentioned a number of times elsewhere. What happens is that they will unseal laptops and load their crap on it then charge the extra $50 or whatever it is for that service, not giving buyers the option.

If the retailer is breaking the seal then they should be advertising the fact that said laptops are "used" no?

No, they break the seal AFTER you have paid for the laptop.

Typically no - they have a set number of them already 'pre-customized' or 'pre-optimized'

That wasn't the case at the Best Buy I worked at. But I guess other Best Buys do that.