Best Buy Best Buy sold me a Toshiba laptop computer that was used with previous owner's files still on machine, plus broken disk drive Santa Maria, California

That was buggin me from the start. How did you even access the old files if the drive was inoperable? Or did it boot up and then act all weird, or shut down, etc?

That said, the only thing I use Pest Bye for is playing with the tablets on display, or watching sports while the wife shops elsewhere. Pest Bye is basically a free babysitting service for my wife.

Make room, Circuit City. You may have company soon. All the OP has at stake is a laptop. The real suckers will be anyone holding Best Buy common stock by this time next year. Be a shame too. I won't have anywhere to escape shopping then except the Target or Walmart TV departments.

If the disk drive was completely broken and completely inoperable, how do you even know what files were on it? Where were they?

If the hard drive was broken you wouldn't even be able to boot it up.

Does it have more than one drive?  Are you referring to the CD/DVD drive or what.

This is not a criticism, just an honest question.

When they returned it to me, three of these files were missing. But the fourth one - an address book - is still on my computer.

1.  There is a free program called recuva from Pirosoft that you can download.  If you do an internet search you will find the download site for it.  This free program will recover the 3 deleted files if they have not been overwritten.  It will also recover any other files that the previous purchaser made that have not been overwritten.  Note: you should use an external HDD to restore the deleted files.  Borrow or purchase one if needed-having an external usb HDD for backups is always a good investment.

2.  Call Toshiba directly to check if your laptop's serial number was registered (for warranty) by the previous purchaser.  If it was, you have them.

Once you have proof from the recovered files or from Toshiba, you should go back to Best Buy with your evidence and demand a NEW computer.  Make it clear to them that if they do not give you a new computer you will SUE them in small claims and file formal written complaints with the FTC and your appropriate State consumer protection agencies.  DO NOT GIVE BEST BUY THE COMPUTER until they hand you a new one.

Good luck.

Selling you a used computer without clearly noting that on the invoice is an act of fraud. Best Buy owes you a new computer or a refund. The previous owner probably would be interested to know his or her files were carelessly released to another customer. You were ripped off.

You thought Best Buy was a good company ?  Get real.  They are one of the WORST companies in the US with which to deal.  They are famous ( or rather, infamous ) for committing this type of fraud on their customers.  Search the web.  No doubt you will find hundreds of thousands of complaints similar to yours.  They apparently put every returned item right back on the shelves or back in the warehouse to be resold without ever examining it.  I couldn't, with good conscience, even buy a package of batteries from this place.  Best Buy has definitely earned the name " RIPOFF " !