CompUSA
Reviews and Complaints

I am in US for a couple of weeks due to a buisness trip and found some electrical stuff at compusa that I would like to buy.

1. Tried ordering it with my swedish VISA and it allowed me to tick in the box for the visa but not enter any card nr, every time i tried to pushed "send order" it sait "item missing - please fill in"...did it a couple of times...
then tried paypal and selected send order hoping i would get to my paypal but noooo...samt thing...also tried to click paypal in another menu and then it actually did open up my paypal but when everyting was accepted I came back to the page saying "payment option missing - please choose" ...then tried master card...same thing. This is a REALLY BAD WEBSITE when it comes to info. so messy and so unclear.
Then I read through all the faq i could find and finally found they only do wire transfers to international customers (even though you are in US obiously). SO SILLY .- WHY NOT GREY OUT THE PAYMENT OPTIONS THAT ARE NOT AVAILABLE? Or give a pop up saying that your country can not by with this method please use...

2. I then asked a US colleague who is living at a hotell (as Í am) and who has an "american paypal + adress" to order it. He very kindly helped me out, but got a call the other day where the personell said - "WE DO NOT DELIVER TO HOTELS"
...SAY AGIN? WHAT?

3. So in the evening we decided to cancel the order from my friends account due to the lousy service. But you COULD NOT since it only shows your order and this phone nr to call, where the sour lady gives no information about where else they could send the equipment that we put an order for. Ok home, I know that, but I need it now where I am at - thats what internet is all about isnt it...no boundaries.

SO compusa is a really crappy net buisness.
I am just waiting for a fraudulent wthdrawal from my friends account (theys say they dont charge until deliver but well see.

If it would have been this hard to order in sweden, the company would have to close due to no customers.
Ok thy are cheap on some stuff, but with this rediculous service they should really close the company.

I purchased an HP Pavilion zx5000 at CompUSA. I also purchased the three-year extended warranty plan. Before purchasing this extended warranty I was very specific regarding my questions as to what was covered under this warranty.

I was told by two salespeople that the warranty covers screen damage, battery replacement and ANY damage to laptop components. This extended warranty cost $369.99 which was almost half the price of the laptop after rebates.

To cut to the chase, on September 29, I was setting the laptop from my lap to the couch when my hand inadvertently touched the eject button for my CS ROM drive causing it to eject and strike the couch as I set it down. That damaged the drive carriage. When I returned it to the CompUSA store for service, I was told it had to be sent to HP because it was still under the manufacturer’s warranty the first year, but that I "saved myself a whole lot of money because the part was still under warranty."

HP determined that the damage was caused by customer abuse and refused to honor the warranty. At first I was told by the service tech the repair would cost $387.00. When I questioned why this wasn’t covered by any warranty I was told "well didn’t you read your contract? Does it say anywhere in the warranty that it’s covered?"

His immediate combative attitude told me right then this is a common occurrence with their customers. Besides his unprofessional attitude he was obviously used to dealing with people like me who trusted CompUSA salespeople who are either misinformed during training or intentionally lie to boost sales.

Granted, I should have read the contract regarding the warranty but I erroneously trusted CompUSA to be honest. When I read the clause returned in my email by CompUSA customer service, that clause basically states the warranty can be determined to cover basically nothing.

When a manager called me back I was told the repair would be $285. I still didn’t agree with that charge either but I needed the laptop back so I authorized the charge. When I picked the laptop up I was charged $402 for the repair and tax. I had to pay it because I needed the laptop for business. As another sign of CompUSA’s unprofessionalism I had to call the store to find out if my laptop was ready because customer service reps are either too busy or too incompetent.

Now here is the real galling part -- while my laptop was in the shop I started talking with HP reps and was given the following answers: HP charges CompUSA only $229 to replace the drive. I could have purchased the drive or sent it in directly to HP and had it fixed for $299. So, basically you crooks at CompUSA charged me $160 to mail my laptop to HP.

To add to the insult, HP offers a two-year insurance plan for $250 which would have covered this repair but CompUSA does not reveal this. This was the first of two laptops I purchased from the same CompUSA store but you can bet I will never spend another cent with either HP or CompUSA.

This whole problem could have been solved if HP had a locking device on the CD ROM drive to prevent it from popping out by accident which would have made this a product malfunction which would have been covered by its warranty. We all know both companies make more money with accessories and virtually worthless warranties than on consoles.

I am glad both companies are doing so well financially that they can afford to lose customers like me -- who spend several thousand dollars a year with them -- due to deceptive business practices.

Earlier this year I purchased a PC from CompUSA for $400 with an amazing $200 rebate. After submitting the rebate I heard nothing for months, calling in every couple of weeks.

Finally they told me the rebate was denied. It turns out the rebate was valid for a specific range of dates, and although I waited until 10 minutes past midnight before I made the purchase, in order to comply with the terms, the purchase was logged under the time zone of the company's headquarters (in Central time).

I am in EST, and they denied my rebate claim based on that. I called in to try and explain and they assured me it was OK. In fact an employee from one department told me they had put in for the refund.

It’s been months, and I haven’t seen the rebate. So if you decide to risk it, make sure you get your dates and time zones straight. Don't make the same mistake I did.

I personally would avoid CompUSA completely due to their complete disrespect for their customers.

Here is the complaint letter handed to the local CompUSA Store Manager and Tech Manager Jorge Artimez on Dec. 1, 2010CompUSA.

He said no or credit refund would be made because the people at CA Internet Security Ani-Virus and Anti-Spyware (http://CA.com) and Iyogi (http://www.iyogi.net) were liars when they said that the CompUSA did not remove the virus Thinkpoint, or install CA Antivirus/Antispam properly. He went on to say that both lied when the said the PC cleanup was not done. Jorge went on to say that they lied in order to get my money which is just what he would have done if I had sought his help after being at Best Buy.

Dear Sir:

The service record 228478/2 for our computer is attached. It shows the computer was checked in November 22, 2010 at 12:29 pm and released at 17:12 pm. The cost was $162.76 and the following services were supposed to be rendered for the sum of $119.99:

"WE REMOVED ALL TRACES OF VIRUSES

"COMPCARE SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE CLEANUP"

Neither was done according to help desk for the CA Internet Security Ani-Virus and Anti-Spyware, (hereinafter referred to as CA). We paid $39.99 for CA. I contacted the CA help desk yesterday because CA seemed to be performing very slowly. Although at first reluctant to say so, CA help desk had to admit that the virus removals and cleanup were incomplete, and CA installation was wrong.

CA help desk recommended that we do not return to CompUSA because of the incompetent work done. Instead it recommended that we find another company to fix the computer.

After reviewing prices, guarantees and services available, we went with SLCI, a subsidiary of Computer Associates at a cost of $169.99 for one year of 24/7 service. The clincher for us to purchase was that SLCI's 30 day guarantee of proper service at commencement or a full refund.

We came to CompUSA to have THINKPOINT virus removed from our computer. It sold us the $119.99 package and the CA for $39.99. We object to the first charge and wish a credit of $119.99.

In order to properly install the CA Internet Security version 7:

1. the computer needed to be cleaned (optimized with the PC Optimizer that CompUSA sold and installed at the time of purchase);

2. Other anti-virus/anti-spyware programs needed to be removed from the computer.

CompUSA technician did not do either of the above.

CompUSA technician did disable THINKPOINT virus on our computer, but did not do the following tasks or advise us of the necessity of doing same:

1. Create a Restore point.

2. Scan the computer for other infections, or parts thereof and remove them.

3. Delete the Temporary Files.

4. Perform a Disk Cleanup.

5. Optimize the Internet Explorer.

6. Check to see that if CA is Working fine

We want CompUSA to issue a credit of $119.99.

Horrible service and lack of knowledge of the products they are selling

I am a law student studying for the bar. My computer went down due to malware. I purchased this computer less than 6 months ago, brand new from comp usa. They were friendly until I had problems!

They emphasized how I should purchase ca security systems to protect my computer. I did. Then when I had the malware issue I called the help desk of ca security systems to ask for assistance in understanding the malware issue. They in turn told me that they could not help and that I needed to pay $139.99 for an upgrade - it was not an upgrade but another company called iyodi. Did not know that they were transferring me to a completely different company along with my credit card information.

After 4 hours on the phone, 1/2 hour after this my computer completely crashed.

I called the manager at compusa. He told me that to his knowledge that this company was not part of ca security systems. I then panicked due to credit card information and their access to my pc. Please note they should know this, they walk around with ca security shirts on - all employees.

Bottom line - my computer has been in repair for over 4 days (law student without access to files), they have worked to get my money back but I had to call at least 10 times, I will never trust this computer for banking, etc because this software did not protect my computer.in my opinion I am stuck with a worthless computer that if it needs further repair will take at least a week to fix.

Manager went from being a great guy to buy from, horrible at handling and responding to complaints.

Before I tell my story, here's a litlte background information on myself:

I've been building computers since I was 11 years old. I've completed my bachelor's education at a 4 year university majoring in computer science. I not only have years of real world computer repairing experience but the technical education to back it.

I went here to buy a computer (for my uncle) and was asked nicely by the sales guy to purchase a 30 dollar "protection agreement". I kindly rejected it because I didn't think we needed it. We went home and installed MSN messenger from MSN's site. Immediately after installing MSN, the webcam stopped working. We went online and googled it, we saw some other users having the same problem so I assumed it was a common problem. Since it was a new computer I figured it wouldnt be a problem if we just went and got an exchange--- WRONG.

Here's where the problem began. The techs asked us to come to the back room where they ran a "scan software" and found 200 infections. This is impossible because the only site that was visited was MSN. The manager and his team went on and on about how I should've bought their protection plan. They kept trying to push us into buying their protection plan... about 8 times. I stopped listening to them talk about 2 minutes into their sales pitch that wrong on for about 20 minutes. My uncle went on to reveal that I was a computer expert but the manager then immediately goes to say "Im sure he's good, but she's (one of his techs) the best. He obviously couldn't fix THIS problem". I was offended but didnt want to argue with an idiot who was talking out of his *** for 20 minutes about buying some protection plan thing was going to help my computer be completely spyware free forever. Finally, when they were done doing their sales pitch-- we asked for our money back because the way they were treating us. The manager refused to give us our money back because there was "nothing wrong with the computer". He JUST went on for 20 minutes how it had 200 infections, a virus preventing the web camera to work, ect ect and that means NOTHING is wrong to him-- that further reinforced my thoughts about his intelligence. He offered a store credit or 15% restocking fee. I remained cool and took the store credit and went on piecing together my own custom computer-- what I should've done from the start. The computer worked flawlessly... I even went on a few high risk sites and had no problems without any protection software. I scanned it with lavasoft, avast antivirus, and spybot... well known software.

Bottomline:

- low selection of computers and brands

- overpriced

- terrible return policy

- manager who does not understand the importance of a repeated customer.

- nice salemans though

How do I know compUSA didnt install the spywares themselves? I didn't run enough tests to know for sure but I don't care about that. Maybe one day I'll buy a computer there and run it against a custom computer of my own side by side mirroring every action and see which computer gets infected first. Maybe a class action lawsuit coming in their near future.

Purchased my desktop PC in Nov 07 along with the 3 year gold TAP insurance.. just recently our pc was acting up so we called TAP, they assesed over the phone and said it was the hard drive, they sent part and tech out... however the tech installed and still not working.. he determined the monitor has died and rang TAP to verify his work order... however TAP insurance asked me to call back in 1 hour later... so i did and then was told TAP doesnt cover the monitor? We were very upset why would this be cos we bought the PC as displayed on there shelve as all in one and paid the price they asked for... TAP then went into how my monitor was in a different box and separate bar code inwhich the warranty only covers the desktop? so again, we had bought the PC as a whole package deal and were told the TAP insurance covered the pc.. which includes the monitor.. we can't help it has a different serial number? is this our fault? so we were very decieved by COMP USA.. we are still fighting over this and what a waste of money.. never again TAP are you seeing our $$$

I have a iPod Touch that I purchased at CompUSA (Clearwater, FL)the last week of November in 2007. When I purchased the unit I begrudgingly let the salesperson talk me into buying a 2 year in store 'no questions asked' replacement warranty for $69.99. Over the course of the first year I had a lot of issues with the unit locking up, not holding a wifi connection and then right before the purchase anniversary the battery stopped holding a charge and would die within a half hour of an overnight charge. So I called the store and told Paul (at the store) my situation including the date of purchase and he told me to bring the iTouch in and they would replace it. I asked him to confirm they had the unit in stock because it was a long drive and he said they did.

So I made the 90+ minute drive to the CompUSA store in Clearwater, FL and upon arriving was told by a rep that they wouldn't honor the warranty. I told him I drove over 90 minutes and asked to speak to the manager. Jay Kurth (the store manager) came out of his office and started to tell me that I had to contact an insurance company to get service on the unit. I told him that I paid 70 dollars for an in-store replacement program and had called to ensure replacement before driving 90 minutes to get there.

He told me that I bought the warranty from 'the Old CompUSA' and that the 'New CompUSA' was a different company. The last time I checked, when a company purchases another company they assume all liabilities. When I told him I wasn't leaving until he did something for me he threatened to call the police. I called him ### and told him to go ahead so that I could let the police know how CompUSA stole from me. He never did call the police, so I am now going to contact the local TV and radio consumer advocates and the Better Business Bureau.

Their actions should be criminal and I am blown away how poorly CompUSA treats customers. When I looked through other complaints I saw a consistent history of both the 'old' and 'new CompUSA' ripping people off. I will never buy an extended warranty again. Why doesn't our government protect us from companies like this?

I ordered regcure from paretologic you know that windows cleaner that is supposedly free and it scans you computer and finds 998 errors and when you click fix it it tells you you have to buy the program for $39.90. Well from compusa.com it was listed as being $18.99 and available for immediate download. I paid them thru paypal 10/18 /08. I was not able to get any download email as they promised so I waited until the next day. I then contacted compusa.com and they have a phone number listed on their site and you can talk to real people but you need to have your order number. I called them and was told it takes 24 hours to receive your download it had only been 17 hours since I paid for the program. SO... I waited 48 hours and called them again they said we are having problems with this company wait 2-3 hours and you will have your download instructions .I waited 5 hours then called again they said wait 2 hours you should have your download I said I am done waiting please cancel my order .They said fine paypal has not yet been charged so we will cancel the order . I paid paretologic.com the full $39.90 for the program and downloaded it. it works fine. Then 10/22/08 I get an email from paypal and usa.com my paypal account has just been charged $18.99 for regcure! I called compusa.com 10/22 and was promised a full refund and given apologies. so far paypal does not show a credit for this at all. will keep fighting. don't trust compusa.com they take your money and promise to cancel order when you never even get the so called ' immediate download'.

I returned a video card after noticing it was defective, three days after purchase and was told that they needed to call there General manager to return the product... cause it was worth more then $400.00.. After testing the product and also making me wait 45 minutes. After which they said that the store general manager said not to take it back cause he would loose money. I then said they had a return policy and that they should follow it. At that time the Tech manager was very rude and raised his voice saying "I don't have the time for this and that you can take this product and do with it what you will !" Turning around even before I said that they need to honor there return policy. At which time a business sales manager hear the conversation and decided to get involved. He said he could give me store credit and that's all he could do. So deciding that I was getting no where with this and that I still need to return the product I told him I would like a full refund and that I would never buy another product from them or feel that I had to spend money already spent in the store. The return policy states they would charge a restock fee of 15% on the product. But not that they would keep my total purchase and give me store credit. I would of decide on exchanging the product for another but at the time I felt why would I do business with some one that has no consumer honor to follow what they put in writing.

Yes, I was in the wrong... technically. I parked at compusa, Ala Moana Blvd. We were picking up my wife's permanent visa after waiting almost one year. To celebrate, we were going into compusa to purchase a new flat panel tv. When I got back, I found my car gone and a HPD police officer who had been called in specifically to explain to me why my car was towed. He discouraged me to enter the store as well and told me to just call the towing company. I am not making this s... up. I guess he thought I might go "postal" on someone's a... Not really. I did want to go in and just let them know they lost a huge sale and that I would never return to shop there and that I will make it an avocation to discourage all my friends, relatives, co workers and, anyone else who will listen to my story. It cost me $275 after cab ride and tow charge. That hurts. I am going to do my best to hurt back where it counts... in their bottom line.

CompUSA - Bakersfield, CA
www.compusa.com

Dropped my laptop off to be repaired in june, under my compusa tap agreement. Its now been 3 months. They can't fix it and keep sending it back broken. They authorized, then unauthorized a partial credit, so now its sitting around collecting dust. The scam goes like this:

"if" they make a repair, they won't tell you what they repaired, so when the computer has the same exact problem again, like this on has, they can claim the same problem was caused by a different part. They do this to avoid the lemon law issue for repeated repairs.

So i complain at the store and the manager at the time gabriel garcia says i will receive a partial refund, and he will let me know the amount in 3 days. 3 days, nothing. 5 days nothing. I visit the store, he has been fired, according to nathan mathhews for incompetence, and the store will not honor his agreement.

Spoke to the store manager, nathan mathhews. After driving out an hour to see him, he sent me away for 1.5 hours while he decided what to do. When i came back, his solution was to sell me a new laptop for over 2000 dollars, and give me "employee discount" as a favor. When i complained, he said "the offer is off the table, now you get nothing."

I asked why tech never answers the phone or returns e-mails or phone calls and why i have to drive out an hour each way to talk to someone and he says its beyond his control they are too busy. Meanwhile its been 3 months and i have yet to get one single call from the store.

I ask him where my laptop is and he says in the back room, not being worked on, not being shipped, just sitting there. I ask him why, he says that things like this happened and things fall through the cracks. There is no accountability.

So i call corporate customer service to complain. I have been at this process for 1 month now, not a single return call. I spoke to dee then anton and they both assured me that each complaint has a guaranteed 72 hour window where i will get some type of resolution and some type of call. If i don't, just call back and they will ramp this up.

So, 72 hours, no call, i call back. File another complaint, then have to wait 72 hours. No response, and i do it again and a 4th time. No response. I ask for a manager, this is ms anderson, who never answers the phone. So i leave voice mail. Over and over. Never a single call back. Meanwhile, corporate customer service is over an hour each time, and here are the results you get after an hour of hold and musak time.

* complete hang up, no response

* pick up the phone, breathe into it, move papers around, don't respond then hang up

* giggle and hang up

* answer the phone and start the hold process all over again!

* when you do finally get someone they promise the old 72 hour fix, which never happens.

So i call regional manager. Mr. Ireland. Call 2x per day, leave messages because he never answers the phone. Not a single response. No one home. I contact online chat, and they tell me its not their department and they will forward to the same people that i am trying to post the complaint about.

This is a terrible situation, i have been with compusa since 1987 as a customer, and this is a horrible way to be treated.

We purchased a Compaq Presario laptop pc from Comp USA at 2400 W. Newhaven Ave. Melbourne, Fl. 32904 on 1-17-05. At the time of purchase we also decided to purchase a 2 year extended warranty. I asked the sale associate at that time if the two year extended warranty started after the one year manufacturers warranty expired, and was told yes. So I clarified and said ' so, if I buy the extra 2 year warranty then it will be covered for a total of 3 years, correct?' To which I was told yes, that is correct.

Needless to say the pc started having problems a week ago, and I called today 8-1-07 to get it serviced and much to my surprise was told, the warranty was expired. I was told the reason for this was that the 2 year extended warranty started the day we purchased the pc. Now, if the manufacturer warranty covered the pc for the first year, why would I spend $250 dollars for a 2 year extended warranty that was only good for an additional 1-year. Basically, I spent $250 for a 1 year extended warranty. I called Public Relations for COMP USA and was rudely told that I had a two year extended warranty that ran for one year after the manufacturer's warranty had expired. We discussed it again to make sure I was understanding their reasoning 'which made no sense!', and I told her I was going to seek legal advice, She advised me to get an attorney then. I asked to speak to her supervisor, to which she told me, 'I am in a supervisory position.' I told her' mam, everyone has a supervisor, she said she would connect me, and then I was switched to someone's voicemail. CLICK! GEE some public relations office.

This is false advertising to tell someone that something will be covered a total of 3 years (1-yr manuf, and 2-yr. extended) and then 2 years later 'sorry your warranty has expired!'

I spent 1429.99 plus tax for a laptop computer and 2-year extended warranty for my handicapped daughter ,and now she has nothing! Please stop the misrepresentations on warranties and make COMP USA stand behind their warranty program.

Sincerely, Mrs. Wells

COMPUSA Store #793 604 Ala Moana Boulevard Honolulu, HI 96813. On July 9, 2005 I purchased an HP Lance Armstrong laptop computer for my daughter attending law school at the University of Hawaii. The salesman suggested I purchase the 3 year TAP program for an additional $369.99, which I did at the time. On August 7, 2005 the laptop failed and it was replaced by COMPUSA with another same laptop. When I picked up the laptop I specifically asked if this will be a problem with the TAP program because it is a different serial number. The repair dept. said it should carry over. On May 19, 2007, school is on break so my daughter took the laptop in for repair. The optic drive in the DVD player skipped and a USB port works sporadically. A problem arose because the serial number did not match my receipt. They claimed they had no record of a new laptop being issued. Funny a computer company keeps such poor records in their computer. They seemed to blame me for not providing the paperwork and insisted I must have it somewhere or I couldn't have walked out with the replaced laptop. Luckily I found the paperwork with the new serial number and provided this paperwork. I receive a call on June 1, 2007 saying the laptop was sent out on May 30, 2007 and it should be ready in ten days. On June 11, 2007, Mike from the repair dept. said he has bad news that the laptop was not sent out due to a discrepancy in the serial number. He admitted it was a foul up on their part. They have to receive some kind of "OK" from whatever company they send it out to before sending the laptop. This is most frustrating. I don't see why they are making such a big thing over the serial numbers. It's not like I stole the computer. I have been a long time customer with COMPUSA with a charge account. Mike apologized and claimed they will expedite the repair and he will call me back to notify me when they send out the laptop. Today is June 20, 2007, and I have not heard a word. I think they don't want to honor the TAP, although they were so "hardsell" on it when I first purchased the laptop. This is my first time dealing with their TAP and it seems they really do not want to honor this and try to find any excuse not to honor it. If I didn't find my paperwork for the replacement, it would have been an even worse situation. If the repair never gets done I should demand a refund on my TAP purchase.

I purchased a 2005 HP Lance Armstrong edition laptop with a three year extended warranty (TAP) for an additional $369.99. They recommended the TAP because should anything happen it will be covered through COMPUSA. One month after the purchase the laptop had to be replaced by another laptop due to problems with the original laptop purchased. When I picked up the second laptop I specifically asked the technician if this will be a problem with the TAP extended warranty and he said it should carry over. On May 19, 2007, since school is on break, my daughter decided to turn in the computer for repair because the optic drive skips in the DVD player and the USB works sporadically. Two days later I received a call saying that the serial numbers do not match the receipt that I provided for the repair. This was due to the laptop replacement which they did not note in their system. It's odd that a computer company does not keep good COMPUTER records. They asked if I had the paper showing the exchange because they had no record. Is this an accusation that I stole the laptop? I found the replacement papers which noted the new serial number and dropped it off at COMPUSA. On June 1, 2007 I received a call that the laptop was sent out on May 30, 2007 and it should be ready in 10 days. On June 12, 2007 I received a message that the laptop was not sent out for repair because the serial number did not match and the company that does their repair would not repair the laptop. I called them to find out "what is going on?" I thought this was resolved. Mike said due to an oversight on their part the laptop did not go out and they are supposed to receive approval from the repair company before sending out the laptop for repair. I asked him if he received the paper showing the exchange and he replied he did. I guess he forgot to provide this paper when requesting repair. I feel like they are "jerking" me around and they really do not wish to honor the extended warranty. He promised that he will expedite the repair, but I'm not holding my breath. It is obvious that they do not keep any records of purchases or even the extended warranties. So everyone make sure you keep every receipt and records of all transactions. They do not even update their service website which they recommend consumers to check for their status on repairs. I'm not so sure I would make another purchase from COMPUSA after this along with their extended warranty.

Comp usa
640 ala moana blvd.
Honolulu, hi 96813
Manager ken elton; div. Manager louie santos

Please boycott comp usa for their bad neighbor aggressive tow policies at their ala moana store.

Here's my story: on friday, my daughter, a college senior home on spring break, went to comp usa at ala moana in her rental car to purchase ear buds to use with her ipod for her flight back to dc later that afternoon. She arrived at the store before it opened, and so with some time on her hands, headed across the street to get a cuppa joe and something for breakfast.

Another woman, lily, who is a chinese immigrant from taiwan, also did the same thing. She was there to buy school and computer supplies for her son who attends uh and hopes to become a doctor. Lily is a cook in a waikiki restaurant and speaks broken english. She's middle-aged, about 5 feet tall and weighs less than 100 pounds. She arrived before the store opened, too, and so went to the vietnamese sandwich shop across the street to get something to eat before the store opened.

I live in manoa where we enjoy a good neighbor policy for parking as a common courtesy for area businesses. We shop at safeway, stop at the bank or the atm, hop across the street to starbucks, or head down to manoa valley theatre all without fear that our cars will be towed. My daughter was clearly unsuspecting of compusa's aggressive tow policy at their ala moana street store when she slipped across the street for coffee.

When lily and my daughter returned to shop when the store had opened, their cars were gone. Towed by an unscrupulous bully who runs 24-7 towing in waipahu. (more about him later.) they were told they would have to go to waipahu, nearly 20 miles away, to claim their cars and would not be able to do so until noon! We were later told by the police that the noon pickup policy is against the law. If they are actively towing, they must be open for car pick up. This was not the case at 24-7towing.

Lily made a big scene in the store. She raised the roof. Understandably. She had come to spend money and instead had the unlucky circumstance to be towed for the privilege. She had no way to get waipahu — and a cab ride would be more than $100. The store manager called the police when she complained loudly about their bad neighbor aggressive tow policy inside the store. The manager didn't want the other customers to hear about the towing incident. The police officer arrived and escorted the little woman out of the store, where she joined my crying daughter who awaited me at curbside for a ride.

I can assure you, lily was no menace or threat to society. And she did not deserve to have her car towed or to be publicly humiliated by the uncaring comp usa store manager who accepts no responsibility for his bad neighbor aggressive tow policy. I wonder if he gets a kick - back for every car he refers to 24-7 towing? 24-7 towing charges you $195 (cash only) to get your car back, but the police officer suggested to us that this unscrupulous company often tries to get more. (that's nearly three-day's wages for poor lily the cook.) seeing my daughter's obvious distress, the officer called the tow company himself and informed them that were required to be open before noon and reiterated the agreed-upon price to the tow company over the phone so that my daughter and lily would not be cheated yet again. 24-7 towing has a reputation for bad business practices as we would later learn from the second police officer to come to our aid in waipahu. Yes... Our sad story gets worse.

I picked up my distraught daughter (who did not make a scene in the store, but stood crying at the curb) and as a good samaritan offered the little chinese lady a ride to waipahu, too. On the 40-minute ride to waipahu we learned about her young ambitious son and the computer supplies she had hoped to buy for him that morning. Now she would have to use the cash to pay to the tow service instead. She lamented that she would not have the money to buy groceries and would have to go without food for the rest of the week. As it turns out, her spontaneous trip to the sandwich store before comp usa opened was the most expensive vietnamese sandwich she has ever eaten.

We did not have the cash in hand to get the car out of hock and had to detour to a bank to get some money.

We only thought we were having a bad day until we got to 24-7 towing. The officer at comp usa had called from the store to tell him he had to have the compound open, but when we arrived, there was only a locked gate with an obnoxious sign advising people they were being videotaped to be later used in court, and a phone number. We called the phone number and were told we would have to wait 30 more minutes for the owner to get there. He knew 45 minutes earlier that we were coming and the police officer at comp usa had advised him to have the office opened, and still, he had not opened the tow compound.

24-7 towing is located on a dead-end street in a rundown neighborhood side street in waipahu. It is not a place, as a woman, you feel especially safe, even in broad daylight. We locked ourselves in the car and waited. Lily and my daughter chatted in chinese. When the owner drove up, we got out, showed him our money and our picture ids and asked him to please get our cars. We were not rude or unruly. He was apparently angry that he had to come in early. He went inside the gate, locked it with a heavy padlock, and gruffly told us we had to wait outside while he did the paperwork. We waited and waited. He never returned. We called him and asked for our cars and to please come to the gate. He hung up on us. That's when we called the waipahu police station (not 911) to explain our situation and to ask for help.

My daughter had a flight to catch and needed to return the rental car. We had told the 24-7 towing guy this information, too. We didn't have time to waste. We called more than once to the police station to explain and complain that we couldn't get our cars. The police then tried calling the tow company and instructed them to open up and give us our cars back. The three of us waited some more inside our locked car with our cell phones. I honked once to see if we could get him to come back to the gate to talk to us. He never came.in our next phone call to the waipahu police station, we requested an officer to come to the scene. We needed their help. This was going nowhere. The officer said he could not dispatch an officer to the scene from his station and we needed to place a call to the emergency 911 line. So we called 911. Twice. To get an officer to come help us get our cars back.

The officer showed up and the 24-7 tow company employee finally came outside. He verbally abused us in front of the officer and told us we had been unruly and trouble makers. Every other word out of his mouth was an insult to us. The man washing his car at the apartment next the compound told us he would be our witness if we needed, and that we had not ever been unruly in the whole time we had sat in our car. The police officer told us the 24-7 tow company has a long history of bad business practices, and had recently been in a physical altercation because the owner is so rude to the customers that come to get their cars. The officer also confirmed with the tower, without us even asking him to, that he was only to charge us $195 and not a dollar more. The officer told us his rude behavior had gotten him assaulted just recently and they had history of complaints about him. After observing how we were being treated, the officer told the tow guy "a jerk and an a*-hole" in front of us. I thought it a well-deserved description. We all agreed. Even the neighbor washing his car. The towing employee then took lily's money and let her get her car. It was a 5-minute transaction that he had made us wait over an hour to complete.

But he reserved his most obnoxious behavior for my young daughter (who is 5' 3"and weighs under 125 pounds). He refused to give her the car because it was a rental, and by law he did not have to release it to anyone but the registered owner. He told us he would accept a fax from the rental company but then refused to allow us to go get the contract from the rental car and refused to bring us the contract from the car. We turned to the officer and literally begged him to help us get our car back. I begged the officer to help us. The officer said he was within his rights to refuse to give us the car, but that he was really being an"a*hole and a jerk"and he could now understand why the guy had been beaten before. He explained politely and apologetically that legally, there was nothing he could do for us. The tow guy was really relishing his power trip and continued to hurl insults at us and abuse us verbally. I asked the officer what I could do about this and he recommended we file reports with the better business bureau.

We asked the officer to please stay with us because we were now afraid to be alone in this neighborhood with this obviously aggressive and abusive person. He stayed while we called the car company. The car company called the 24-7 towing person while we waited on the line to see if he would accept a fax from thrifty, which is a common practice when tow companies nab rental cars. The 24-7 towing company man refused. The thrifty sales person called the towing guy,"a real jerk."thrifty had to dispatch a driver with authorization to come to the compound to get the car and told us to wait for him to arrive.

We were afraid to stay at the tow yard alone, and left to wait safely inside a local jack-in-the-box. We waited another 40 minutes for daniel to arrive. We told him we were too scared to wait at the tow yard and could he meet us down the street. He did. We gave him the $195. He got the car and drove it off the tow yard and down the street to where we waited. Daniel was a big bruiser of a guy and he didn't take any lip from"the jerk."he handed us our keys and the change and wished us on our way.

The whole ordeal took us nearly 3 hours - it was almost noon before we finally got our car. We had left the comp usa store at about 9:15 a.M. We were both very visibly shaken and distraught. My daughter cried and cried. I got angrier and angrier. I decided to write this message and send it to as many friends on the internet as possible. I called the assistant store manager and complained bitterly. I got the name of ken elton who is the manager. I will be calling him on monday. I got the name of the division manager louie santos and intend to contact him on monday to complain as well. I will demand that they change towing practices and their towing service. I seriously doubt my calls will have any effect as comp usa, because by their very aggressive tow practices, they have already illustrated that customer service and convenience is clearly not a priority with them. I just want them to know the kind of people they are snagging with their aggressive tow practices. And I question why any reputable company would want to do business with the likes of those losers at 24-7 towing. If they do continue their aggressive bad neighbor towing practices, then I seriously recommend they choose a better-run business closer to their downtown site that doesn't charge usury prices.

And that's why I want you to please, please be aware of this situation and please, please boycott comp usa for their bad neighbor aggressive tow policies.

Lily, my daughter and I made a pact on our drive out to waipahu to never, never, walk into a comp usa store again. As long as I live, I will never shop with comp usa. We encourage all of you who believe in good neighbor parking policies to do the same.

Nobody deserves to have an experience like that because they left their car in a lot to buy a sandwich or a cup of coffee before the store was even open for business.

Both lily and my daughter"broke the parking lot law" by parking at comp usa and leaving the premises. That's true and comp usa was certainly within their rights to have the cars towed. There were signs clearly posted, just like there is at safeway in manoa. The perpetrators both clearly intended to return when the store was open to make their purchases and leave, and were not all-day parkers trying to avoid parking fees, whom I suspect is the target of comp usa's aggressive bad neighbor parking policies.

Instead they are snagging unwitting customers trying to kill a little time before the store opens for business.

24-7 towing absolutely deserves to be run out of business for their rude, abusive, intimidating and unscrupulous business practices. People who know me know I am not easily intimidated. But this man was mean. Mean and ugly and verbally abusive to the 3 of us when had no cause to be, except spite. I ask again. What kind of customer service oriented company would want to be in a business partnership with the likes of this horrible man?

Please pass this along to everyone in your email lists.

It's important. And please don't shop at comp usa anymore. Take your business elsewhere!

This letter was faxed to ken elton and louie santos on march 19 at 8:48 am.

March 19, 2007

Mr. Ken elton
Manager
Comp usa
604 ala moana blvd.
Honolulu, hawaii 96813

Cc; louie santos, division manager
Comp usa headquarters
14951 n dallas parkway
Dallas, tx 73254

Dear mr. Elton:

Attached is the unfortunate account my daughter and I experienced on friday, march 16, 2007 as a result of your company's overly aggressive towing practices. Lily chou was another unfortunate recipient of your overly aggressive towing practices that morning. I demand you reimburse us for the cost of the towing fees at $195 for each car, and gas money of $15 for the 30+-mile trip to waipahu and back.

I also demand that you cancel your towing contract with 24-7 towing for their unscrupulous towing practices and complete lack of customer service skills. They are not following the law by having their offices open when they are actively towing, a requirement the police officer pointed out to us and to them by phone. Making customers wait until noon to get their cars is unacceptable. My email to star-bulletin editor richard borrecca (see attached) suggests that 24-7 towing may not even be a legitimate business entity. Kakua line editor june watanabe whom I contacted also suggests the towing charges are usury and far more than should be reasonably charged.

I have already begun to distribute this horrible story via the internet and have posted the account on facebook which was distributed to an additional 400+ recipients most of which are computer supply-using college students. It was distributed to all the members of the pearl harbor rotary club. (see attached email responses.) I do not intend to stop with my campaign against comp usa until you refund the money to lily chou discontinue your tow service with 24-7 towing. The rotary club has offered to send it out nationally for a national boycott of comp usa (see attached email).

I intend to alert the local media, members of the house of representatives, members of the state senate, all hawaii rotarians, tourism offices, consumer protection agencies, better business bureaus, complaintsboard.com and every other avenue and source of consumer complaints available to me. I will not stop until you comply with my requests to stop doing business with that disreputable towing company, which bullies and verbally abuses tiny chinese immigrants and college students. I will not stop until you refund the out-of-pocket expenses to lily chou. I will not stop.

I look forward to hearing from you today. I am available to pick up our reimbursement checks at noon today. Please call me when they are ready for pick up.

Complaint Letter to CompUSA

Dear Mr. Weiss:

Although I realize you will not personally read this letter and I also realize that I am a small one person business and cannot significantly impact on CompUSA, I do feel that I am right and have to voice my opinions/concerns to you.

In August 2004 I purchased an HP computer from your Manchester CT store. The reason I purchased from CompUSA was because of the (supposedly) great warranty that was offered. Guaranteed not to be down for more than 48 hours! I purchase computers approximately every three (3) years and hand down my old computers to my children and grandchildren.

Well recently I had the opportunity to have to utilize my TAP warranty and have found it to be the absolute worst warranty I have ever had the misfortune of using. All of my previous computers were purchased at Staples with their protection policy which was far superior to your TAP program.

Specifically on page 5 of the TAP handbook under the heading 'Component Replacement Guarantee' it clearly states and I quote "if any individual component within your desktop computer (CPU), monitor or printer must be repaired three (3) times during the term of your Plan, this Plan will replace your covered desktop computer (CPU), monitor or printer with one of equal or similar features, specifications, and functionality." You apparently have fine print that is not covered in the TAP Handbook. Everyone I have spoken to and shown the TAP Handbook to agrees with me that there was an attempted repair of the same malfunction 3 times. Let me explain.

On June 20, 2006 on work order number 214215 a technician was dispatched to my residence to replace a motherboard due to the non-functioning of the Ethernet connection. When the technician entered my home I was using the computer to do my company books. I asked the tech if I needed to back up my computer and he stated ‘no’ replacing the motherboard will not affect your hard drive. After he took out the motherboard from my computer he stated that the motherboard that was sent was the wrong one. He said he would reconnect my old motherboard so I could use it for my books while awaiting shipment of a replacement motherboard. When he tried to reboot the computer it would not post. At that point the stated that sometimes when you remove a part it could make it completely inoperable. I accepted this and would wait for an overnight shipment of a new motherboard. He also left me his cell phone number to call when the part arrived and said he would come install it as he only lived a few miles from me.

The part arrived on Thursday June 22 and I did call him and he never returned my call. On Friday June 23 I called TAP and they set up an appointment for Monday June 26 and a different tech was dispatched to replace the mother board. This was done on work order 218705.

After installing the motherboard, the computer still would not reboot/post. The technician determined it was a defective board from the factory and would order another replacement board.

The third board arrived on Wednesday, June 28 and that evening the second technician came to replace it on work order number 221091 (wo#’s 214215, 218705 and 221091 looks like three documented attempts to me). After matching the motherboards it was very obvious (even to me who is not a computer technician) that it was definitely the wrong motherboard. On Friday, June 30 another motherboard was received (this makes 4 in all) but it was the same type as the one that was received on June 28 and I spoke to the technician and told him so and he did not come to replace it as it would have been a wasted trip.

I was able to speak to Lexy Jones of your corporate headquarters - no help there!

Also spoke to Nick Makarenko with even less help from him.

Also spoke to Kim Lawrence who was less help that Nick of Lexy.

Finally on Monday July 3 after conversations with Lexy I received an email from Nick stating to bring the unit to CompUSA in Manchester CT to ‘facilitate’ it to HP. I did bring the unit to the store on Monday evening July 3 and dealt with a gentleman by the name of Steve who was very professional. At that time I paid $69.95 to have a few items backed up from the hard drive (remember the first tech who said should not be a problem?) as I needed at least my email addresses for business purposes.

I returned to CompUSA on Tuesday morning and spoke to a gentleman by the name of Anthony and at that time had brought the motherboard I had received on Friday so that he could determine if it could be used or not (this store is approximately 70 miles round trip). He determined it definitely was the wrong board and at this time I left the store as Anthony had indicated they would ‘facilitate’ it to HP (whatever that means from Mr. Makarenko.

Just as a footnote, I received notice of attempted delivery of a fifth motherboard on Thursday, July 6 from FEDEX but refused to sign for it! Wow 5 different motherboards!

I called the store today to find out the status of repair and was told by Steve who I spoke to on Monday the following:

It appeared that a connection that had been made bent a prong or connection pin and that is why the machine would not reboot (guess the first tech messed that up)

That a motherboard had been ordered today! (again this is what Mr. Makarenko considers ‘facilitate’

Also indicated it may be next Monday or Tuesday before the new part arrives!

Since this has all been transpiring, it has been 17 days since I have been able to use my computer and do company business to include but not limited to billing! (good way to run a business - can’t have money coming in if you can’t make bills out).

This has been an experience that I hope no other individual must endure.

This machine according to TAP should have been replaced after 3 attempts at repair failed (not my fault HP kept sending the wrong parts - that is between CompUSA and HP I paid for a contract that was not honored).

According to Mr. Makarenko DOA parts do not fall under the TAP replacement program, however, nowhere in the handbook I have does that fine print exists. Maybe you should get Mr. Makarenko a copy of the handbook for his decision making procedure, if he sees in the handbook the fine print the speaks of, then apparently I can’t read.

In closing, I realize I may not get a reply to this correspondence, however, I will at every possible occasion inform prospective future patrons of CompUSA that their extended warranty for computers is not worth the paper it is written on.

I am sure if you speak to Lexy Jones, Nick Makarenko or Kim Lawrence they will remember my conversations with them.

The original request for repair was submitted on 6/11/06 and to date 7/13/06 the matter is still unresolved.

Company details:

Tony Weiss
President and Chief Executive Officer

CompUSA, Inc.
14951 North Dallas Parkway
Dallas, TX 75254