CompuUSA Mac had someone's Quicken files!

maskermasker
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
SO I go into CompUSA to look at the iMac and studio displays, (no tax weekend in NC). I start browsing the HD of a PowerMac and buried in the wrong spot is a folder called Macintosh HD.



It is a complete directory of someone's old hard drive. Hmmm.



I start going through it and before long I am opening Quicken files (no password) listing bank accounts, SSN's, investments, properties, etc,.... to the tune of about 1.5 million. I thought these were sample documents but then noticed business names that were local, and local phone numbers.



I tracked down the manager, and he was running around putting out fires... after a few minutes..I got his attention, told him what I had discoverd and he said "Hmmm, I'll check into that, immediately someone asked him about some big laser printer and he went into salesman mode. I was in the store another 20 -30 minutes and when I left he was still doing the manager thing.



Can you imagine this? Is this lawsuit material?



MSKR

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    I'd contact the person to whom those tax files belong and tell them all you know.



    I'm guessing that, yeah, that could stir up some legal issues.
  • Reply 1 of 13
    whoamiwhoami Posts: 301member
    i guess you don't need a new identity huh? hehehe

    or a new mac for that matter! hehhehehe
  • Reply 3 of 13
    big macbig mac Posts: 480member
    One must assume that this client came in and bought a new Mac from CompUSA. He then brought his old machine to the service department for them to transfer the contents of his drive to his new machine. If they were going to transfer the contents, they should have used Firewire target disk mode or Ethernet. Factoring in the stupidity/incompetence of some (not all, don't want to malign the whole group) CompUSA employees, this isn't really surprising. The fact the manager failed to take action is interesting but not at all shocking, either. Masker, did/will you take any further action to correct the problem?
  • Reply 4 of 13
    drewpropsdrewprops Posts: 2,321member
    I just heard a story about Apple's own service quality from someone I know who is in the IT business. Apparently this person sent their computer in because the hard drive went nutso. He was told that for an additional fee that they'd transfer his old data over to the new drive. When he got it back it didn't have any of his old stuff on it and they told him they'd thrown it away. This sounds much more than an old HD issue....it sounds freaky!



    D
  • Reply 5 of 13
    trevormtrevorm Posts: 841member
    [quote]Originally posted by Masker:

    <strong>SO I go into CompUSA to look at the iMac and studio displays, (no tax weekend in NC). I start browsing the HD of a PowerMac and buried in the wrong spot is a folder called Macintosh HD.



    It is a complete directory of someone's old hard drive. Hmmm.



    I start going through it and before long I am opening Quicken files (no password) listing bank accounts, SSN's, investments, properties, etc,.... to the tune of about 1.5 million. I thought these were sample documents but then noticed business names that were local, and local phone numbers.



    I tracked down the manager, and he was running around putting out fires... after a few minutes..I got his attention, told him what I had discoverd and he said "Hmmm, I'll check into that, immediately someone asked him about some big laser printer and he went into salesman mode. I was in the store another 20 -30 minutes and when I left he was still doing the manager thing.



    Can you imagine this? Is this lawsuit material?



    MSKR</strong><hr></blockquote>

    Go back to the shop as Brad says and get the persons details and contact them!!! Very bad to think that they are on a demo computer..
  • Reply 6 of 13
    low-filow-fi Posts: 357member
    I bought an external LaCie firewire hard disk. I opened the box, plugged it in.



    There were about 3 gigs of files from LaCie. European sales figures, letters, graphics for advertisments etc etc.



    Needless to say, LaCie were slightly confused when i phoned them up.



    low-?i
  • Reply 7 of 13
    xionjaxionja Posts: 504member
    Its always fun to see what the contents of harddrives are on in store sample computers, i bet that the employees use them during free time
  • Reply 8 of 13
    andersanders Posts: 6,523member
    Done right this "little" "mistake" can give you and the owner of the files a brand new Mac each and make sure that noone will ever have to experience so sloppy security again, at least in that CompUSA
  • Reply 9 of 13
    stroszekstroszek Posts: 801member
    Out of idle curosity, which CompUSA are we talking about here?
  • Reply 10 of 13
    o and ao and a Posts: 579member
    [quote]Originally posted by Stroszek:

    <strong>Out of idle curosity, which CompUSA are we talking about here?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    bwahahahhaa
  • Reply 11 of 13
    stroszekstroszek Posts: 801member
    [quote]Originally posted by O and A:

    <strong>



    bwahahahhaa</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I have no devious plans, I just live in the area and would like to know which store to look out for.
  • Reply 12 of 13
    cubedudecubedude Posts: 1,556member
    When I bought my cube, CompUSA sold me a old demo(a DVD-ROM model, not CD-RW like I had ordered ). Anyway, someone left The Sims on the hard drive, and a few photos. Not as serious as financial data, but still strange. Though I guess they value a game and some pics at $300, because that's how much they tried to overcharge me . I haven't bought at a CompUSA since.
  • Reply 13 of 13
    jmoneyjmoney Posts: 133member
    Ah the stories I can tell you as a former employee of CompUSA. I guess you'd like a little background first, ah hell why not. It was my first real job (being all of 19 now), and I was pretty excited. I mean c'mon I've been screwing around with computers for the past 8 years, why not get paid. I started off as a cashier, and quickly moved up the "corporate ladder" from one shit job to another. Towards the end I found myself between the tech services and the upgrades counter. Boy did we see some wacky stuff come our way. People who would put those mini cds into slot loading iMacs, and of course the notorious porn king who would bring his computer in to be serviced with 4 gb of porn in a clearly marked folder on the desktop. I'm sorry I can't go on any longer... just horrible memories of a really crappy job. Never appreciated, always the butt of jokes.. CompUSA "Where Trailer Trash Goes to Stare at Technology"
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