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from the who-knew-Office-Depot-was-still-around? dept.
Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984
Office Depot and a partner company tricked customers into buying unneeded tech support services by offering PC scans that gave fake results, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Consumers paid up to $300 each for unnecessary services.
The FTC yesterday announced that Office Depot and its software supplier, Support.com, have agreed to pay a total of $35 million in settlements with the agency. Office Depot agreed to pay $25 million while Support.com will pay the other $10 million. The FTC said it intends to use the money to provide refunds to wronged consumers.
Between 2009 and 2016, Office Depot and OfficeMax offered computer scans inside their stores using a "PC Health Check" software application created and licensed by Support.com.
"Defendants bilked unsuspecting consumers out of tens of millions of dollars from their use of the PC Health Check program to sell costly diagnostic and repair services," the FTC alleged in a complaint that accuses both companies of violating the FTC Act's prohibition against deceptive practices. As part of the settlements, neither company admitted or denied the FTC's allegations.
The FTC filed its complaint against the companies in US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, while at the same time unveiling the settlements with each company.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Saturday March 30 2019, @03:06AM
Because for the same reason they don't know how to diagnose and fix their computer, they don't know that OfficeDepot lied to them in the first place. The people who would know don't take their computer to Office Depot in the first place.
Perhaps, if enough people even hear of it, this bit of news will make some people change their minds (that's a big IF, the local news here hasn't said a word about it). But even that wouldn't be the market acting since this is only news because government acted.
The sad part here is that many who DO decide to go elsewhere will probably end up with Geek Squad.