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posted by martyb on Saturday June 13 2015, @08:14PM   Printer-friendly
from the It's-Milliner-Time! dept.

We put a lot of trust in big companies, so when they let us down it can have serious consequences.

I recently went shopping for a new computer. I wanted a low-end laptop for light work, and the HP Stream seemed like a good deal. That deal was made even sweeter when Best Buy offered to sell me a returned one for almost 20 percent off. The salesman assured me that it was in like-new condition and that they would honor all warranties. Sold.

I always get a little thrill opening a new gadget. The computer looked like it had never been touched and all the paperwork was still in sealed bags. There was even a slip of paper in the box with the ID of the tech who cleaned and certified the unit.

So it surprised me when I booted up and saw someone else's name and Hotmail address at the login prompt. So much for like-new!

As I stared at the full name and e-mail address of the previous owner—let's call him David—I wondered. Could I get into this computer another way? It was mine after all. And how much more could I learn about him? How bad of a mistake had the store made?

Any similar stories out there Soylentils care to share?


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anal Pumpernickel on Sunday June 14 2015, @01:22PM

    by Anal Pumpernickel (776) on Sunday June 14 2015, @01:22PM (#196115)

    What's twisted is that certain arrangements of bits are illegal, and the fact that someone (not necessarily the owner of the computer) possibly molested a child. But instead of going after people who take harmful actions, we've chosen to go after people who possess videos or images. A good use of resources, clearly, and completely constitutional as well.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 15 2015, @06:47PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 15 2015, @06:47PM (#196609)

    Mom, punish him! He's thinking bad thoughts!