Are retailers liable for Y2K warnings?

Erich Luening CNet.com

A lawsuit has been filed in California that claims major retailers, including Circuit City, CompUSA, and others, are responsible for informing consumers whether the computers it sells are Y2K compliant.

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The lawyer's party has begun.

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), March 12, 1999

bold off *slap self*

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), March 12, 1999.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/CNET/cnet_y2kwarning s990311.html

-- _ (_@_._), March 12, 1999.

Thank you for fixing the link @. I need another cup of coffee to fully wake up ;-)

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), March 12, 1999.

It's about time!~! Computers, and the need for CHEAP ASIAN COMPONENTS have just about GUTTED American industry!

Played right, just like the tobacco and gun suits, maybe, just maybe we can TAKE AMERICA BACK from cheap imports and IMMIGRANTS!! GO PAT GO!!!

-- Kev Stevens (me@lawyers_are_kewl.com), March 12, 1999.

I worked in the electronics dept. of one of the major retailers listed in the article hotlinked above, selling computers, peripherals & such. I left towards the end of 1998.

I stayed as long as I could stomach the unethical behavoir of almost all employees - top to bottom - because it was a great opportunity to help folks who were computer illiterate, yet wished to 'get on the internet'. These folks were looked at as "fish in a barrel". Suckers. Easy pickin's. It still makes my skin crawl.

It also provided me a soapbox from which to gently nudge people into awareness of the Y2K problem.

I can tell you that retail sales for this company was a nightmare. Customers were routinely fed incorrect information about any & all product, be it about Y2K, warranties, etc. The sales staff was pressured daily to sell, sell, sell extended warranties. We were to tell the customers as little as possible about the coverage.

I know for a fact (I ran BIOS & RTC testing software) that we sold PCs which were not Y2K compliant. Management said they would look into it. Yeah right! Never received an answer from them on even a single product line!

Please don't purchase any computer product from a major retailer unless you know a great deal about the product you are interested in. And DON'T buy extended warranties!

Caveat Emptor has never been more apropos.

-- Bingo1 (howe9@pop.shentel.net), March 12, 1999.

Good stuff, Bingo, and thanks for the post, Chris. I can use this as ammo for my friends who scoff at this whole issue because they say, "of course my computer's compliant. THEY said it was or else I wouldn't have bought it."

But what I don't understand, Chris, is why you think the lawyer's party has just begun. It looks more like the lawyers are stepping in to stop the retailers' parties.

Jeannie

-- jhollander (hollander@ij.net), March 12, 1999.

Yes Jeannie, that's good that they're stepping in to force the retailers to be honest. I was just referring to the projected $1 trillion in lawsuits ;-)

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), March 13, 1999.