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Ohio Attorney General Sues Best Buy
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Attorney General Jim Petro today filed suit against Best Buy Co. Inc., alleging that the electronics retailer has engaged in a pattern of deceptive acts and practices. The Minnesota-based chain operates retail outlets throughout Ohio -- including stores in Boardman and Niles -- and also sells its products via the Internet.The attorney general's office reported it has received hundreds of consumer complaints during the last few years with the highest concentration of complaints alleging, among other things, that Best Buy repackaged used goods and sold them as new, failed to honor rebates, failed to honor refund and exchange programs, and failed to honor extended service contracts."The sheer number of complaints coupled with the types of allegations my office received prompted us to file this lawsuit."Petro said. "The primary objective of this lawsuit is to bring Best Buy into conformity with Ohio's consumer protection laws and ensure that Best Buy's Ohio customers receive the service they deserve." Violations of the Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act alleged in the lawsuit include: failure to honor implied warranties of merchantability, substandard and inadequate customer service, and making false and misleading statements to consumers.In the complaint, Petro asked the court to prohibit Best Buy from engaging in practices that violate the law, and to order Best Buy to reimburse consumers who lost money or otherwise did not receive the full service they were promised. The complaint also asks that Best Buy pay a civil penalty of $25,000 for each violation of the Consumer Sales Practices Act.Best Buy operates 600 stores in 48 states. The company employs 90,000.Visit the Ohio Attorney General's Web site at www.ag.state.oh.us "