Local computer store owner investigated and arrested
Michelle Carolla/WBTW News13
Published: April 28, 2008
POST YOUR COMMENTSPublished: April 28, 2008
For several years, News13 brought you stories on a local computer company. Computer Inferno and Seaside Computers, which share the same owner, continue to generate complaints.
A little more than a year ago the company changed hands to the new owner, Robert Hussey. Hussey is a former employee of the previous owner and claimed he knew what he bought but believed he could change the company around.
News 13’s Consumer Advocate, Michelle Carolla worked with the Better Business Bureau on this story to gather some of the hundreds of people they received complaints from then met with them to hear their side.
Nearly a dozen people came to our studio to tell their story about Computer Inferno and Seaside Computers. The BBB said they received more than 100 responses in about 24 hours from people who wanted to talk. Each brought their own complaints, but all seemed to stem from the same source -- a lack of customer service.
Carlottia Scott said she took her laptop in for repairs to the CD drive and screen. She says $550 and nearly a year later, her problem is still not solved.
"They take money from you, you can't get receipts, you can't get answers, you can't get a response and when you get a response, their response to you is that it's either not their problem, or, they're not going to do what you asked them to do and they really don't care if you take it a step further," Scott said.
But, that's what Scott is doing. She hired an attorney to pursue her case.
Leslie McAdams drove from Greenville to tell her story.
She bought a laptop in August of 2007. She claimed the battery and CD unit never worked. She spent $550 on a refurbished computer and a service agreement.
She repeatedly attempted to get the company to fix the problem. McAdams said Hussey promised to fix her problem, but she never received a solution.
"My calls were being ignored. I would leave messages and nothing would happen and to me, that's very frustrating. That's not servicing the customer," McAdams said.
Horry County Solicitor Greg Hembree told News 13 in an earlier interview, that Computer Inferno and Seaside Computer broke all records for complaints in his office.
He said most complaints are civil in nature which tied his hands in prosecuting any of the complaints. He said consumer protection laws in South Carolina need updated.
"They're kind of outdated. They've been around for over a hundred years so you're not talking about laws that were written with the modern consumer in mind," Hembree said.
Two of the people interviewed told us their problems were fixed, but not before they spent countless hours pushing for a resolve.
The BBB said the company received 239 complaints total between the two stores, 37 of those just this year.
“The issues are not new,” said Samantha Hightower, of the Coastal Carolina BBB office. “They're the same issues that were coming in last year and they year before, so the mentality of the business has not changed."
The BBB is mailing the last three years of complaints to the office of the attorney's general, requesting a formal investigation.
Carolla spoke to Hussey many times, at length discussing his plans to correct his company’s problems. After repeated requests, he declined to appear on camera. He said he's trying to change the way the business works.
News 13 did not want to air another story about the problems, but instead to look for solutions. So, he agreed to review the complaints we News 13 received and look into solving them. Carolla will follow-up with him in a few months to see what happens.
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