Just because you hand over your phone to a Best Buy employee does not mean they’re allowed to pilfer your photo collection and burn said pictures onto a CD. A Virginia woman claims an employee promised to help her transfer her iPhone’s contents onto a newer model, and after stealing her racy photos, invited her over to his home to get them back.

The woman says she hired a Geek Squad employee in April to move all of her photos, contacts and other information onto her new phone, as she hadn’t backed up her data on her home computer. The employee then offered to buy her old iPhone with a cracked screen, reports WTOP.com. He promised to wipe the old phone when he was done moving data. Promises, promises.

She later realized her new phone didn’t have any of her 900 photos, some of which were somewhat suggestive personal photos, as well as videos of her kids.

“I felt sick. I felt violated. I felt so embarrassed,” she told WTOP.

She called Best Buy to complain, and asked for a manager to call her. Instead, the employee who was supposed to have transferred the photos called her.

“A few days later, he called back to tell me he’d made a CD at his house with all my photos, and when can I come get them. I could pick them up at his house,” she says. She hung up the phone.

She says she’s upset over the fact that someone else has her very personal property, and is considering filing a civil suit.

Best Buy says the employee has been fired, and issued a response to WTOP regarding the matter:

“First and foremost, we apologize to this customer for an unfortunate experience caused by what appears to be rogue action against our code of conduct, specifically related to our trade-in program. We hope to restore her trust.”

“We can confirm that an employee at this store has been terminated for making a personal transaction with a customer while on duty at the store. We’re continuing our investigation and assure you that we will continue to act promptly to address any inappropriate employee behavior.”

The woman says that’s not enough, as she has to live with the fact that a stranger not only has images of her and her children, and could do just about anything with them.

Personal theft — yet another reason Best Buy customers get turned off from shopping there.

Previously in Best Buy horror stories: Straight Man Says Best Buy Employee Outed Him On Facebook During Phone Servicing

*Thanks for the tip, Steve!

Woman: Store employee copied, kept racy phone photos [WTOP.com]

 

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