[quote name='BingoBrown']FYI, I am a lawyer, and you're probably
ed. I've spent some time dealing with employment law, and you were an at-will employee with Best Buy. That means that, at any time, you could end employment with them, or they could end your employment. Now there are some protected classes/reasons for which you can't get fired, but from reading your story, none of those are probably going to apply.
What you did wasn't illegal, it was just abusing Best Buy's computer system. That's enough for them to fire you if they want, and that's obviously what they did.
Sorry to hear about the situation, but I don't know that you're going to get anything out of this.
That being said, every state has different laws, and you may be able to recover under your state's laws. It is a good idea to contact a lawyer and see if one can help you. At the very least, a lawyer in your state will be able to tell you whether you've got any cause of action against Best Buy.
For legal purposes, I need to say that the above is not legal advice. I don't know where you live or the laws of your state, so I'm not perfectly situated to evaluate your claim, nor am I probably licensed in the state where you live. I do suggest finding an employment lawyer to discuss your situation with, as you might find some solution to this problem. The best course for finding an attorney is to contact the state bar association, who can refer you to an employment lawyer near you. Good luck.[/QUOTE]
I second this post. I am not a lawyer, nor do I claim to know the law, but you need to seek legal advice or council on this one. From my basic understanding of the story, you knowingly used a known glitch in the system to legally purchase merchandise. That, to me anyways, is not theft. You have receipts to prove that you purchased the merchandise as evidence.
However, since you were an employee, you had a conflict of interest in purchasing the merchandise using a known glitch. That's why you were fired. Also, they screwed you in the end even more by demanding that you hand over the games that you legally purchased. Those were your games once you paid for them. Did they refund you the money when you handed them over? If not, then you might have a claim.
You could also think of it this way; if it was theft, why didn't they contact the local authorities and report it? If someone is caught stealing, the police are usually called and a report is taken for company records. That doesn't make sense to me.
Again, you need to seek legal advice on this matter.