compensation
Brand new computer crashed during job interview - compensation?
<p>My brand new computer cost me a job. The device crashed, not just once, but twice during a job interview over Skype. I took it back to the origin of purchase where it was diagnosed as a having software issues, it was subsequently wiped and the operating system was reinstalled fresh. The laptop was purchased two or three months ago. I'm curious as to whether there is any sort of  compensation available for situations like this? Of course, winning any sort of lawsuit against a large corporation is unlikely and nobody want's to set precedents taking responsibility for inability to procure work.</p>
<p>The exact cause of the crashes can be found here: <a href="https://apple.stackexchange.com/q/399894/115865">-20 shutdown, what to do?</a></p>

<h3>Almost certainly not</h3>
<p>You note that &quot;it was diagnosed as a having software issues,&quot; so you'd have to figure out exactly what software issue happened, and whose fault that was (assuming that it wasn't your fault).  This would be pretty difficult, especially given that they wiped the system.  Even assuming you have a backup copy and could figure out the exact problem, you probably also agreed to waive any such claims against the software authors that may have caused the problem when you received the software, because software companies don't want to pay for the consequences of every computer crash. Microsoft, for instance, requires you to agree that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Except for any repair, replacement, or refund that Microsoft, or the device manufacturer or installer, may provide, you may not under this limited warranty, under any other part of this agreement, or under any theory, recover any damages or other remedy, including lost profits or direct, consequential, special, indirect, or incidental damages. The damage exclusions and remedy limitations in this agreement apply even if repair, replacement, or a refund does not fully compensate you for any losses, if Microsoft, or the device manufacturer or installer, knew or should have known about the possibility of the damages, or if the remedy fails of its essential purpose.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Most software has similar disclaimers.  Stack Overflow has one, too, for instance.  So even if you did somehow track down exactly which piece of software caused the crash, you probably already agreed that they aren't responsible for paying your damages.</p>
