Oculus gives boy a replacement VR headset as father and son wait for small claims against Facebook

Both sides are now awaiting a judge’s verdict in a remarkable battle between a single father and a high-tech powerhouse.

7 On Your Side first told the story of Mark Redman in January. 7 Your side talked to him to explain why an ordinary citizen would take on one of the biggest companies in the world.

It started when his son Bobby’s Oculus VR device broke while under warranty. Oculus will not replace it. When Redman saw hundreds of similar complaints online, he was upset; Large companies have ignored many customers.

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Bobby said: “It says ‘left controller is not connected…'”.

Bobby’s Oculus VR headset was discontinued last summer.

“It’s completely empty, it won’t boot,” Bobby explained.

His dad kept asking for a replacement under his warranty. Redman only gets the delay, then the rejection.

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“They said they were out of stock. I said, ‘I want my money back.’ They said, “No, we’re not going to do that, we’re going to give you some extra credit,” he said.

Redman complained to the Better Sales Department. Oculus never answered. Redman saw hundreds of similar complaints, also ignored.

The BBB gave Oculus and its owner an F rating, Facebook.

Months later, Redman filed a small claim in court.

“It’s not a matter of money, it’s a matter of principle. Big companies shouldn’t treat customers this way,” he said.

He spent hundreds of dollars trying to find a place to serve the court papers.

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Facebook sent high-powered lawyers Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe to try to stop the lawsuit.

Finally on Monday, Redman and his son had their court date. Mark showed the judge a 377-page book full of documents, showing all of his efforts to have Oculus honor his warranty.

“My emails to Oculus, Bobby’s emails to Oculus, my letters to attorneys, attorney responses…” Redman said. “The judge was not impressed with all that they gave me. Her eyes widened when she saw all of my documents.”

“For a corporation as big as this, to have a parent go to court and have to fight this hard for a refund, is outrageous and outrageous,” he continued.

The father and son walked out of the courtroom with a gift – a new Oculus headset, which Facebook gave them right in the courtroom.

“They’re sorry for everything we’ve been through, they’re so nice…” Redman said. “They recommended it as a gift to my son for all he’s been through.”

Currently, Redman and Facebook are awaiting a judge’s ruling on possible damages.

Facebook, which is owned by the Meta platform, did not respond to our request for comment.

See more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.

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