This article was originally published on 24/7Mirror
Given that technology is a quintessential part of our everyday lives now, you'd think that a tech support team member would deal with nothing but fairly routine issues. Well, think again. It would appear that humans and technology still aren't fully compatible, and it's the poor tech support on the front line who have to bear witness to this fact. From server rooms that look like a giant bowl of spaghetti to computers that are literally on fire, these are some of the worst workplace nightmares on record. Feeling brave? Scroll down for more.
Anyone Got Carpet Cleaner?
There are some sights in tech support that feel more like a crime scene than a technology one. In this case, we presume the person called to deal with the printer took one look and called the police. Or at least a cleaning company! If there was ever an example of the risks of an office printer — or other stupidity of the humans using it — this would be it.
It's unclear who was first at the scene of this crime, but we sincerely hope they weren't wearing anything too smart — the linen suit and white sneakers would be a regrettable choice.
That's One Thick Piece Of Paper
It's probably a good thing that printers are slowly but surely becoming obsolete. Obviously, the environmental impact of people no longer needing to read every document they receive on actual paper is the main benefit, but also the positive impact on tech support workers who won't have to deal with monumental printer-based stupidity on a daily basis. If they had a dollar for every time somebody complained about a printer...
We're not sure how whoever loaded this packet of A4 thinks a printer works, that perhaps there might be a little gremlin inside the machine who carefully unwraps and dispenses the paper, but this clearly isn't it!
You Can Almost Hear It Screaming
If you've ever wondered how to melt your computer, then do as the owner of this PC did and keep a heater next to it on full blast. It's unclear how long it took the owner to realize she was literally cooking her machine, but based on the terrified expression of the little computer face it would appear to have been a long and painful procedure! The poor little thing.
We've all witnessed our computer fans go into overdrive after they've been pushed a little too hard, but we hate to imagine the tortured sound this thing was making.
Tweet For Tech Support
Well, isn't this a cute problem to have to deal with? At first glance, perhaps, but in reality, there's no reason why this little birdie won't return to its perch time and time again. We're not sure what the answer is to a suitable deterrent, and surely it shouldn't be the job of a poor tech support worker to think of one either? We'd like to think they'll tweet their frustration.
In all seriousness, this could have been avoided if the person who installed the security camera had fitted it the right way up! Instead, the sunshade now makes a perfect bird-shaped ledge.
Did Someone Order Spaghetti?
No, this isn't some kind of giant pasta factory, it is in fact a hospital server room! We're pretty sure it was kept out of view of the patients as it's not the kind of sight to fill anyone with confidence prior to undergoing complex surgery. Let's hope the cables have been tidied up now, and that whoever had the incredibly unenviable task was a fan of the color yellow.
In all seriousness, tech support workers must despair at the state that some server rooms get into and are surely be praying for the day that wireless technology is commonplace.
Those Are Some Strange Looking Umbrellas
Let's try and give whoever did this the benefit of the doubt and suggest that it was an extremely windy day and they were being creatively cautious? Or maybe this photo was taken before the team had finished setting up? Okay, maybe not. What's more likely is that somebody hasn't had a good first day on the job, or that the poor soul is the butt of a cruel prank and has been told the speaker stands are in fact WiFi antennae.
What's amusing is that none of the visitors seem to notice or care, although that might change when somebody realizes they can't hear any music!
The Ancient City Of Motherboard
At first glance, this looks like an incredible work of art, an intricate reimagining of an ancient city... and then it becomes clear that this is, in fact, a filthy motherboard. To be honest, we'd rather see this in a gallery or a museum, so perhaps tech support should write it off and declare it a piece of modern art? Besides, we're not sure this will ever be good for computing again.
This is the kind of sight that makes you feel incredibly sorry for those who work in tech support. How does a piece of hardware even get like this, and where do you even begin?!
The First Ever Computer Scented Candle
Whoever decided that lighting a candle directly on top of a computer probably shouldn't be in possession of a candle or a computer. The good news is the computer probably smelled quite nice for the remainder of its life — the bad news? The computer is definitely not working again! In all seriousness, the owner of the machine can count themselves lucky this didn't cause a pretty bad fire. As it is, it's just a big pink mess.
Perhaps this image should be provided as a cautionary tale to anyone who purchases a computer for domestic use, alongside the before and after photo of a mug of coffee next to a laptop.
This Was A Pretty Floppy Idea
For our younger readers, allow us to explain. The floppy disk was a type of disk storage composed of a thin and flexible disk of a magnetic storage medium in a square plastic enclosure. Essentially, they were an essential piece of tech hardware during the 90s and were basically everywhere. The issue here, of course, is that while someone is being very careful to not lose the all-important system restore floppy disk, the disk won't be much use after the magnetic exposure.
If you listen carefully enough, you can almost hear the chorus of heads falling into hands from tech support people. Sadly, they've probably seen stuff like this on more than one occasion!
Clearly Not A Fan Of Noise
To be honest, this image is enough to make any tech support person despair. Not understanding the basic tech around how a computer works is one thing, but not understanding basic physics of how and why a fan works? Unforgivable. We get it, it's kind of annoying when you're binging episodes of your favorite show on Netflix and your laptop starts to make a noise like a plane taking off, but seriously?
Perhaps the owner of the laptop was feeling cold and needed their machine to double-up as a radiator? Okay, probably not. Let's just file this one under typical tech idiocy.
Keep Away From The Computer
The owner of this computer was told that their machine had a virus — that it was infected — and needed to be shut down and sent off to tech support. For most people, the difference between a computer virus and a medical one is pretty self-explanatory, but for the owner of this machine? Clearly not! Tech support must have been equally confused and amused when they received the box with an infectious substance label.
Even if a computer virus was similar to a medial one, like Covid-19, for example, the idea that this box would be able to contain it is, quite frankly, hilarious!
Somebody Get The Antibacterial Wipes
If this is a school, then we can give them the benefit of the doubt that perhaps this is the result of hundreds of children's dirty fingers pointing at things on the screen. If it isn't a school, however, and this computer is in a regular place of work, then what the heck! Either the user of the computer doesn't realize that iMac's aren't touchscreen, or they can't resist touching the screen for some reason.
This photo is likely to stress out plenty of people at the best of times, not just tech support folk, but given the current circumstances around the pandemic, it's enough to make anyone cry!
Let's Come Back To This When The Dust Settles
At first glance, this looks like a slice of toast with some kind of sludge spread onto it, but it is, in fact, the inner workings of a computer fan. Now, this isn't what most computer fans look like — at least, we hope not! It's unclear how this particular one got so clogged up with dust but clearly, the environment is to blame. Also, this is probably the first time someone has opened up the fan.
To avoid this happening to your computer, the best thing you can do is keep it away from a carpet, ideally high up and on a solid surface. Oh, and don't have cats!
Of Mice And Not So Clever Men
Someone was clearly way too keen to start using their new mouse! Oh well, since most of the packaging is still on perhaps they can take it back to the store for a return? In fairness to whoever did this, we can all agree that this type of impossible-to-open plastic packaging might be one of the most annoying things ever invented, so we feel your pain. Although, maybe take a little more care next time.
Maybe this was the universe's way of telling this person that it's time they invested in a wireless mouse. Although, apparently it would seem they already have. Oops!
Does Anyone Else Smell Burning?
Right here, ladies and gentlemen, is why you never plug a space heater into an extension cord! This person actually got off very lightly compared to some, as space heaters have been the cause of houses burning down on many occasions. The reason for this is the higher wattage required for a space heater — a direct wall plig can handle this extra power whereas an extension cord typically can't so will often overheat.
This may be a pretty serious tech hazard but we have to admit, at first glance, we did see delicious roasted marshmallows. Anybody else? Okay, just us then.
Can Someone Unplug The White One Please?
Apparently, this is a view from the server room at Pepsi headquarters. It's unclear exactly when and where it was taken, but it doesn't look great. In fact, forget the taste test, perhaps the real competition should be between Pepsi and Coca-Cola's server room tidiness? We haven't seen the latter, but surely it can't be any worse than this! We're not sure where tech support would even start to be honest.
Is it just us, or does anybody else see this and have a strong urge to take a pair of scissors to this monstrosity? Once the power has been turned off, obviously!
The Internet Is Currently Nesting
You would be forgiven for thinking this is some kind of rodent nest, but if you look a little closer you'll see it is in fact a DSL box. Apparently, this is the property of AT&T, the world's largest telecommunications company. We're not entirely sure what's happened here — perhaps someone has broken it open in a fit of rage, or perhaps to steal the copper wire? Either way, it shouldn't look like that inside!
How the DSL box got into this state is anybody's guess, but we wouldn't want to be the poor field tech who's tasked with tidying it up.
Don't You Just Love The Beautiful Colors?
Tech support staff get presented with some pretty terrifying sights on a regular basis, but surely nothing makes their head drop like a sea of cables. The scant consolation here is that there is at least color coordination. Well, some color at least. This helps whoever is tasked with the tidy-up work out where each of the cables should go, although it also means the nest of cables resembles a minestrone soup.
The question is, how do companies let their server rooms get like this in the first place? Did the cables start off neat and tidy or did they just keep adding to the pile? Who knows.
They Might Need A New Phone
Apparently, this customer got a small crack in the glass of their phone screen, so decided to peel off the rest of the glass to hide the crack. While this might be one of the most idiotic phone-related "fixes" we've seen, they certainly got rid of the crack! In the process, they also destroyed their phone and consigned it to the trash can — and risked a nasty cut in the process.
We're not sure there's a lesson that can be learned here, but this image is, without doubt, a great advert for using a screen protector. After all, peeling off a sheet of plastic is a lot easier than peeling off a sheet of glass.
MC Hammer? Try PC Hammer
We get it, bits of hardware poking out the side of a laptop can be annoying and obtrusive. But seriously, taking a hammer to a USB receiver so that it sits flush against the side of the machine is definitely not the answer! Firstly, you tend to not hear 'hammer' and 'computer' used in the same sentence (for obvious reasons), and second, where did this person think the USB receiver could go?
Treating a hardware device like a nail in a wall is not advised, so for the 0.01% of you out there who would consider doing this maybe go a little easier next time.
And The Award For Most Satisfying Image Of All Time Goes To...
There were 4 hours between this before and after photo, apparently, but definitely 4 hours well spent. We get so used to seeing cables spewing out the back of servers that it's easy to forget what a tidy setup should actually look like. Presumably, this was done after hours, as this definitely requires a lot of unplugging and plugging back in. 4 hours is a long time to wait for the internet to come back on!
The cynic in us would love to see a photo of this scene in 3 months' time. The tech support person who fixed it, on the other hand, probably never wants to see it again.
When The Bowl Of Rice Trick Goes Wrong
Ah yes, the classic mobile phone in a bowl of rice trick. Except, it looks like this person did it the wrong way round and it's kind of hilarious! In fairness to them, the bowl of rice cure has mixed results, with plenty of people saying it doesn't work at all, so maybe shoving rice in the phone is just as likely to work? It's unlikely but amusing nonetheless.
This also might explain why Apple has made it virtually impossible to open an iPhone? Too many people dropping their phone in the bath then emptying the contents of their dinner into it?
This Is An Incredibly Hot Line
This may be a tech disaster but there's something incredibly artistic about this melting phone, almost reminiscent of a Salvador Dali painting. It's not entirely clear how this happened — surely the phone wasn't actually put in the oven, was it? If this was the result of a space heater or dodgy extension cord then that's even scarier. What we do know for sure is that this phone has taken its last call.
To anyone considering taking this kind of action against their perpetually ringing phone, there are safer and more effective ways of destroying it than this! (You could start by pulling the plug out.)
Need A New Keyboard? Press Enter
Have you ever wondered what ten years' worth of continually pressing 'enter' on the keyboard of a shop till would look like? Well, it's your lucky day. You would have thought that within that time an upgrade might have been made to the store's tech hardware, but apparently not. Even when a crack appeared in the key itself they just kept plodding along with the same trusty equipment. Fair enough.
What isn't excusable is that this keyboard hasn't seen an anti-bac wipw in about ten years, either. If you insist on keeping the same computer for years then at least clean the damn thing!
We'll Be Kind And Say It's A Little Messy
The tempting thing to do in this situation would be to set the entire rig on fire and start again. Obviously, this isn't an option, since it would appear that an entire neighborhood's phone and internet connection runs through this terrifyingly precarious setup. Let's be honest, this is beyond help from a tech support specialist and should probably be left to the fire department before it's the cause of an entire street burning down.
Adequate infrastructure is a real problem in certain countries, and people's need for internet connection makes sights like this not uncommon. Perhaps global broadband providers should address this issue?
It's Hard To Pin Down The Main Problem Here
Instead of buying a new ethernet cable, which wouldn't exactly cost the earth, this genius has decided to use a pin to fix the issue of a missing clip. We're not sure what most people think runs through cables, but they aren't wrapped in thick plastic for a laugh. What's crazy is you can see how many times this hack has been used by the number of holes in the desk
This really shouldn't need to be said, but sticking pins through electric cables is not a good idea! We repeat, sticking pins through electric cables is not a good idea!
The World's Least Protecting Screen Protector
There are so many painful things about this photo it's unclear where to even begin. This person decided to save money by using their old screen protector for their new phone. Okay, fair enough. Are they hoping that 25% of their phone screen will never need protecting? We can only assume so. They've also stuck it on upside down, which is enough to drive anyone with even mild OCD up the wall.
Not only that, the protector isn't even on straight. Our advice? Peel the damn thing off, throw it in the trash and buy one that fits! Don't be so tight!
Why Is That Cable Hissing?
This terrifying image is from a German T-Mobile network unit — they found not one, but three snakes living inside when it was opened for maintenance. In our opinion, the snakes own this now and the T-Mobile staff may as well quickly lock it back up and throw away the key, but hey, we're hardly professional tech support people. We'd like to think a snake handler was called and they were removed safely.
This is one of the added risks of doing tech support in the field. Sure, office spaces can be a bit grim, but they tend to at least be snake-free!
Let's Get This Project Wrapped Up
This iMac was taken in for repair because it wasn't turning on, apparently. It's incredible that somebody so careful who'd wrap their computer in vinyl would also fail to realize that doing so would overheat the machine and stop it from turning on. We're not sure why someone would want to keep their computer like this — are they working on it outside in the rain for something? Bizarre.
At least this was presumably a quick diagnosis and fix for the tech support guy. Well, the diagnosis would have been quick, the fix might have been a little more expensive!
Get That Rodent In The Shower
Is this the nastiest looking mouse you've ever seen? If it isn't, then you've seen some pretty horrendous things in your time. At first glance, the strange-looking substance looks like dust. We wish it was. In actual fact, it's hand grease! Yuck. Quite honestly, tech support shouldn't have to go anywhere near this kind of thing, it should be left for people in hazmat suits and visors to collect and dispense with.
This photo really makes you question the hygiene of certain people — our co-workers, for example. If this is the state of their computer mouse then God only knows what their bathroom looks like...
Just Chuck It In The Back
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. That really is thousands of dollars worth of laptops crammed into a flimsy cardboard box without any packaging material to protect them. It's no surprise that the box is falling apart since those laptops are pretty heavy and there are at least nine of them — the fact they even reached their destination is nothing short of a miracle! They haven't been turned on yet though...
This photo makes you appreciate modern-day eCommerce packaging, which, however over-the-top it can sometimes be, at least protects the item or items you're paying to have shipped from A to B.
Something Feels A Bit Wobbly
This computer tower is in a very sorry state indeed. Not only does it look like it's been repeatedly splattered with candle wax, but the poor thing also appears to be melting from the bottom up. Could a candle be to blame for this? Surely not. The likely culprit is a heater that a worrying number of office employees keep beneath their desks, adjacent to their computers. This, folks, is a case in point.
It would be interesting to know whether this machine still works since most of the important stuff — the DVD drive and disk ports — seem to have survived the implosion.
It Might Be Time For A Phone Upgrade
If you're wondering what that sticky substance leaking out of the phone is, the answer is battery acid. Yes, you heard that right. Battery acid. How does this happen to an iPhone? We're not sure, to be honest. What we do know is this disaster waiting to happen should be taken to the nearest volcano and thrown into its cavernous mouth. To be honest, a trash can will do but you get the point.
Tech hardware that leaks any sort of substance should probably be disposed of sooner rather than later — especially battery acid which is nasty, corrosive stuff that can burn your skin.
It Looks Like Something Blue Up
Let's be honest, this isn't the worst tech nightmare on the list — we've seen snakes, cable spaghetti, and battery acid after all — but cleaning this printer would be incredibly arduous. We hope whoever had the tedious task was a fan of the color blue because they'd likely have it all over their hands for the rest of the day. Was this the origin of the Blue Man Group, perhaps?
This is the kind of job tech support employees have to deal with on a regular basis, so we should probably take a moment to appreciate their willingness to get their hands dirty. Or blue, in this case.
Does This Feel Swollen To You?
If you're having to keep your swollen computer clamped closed with giant clips then, you know, you should probably get it checked out pretty soon. We have no idea how long it took this laptop owner to finally decide to see a tech expert about their machine, but far too long by the looks of things! For those wondering what's going on here, it's the battery inside the computer that has expanded at an alarming rate.
Battery swelling comes from gas pressure generated by the charge and/or discharge reaction being incomplete due to aging. Basically, if you have an old laptop and the battery falls pregnant it's time for a new one!
The DIY Wireless Mouse Hack
Apparently, this is the handiwork of a kid who wanted to help his older brother get a wireless mouse to enjoy a smoother gaming experience. You can't question the good intention, and strictly speaking, it is definitely wireless now! Perhaps this isn't the best way to upgrade, but at least it's an excuse to buy that fancy wireless mouse now. What to do with the redundant Razer... give it to the cat to play with?
Let's be honest, much like headphones, a wireless mouse is pretty essential in today's tech setup. If you haven't upgraded yet it might be time to hand your younger brother a pair of scissors.
I Can't Even Look At You Anymore...
Not every tech solution needs to look pretty. If something gets fixed, well... it's fixed! This is the perfect example. There is seemingly no rhyme or reason why flipping this printer upside down would make it print again, but hey, tech can work in mysterious ways. Ask any computer programmer to diagnose a problem for you on your laptop or phone and their first response is likely to be: "have you tried switching it off and on again?"
Printers are notoriously evil creations. There's a story on the internet of an IT guy jokingly performing an exorcism on a printer that had been refusing to work. Did it work? You bet.
Burn Baby, Burn
The owner of this computer was wondering why they couldn't turn it on. Well... it looks like this computer will never be turning on, no matter how much techie surgery can be performed. The likely cause of this hot mess (quite literally) is cheap components, such as a dodgy replacement power cable bought online from an untrustworthy source. The moral of the story? Don't buy cheap replacement components that might destroy your computer!
Mains cords are something worth spending a bit of money on since a faulty one has the ability to do this to your computer. If in doubt, speak to someone who knows their stuff beforehand.
I Like What You've Done With The Carpet
This is truly like a scene of a crime, with footprints leading off in all directions from where toner disaster struck! The footprints suggest a mad panic from multiple different people present — let's hope their shoes survived the explosion. This actually looks like a classroom, so perhaps it was one of the kids having a laugh to try and disrupt the class? It's just as likely that it was a teacher, though, such is the temperament of printers.
With personal digital hardware becoming more commonplace, such as tablets and easily-portable laptops, the age of the printer could soon come to an end. Will tech support workers miss them? What do you think!
Even The Sockets Look Concerned
Whoever decided to drill a screw through this extension lead must have been feeling extremely lucky. Either that or they didn't realize that doing so could have sent them flying halfway across the room from electric shock. Surely an easier hack would be to apply some adhesive to the back of the sockets and stick it to the table leg? Apparently not.
We don't know how many casualties there were when this idea was executed, but they were happy to drill a couple of holes for good measure!