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There's a subreddit called r/techsupportgore, and its name perfectly describes its content: people who fix computers upload photos of the nightmarish scenarios they find themselves in. From melted extension cords to server rooms that look like a jungle, some of these hardware disasters are so bad, you can't help but feel for the folks who have to fix them. So continue scrolling, check out the pics, and don't be surprised if you cringe to the brink of passing out after only a few of them.
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#1
Ticket Said "Camera Flickers To Fuzzy Brown Image Often"
One of the moderators of the subreddit, Coffeechipmunk, said the most popular posts there are those that depict situations just moments away from exploding. "[It's] very dangerous, but very cool looking. They probably get so big because people post the pics and you think, 'Wow, that's just a bomb at that point,'" they told Bored Panda.
The subreddit was created on the 29th of February, 2012, and since then it has grown into a 427K member-strong community. They aren't interested in trivial things like cracked screens or anything -- just the filthiest, nastiest gore there is. And it doesn't seem that it's drying out, too. Just think of all the people who acquire a new gadget or an appliance and are so eager to use it, they skip the operation manual (myself included).
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#2
“The Printer Isn’t Working”
RaroaRaroa 5 years ago
Well, you don't take the toner out of the cartridge, you load the whole thing. I guess they thought the paper worked the same.
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Sergio Bicerra Descalzi 5 years ago
And in hair dryers, and irons, and Batman capes, and...
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Gabriel Sbárbaro 5 years ago
As a tech support guy, I agree... once, we recieved a call from a company on the other side of the city complaining about a printer too... when we arrived we found that the printer was turned of...
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Tovah Roche 5 years ago
I had a co-worker who went on a profanity laced fit one day because he couldn't get the paper drawer to close in the copier. The dumbass was trying to put 8.5" x 14" paper in a 8.5" x 11" slot. How he could not see the paper was too big to fit in the drawer is beyond me because it was visibly sticking out of the drawer.
Molly 5 years ago
What the hell? How is the person who did this, even allowed to work in an office?
Aragorn II Elessar 5 years ago
My thoughts precisely. We have no printers in Gondor, and even I know that this works not.
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Cristina S. 5 years ago
God. I remember working in the office and people constantly came to me to fix the copier (I wasn’t the tech person either). Probably because I was the only one who actually followed the machine’s instructions. I was the only one who could fix it.
Freya the Wanderer 5 years ago
Do enough tech support, and you'll encounter a lot of people who are a ramp shy of a cloverleaf.
Erin 5 years ago
This happened in our office. We told an intern to load 5 reams of paper in the side feeder of the printer and he did not unwrap the reams. So yeah...
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
He did what he, or she, was told to do without having ever been around a copying machine before.
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elfin 5 years ago
This would be perfectly natural for a newbie who had no idea how a printer worked. One place I worked required a lot of wires to have their ends stripped and then have metal connectors attached. A newbie was told to add the connectors, but no one told her the wires needed to be stripped first. She did exactly what she was told.
The Emerald Triangle 5 years ago
And teachers wonder why certain kids can't get on Google Classroom?
Eva Zaqqum 5 years ago
No way! :D I used to work in a big office house full a loads of people, each floor had at least three printers in the hall.... Never seen anybody that stupid, really. And sure I worked there as an maintenance girl for the printers. This is just unbelievable for me. :D i remember some really dumb people... But this one? :D crazy
Lisa Mengucci 5 years ago
Yea, there really are some rocket scientists out there. How do they even get get dressed in the morning?
Leo Petipas 4 years ago
Yes. Yes. They do somehow? And we survive along side them. No knowing when sh*t is going to go wrong.
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Pretty Pangolin 5 years ago
We frequently got phone scams centered around our copier - "Hi, this is Joe Blow from the warehouse. Just calling to confirm the serial number off your copier for your order." My coworkers were very trusting, so these scams would sometimes get pretty far downstream before they were spotted.
Chloe Drury 5 years ago
i genuinely have never operated this type of printer so idk what is what so idk whats wrong lol
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Dippin Dot 5 years ago
I got a call from an employee (happened twice, same person) where she said the printer was broken. It needed paper. Thank god she retired.
Carrie Roettger 5 years ago
My husband works for a litigation support company and they have 5 printer/copiers. I showed him this picture and I thought he was going to have a serious meltdown.
the redqueen 5 years ago
Ok this one is just a small "funny"-but it's a true story: My father used to work for a company, in NC., many, many years ago, that repaired, rented, and provided all kinds of office equipment and supplies. One large account that they had, they retrieved a printer from, for repair. There was a "form" they used, that included several boxes with descriptions, on how the damage occurred. This particular printer, was actually "struck" by lightning, so, the box with the description of : damage caused by "acts of God", was marked. It wasn't until after they noticed what account the printer had come from, that it became funny: ATTN: Jim Bakker C/O : PTL Club ( this was in the 80's, in a department , with nothing but Dad-joke telling guys working there, who laughed about this, for years......)
Oskar vanZandt 5 years ago
There are two trays, maybe the person put the spare paper in the wrong tray? Often customers only use one of the two trays unless they have different types of paper in use, e.g. plain vs letterhead.
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
Being without relevant experience or knowledge is not equal to being stupid.
Load More Replies..."A lot of the content on the subreddit does rather well, except for people coming for actual tech support, they get redirected to the right subreddit. For actual tech support gore, though, it seems like broken screens and slightly messy wires are the current posts that don't hit too hard," Coffeechipmunk explained.
They think the reason why r/techsupportgore got so popular is quite a simple one: "Honestly... it's very fun," Coffeechipmunk said. "In a time where most of the internet can be incredibly serious and most times saddening or angering, r/techsupportgore is fun because you go on it and you can laugh (and/or cringe) at the crazy posts. Where else can you see a post like, "Wow, these cables really are messy" to, "A lizard fried my motherboard" back to back? I love our growing community. They're a bunch of people that just enjoy tech and to some extent, the worst of it."
#3
End User Had A Heater Next To The PC Which Was Randomly Shutting Off And She Thought She Had Smelled Burning A Couple Of Times. It Is Literally Screaming
If you are, however, afraid that you're gonna end up on this subreddit, there are things you can do to prevent it. There's plenty of information on the internet that you can utilize to become more tech savvy. There are forums, websites, and YouTube channels dedicated to specific fields where you can find comprehensive information on how to reset your iPhone and how to fix a malfunctioning laptop. Heck, if you're feeling really adventurous, you can even learn how to code.
When it comes to technology, the information is out there and it's available. You don't have to study computer science to know this stuff. Like a blacksmith who has an exact feel for how he needs to beat a piece of metal in order to mold it, knowledge and regular use of it will make you better at technology.
#4
I Can't Even...
#5
Hospital Server Room
#6
First Day On Job; Set Up Those 4 Wireless Speakers For You.
Ola Polowczyk 5 years ago
And here, dear children, you can see speakers resting in their natural habitat
#7
Told A User To Shutdown Their Virus Infected Computer And Ship It Back And To Label It As Infected. They Did Good
#8
Ancient Temple Of Asus
#9
I Need Somewhere To Set This Candle... Oh Here’s A Good Spot!
#10
"My Fan Was Making Too Much Noise!"
#11
I Should Tell Them It's Not A Touch Screen...
#12
"My PC Shut Off Suddenly And Won't Turn Back On"
#13
Quality Repost Here. (I Assume This Has Been Posted Before)
#14
One Of My Co-Workers Was Eager To Unpack Her New Mouse
#15
“My Space Heater Stopped Working”
#16
Professional Cabling At Pepsi
#17
AT&T Has No Idea Why Their DSL Services Is So Poor. It Must Be My Wires In My House. No I Don't Think So
#18
Someone Unplugged Something And Now The Office Internet Doesn't Work...
#19
Customer Came In With His iPhone, His Glass Cracked, He Thought He Could Peel Off The Glass So He Wouldn't Notice The Crack Anymore
#20
Plugging In Your USB Receiver With A Hammer For That Flush Mounted Look
#21
"It Didn't Plug In, So I Bent The Pins To Make It Fit"
#22
Don't Forget To Tip Your Server
#23
My Friend Drilled Holes In His Mouse To Make It Lighter So It Would Give Him An "Advantage"
#24
My Grandpa Thought His Headphone Jack Was A Screw Hole
#25
Work For Local High School, The Disc Drive Wasn’t Working. Probably Been There Since 2012
#26
When The Acid Kicks In
#27
User "Dropped It Walking To The Car." It Came In The Day After The Super Bowl
#28
"But I Like It This Way, It's Convenient." -My Tech Savvy Aunt
#29
Round 2 Of How Students Treat Their Chromebooks In My School, I Have No Words
#30
“My Flash Drive Won’t Show Up And I’ve Literally Tried Everything!”
#31
My Friend Kept This In His Bedside Table... Literally A Bomb
#32
“WiFi In The Warranty Department Isn’t Working”
#33
Single Cat5 Cable Holding Up A Rack
#34
I Was Wondering Why My Computer Had Bluescreens. Now I Am Wondering Why My Computer Was Able To Boot Up At All
#35
“Why Is There A Pillow Inside My Tablet?”
#36
The Cable Of My Favorite Gaming Mouse Dragged Along 300 Miles Of Road Hanging Out My Car Door By Mistake
#37
Oh, And Can You Check The Speaker? It Sounds A Bit Muffled
#38
Schools Are Goldmines
#39
Customer : Battery Doesn’t Lasts Long
#40
When A Teacher Decides To Buy And Install A Screen Protector On Their Own
#41
Employee Spilled Water On Laptop. Decided To Use Heat Gun To Dry It Out
#42
Dude Smashes His Laptop Screen And Plugs An 11" One In To Replace. Dunno If Its A Macgyver Or Gore. I Think More Gore
#43
Person Mistook LED Polarizing Film For Protective Plastic Film And Peeled It Off
#44
Clients Ex Thought She Could Get The 'Memory Card' Out Through The Screen "To Catch The Cheating Bastard"
#45
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
#46
Immediately Regrets That Decision
#47
Opened Up A Cheap Calculator Today To Find Out The Solar Strip Was Just A Piece Of Plastic That’s Not Connected To Anything
#48
Hmmm
#49
Enjoying My New 2tb USB3 External Hdd
#50
Friends Laptop Was Sent Back Like This From Razer
#51
"My PC Is Low On Space, Can You Help?"
#52
How The Previous It Guy Mounted The Hard Drive
#53
Men, Get The Hazmat Suits
Add New Image
What do you think ?
misteriosa 5 years ago
I have such brainfarts sometimes, it hurts. 2 months ago, cable/net guys came to make a set up for a future tv upstairs, and moved the wireless router up etc. So, bunch of cables going into things. My children played around, and accidentally unplugged everything. Enter me, managing to plug all the cables in, except one- going from the tv receiver into oblivion. Rechecked everything, tried every hole, and after 30 mins of despair, decided to call the tech support for advice, knowing in my heart it would turn out to be something incredibly stupid, and preparing for the embarrasment. So I called, explained the situation, revised every cable I already plugged in, and leading to the one I have no idea about. 'So, it goes from the tv receiver, but I don't know where to plug it in, it says HDMI at the end of it', 'Did you manage to find the HDMI port on the tv?', 'No, I don't have a tv here yet... oh my God I knew the answer would be obvious and stupid sorry about this thank you'...
deanna woods 5 years ago
Some people don't need to be allowed to use technology because they don't know how to use it properly. You don't take a hammer or any other tool to devices unless you want to destroy it.
Catlady6000 5 years ago
That why there is an owners manual. Am I the only one who reads theirs? For everything from my car to my phone?
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Rose the Cook 5 years ago
Having an IT tech in the family the most common problems he was called to were, infant or pet had disconnected power OR said infant or pet had urinated on computer.
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
The younger brother of a friend used to sleepwalk as a kid and he once opened the lid to the record player and, believing he was in the bathroom, proceeded to pee in it.
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*sigh*, The Yellow Teletubby 5 years ago
Well, at least now I know I'm not the worst when it comes to this kind of stuff 😂
Bob Hildebrand 5 years ago
...and then the coffee cup holder on the computer just broke off. They should make them more sturdy.
Micah Pettit 5 years ago
When working tech support for an online RAM and SSD company, one of my coworkers spoke to someone whose SSD stopped working. Instead of, you know, contacting the FREE tech support, they decided to go to the internet at large. They found a post somewhere (god knows what idiotic corner of the web they scoured) that recommended they put their SSD IN THE OVEN. To be fair, they apparently did get it to work again, but it ran very slowly. Gee, can't imagine WHY. Needless to say, replacement was denied.
Evil Little Thing 5 years ago
To be fair, there are some computer parts that gentle baking may fix - it softens and repairs micro-fractures in solder. SSD is not one of these things.
Load More Replies...
elia 84631 5 years ago
Most of theme seems that caused by stupid people and didn't have idea how to fix it
Liz-ard 3 years ago (edited)
Well, what does this tell us? It tell us that the tech-people that develops both hard and software do not understand how far behind the rest of the common humans are in catching up, evolving and understanding how the tech-people mean things to work. This generation and social gap is the deepest cut that ever have been between them. It excludes the elder generations: pre-1980, and make life difficult for pre-millenniumers, poor people and most people living in developing countries. I was young when the first PCs came. And scared of by a type recorder teacher that know very little about computers, typing lessons in DOS and a hysterical screaming “DON’t press C-A-T!!!” every time the lesson were (thank God!) over. When Windows new graphic platform came I got mesmerised and hooked. Still a noob at age 56 and still fighting to “get it”.
Megan Stone 5 years ago
I never thought I'd find tech dramas so funny!!! Thanks everyone, Hilarious :)
Jace 5 years ago
Most of the “user error” images are great for story-telling, but the majority of problems with stuff in this industry is the industry itself. Every legitimate criticism of the technology gets blocked by special pleading (a logical fallacy, which, in an industry you’d naively expect to be all about logic, is all too common).
Barbara Baldwin 5 years ago
Most of these left me wondering what I'm looking at..call me clueless
Freya the Wanderer 5 years ago
Some of these are good arguments for keeping stupid people from breeding.
Catlady6000 5 years ago
Does no,one read, or at least glance thru the owners manuals for anything? A lot of these never would have happened with a little prophylactic reading
misteriosa 5 years ago
I have such brainfarts sometimes, it hurts. 2 months ago, cable/net guys came to make a set up for a future tv upstairs, and moved the wireless router up etc. So, bunch of cables going into things. My children played around, and accidentally unplugged everything. Enter me, managing to plug all the cables in, except one- going from the tv receiver into oblivion. Rechecked everything, tried every hole, and after 30 mins of despair, decided to call the tech support for advice, knowing in my heart it would turn out to be something incredibly stupid, and preparing for the embarrasment. So I called, explained the situation, revised every cable I already plugged in, and leading to the one I have no idea about. 'So, it goes from the tv receiver, but I don't know where to plug it in, it says HDMI at the end of it', 'Did you manage to find the HDMI port on the tv?', 'No, I don't have a tv here yet... oh my God I knew the answer would be obvious and stupid sorry about this thank you'...
deanna woods 5 years ago
Some people don't need to be allowed to use technology because they don't know how to use it properly. You don't take a hammer or any other tool to devices unless you want to destroy it.
Catlady6000 5 years ago
That why there is an owners manual. Am I the only one who reads theirs? For everything from my car to my phone?
Load More Replies... Rose the Cook 5 years ago
Having an IT tech in the family the most common problems he was called to were, infant or pet had disconnected power OR said infant or pet had urinated on computer.
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
The younger brother of a friend used to sleepwalk as a kid and he once opened the lid to the record player and, believing he was in the bathroom, proceeded to pee in it.
Load More Replies... *sigh*, The Yellow Teletubby 5 years ago
Well, at least now I know I'm not the worst when it comes to this kind of stuff 😂
Bob Hildebrand 5 years ago
...and then the coffee cup holder on the computer just broke off. They should make them more sturdy.
Micah Pettit 5 years ago
When working tech support for an online RAM and SSD company, one of my coworkers spoke to someone whose SSD stopped working. Instead of, you know, contacting the FREE tech support, they decided to go to the internet at large. They found a post somewhere (god knows what idiotic corner of the web they scoured) that recommended they put their SSD IN THE OVEN. To be fair, they apparently did get it to work again, but it ran very slowly. Gee, can't imagine WHY. Needless to say, replacement was denied.
Evil Little Thing 5 years ago
To be fair, there are some computer parts that gentle baking may fix - it softens and repairs micro-fractures in solder. SSD is not one of these things.
Load More Replies... elia 84631 5 years ago
Most of theme seems that caused by stupid people and didn't have idea how to fix it
Liz-ard 3 years ago (edited)
Well, what does this tell us? It tell us that the tech-people that develops both hard and software do not understand how far behind the rest of the common humans are in catching up, evolving and understanding how the tech-people mean things to work. This generation and social gap is the deepest cut that ever have been between them. It excludes the elder generations: pre-1980, and make life difficult for pre-millenniumers, poor people and most people living in developing countries. I was young when the first PCs came. And scared of by a type recorder teacher that know very little about computers, typing lessons in DOS and a hysterical screaming “DON’t press C-A-T!!!” every time the lesson were (thank God!) over. When Windows new graphic platform came I got mesmerised and hooked. Still a noob at age 56 and still fighting to “get it”.
Megan Stone 5 years ago
I never thought I'd find tech dramas so funny!!! Thanks everyone, Hilarious :)
Jace 5 years ago
Most of the “user error” images are great for story-telling, but the majority of problems with stuff in this industry is the industry itself. Every legitimate criticism of the technology gets blocked by special pleading (a logical fallacy, which, in an industry you’d naively expect to be all about logic, is all too common).
Barbara Baldwin 5 years ago
Most of these left me wondering what I'm looking at..call me clueless
Freya the Wanderer 5 years ago
Some of these are good arguments for keeping stupid people from breeding.
Catlady6000 5 years ago
Does no,one read, or at least glance thru the owners manuals for anything? A lot of these never would have happened with a little prophylactic reading
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