Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
Tech Support People Are Sharing The Worst Cases They’ve Seen While On The Job (40 New Pics)
There are solid reasons why a subreddit like Tech Support Gore exists. You see, as little documented as it may be, people living in the golden age of technology are no strangers to occasional, or rather pretty frequent mishaps.
And when we talk about mishaps, we're talking about real stuff, like fry-ups, grease and nests. It sounds like something from Gordon Ramsay’s show Hell’s Kitchen, but it’s not. Burning plastic, cable nests and hand grease are all the tip of the iceberg of things technicians see and have to find ways to fix on a daily basis.
So today, we are about to dive into the collection of the worst cases these blessed workers have seen while on duty. From straight-up embarrassing to plain weird, thumbs up are simply not enough to give to tech support. Psst! More of the crazy tech fails people brought in can be found in our previous posts here and here.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Merry Christmas
RELATED:
#2
So Yesterday My Hamster Escaped From His Cage And Somehow Ended Up Inside My Computer. My PC No Longer Works...
#3
The Bad Part About Giving Tech Support To Your Local Food Place Is Seeing This And Knowing You Shouldn't Eat There Any More
Previously, we spoke with an IT support specialist who shared a couple of insights into the crazy things technicians see on a daily basis at work. Speaking of all the crazy pictures shared on the r/TechSupportGore subreddit, Smarthawk said that “they are accurate depictions of some of the things you run into in hardware support.” He added that “some things are obviously more shocking than others,” but this is pretty much an accurate representation of reality.
#4
Marriott Hotel Network Closet - Where Past Problems Meet The Present
Grant Barke 3 years ago
Now they cant sack the guy who manages all this. He is the only one who understands this rats nest.
#5
Internet Is Temporarily Unavailable
#6
Thinkpad Overheating For Some Reason
When asked why so many people seem to still have little idea of how technology works, Smarthawk commented: “I think that the general population is definitely getting more comfortable using technology but, no matter how confident you are, there's always moments where someone has a brainfart and breaks something.” So even for the best tech connoisseurs, faux pas happen, and they may find their baked gadgets end up on the r/TechSupportGore community.
Today r/TechSupportGore is home to 521k members, but it seems like the community never stopped growing since its creation in 2012. They aren't interested in trivial things like cracked screens or anything—just the filthiest kind of tech fails. And it doesn't seem that they're running out of things to post anytime soon.
#7
Anyone Wanna Guess What Happened To The Server?
Alan Green 3 years ago
Change power settings so it doesn't shut down or go on standby when the lid is closed. Problem solved.
#8
My Client Says He Doesn't Know Why His PC Isn't Turning On Anymore...
#9
Just Discovered This Sub - (About A Year Ago) A Customer Asked Me If I Could Recover Anything. He Bent It Across His Knee In A Drunken Rage One Night. Hdd Was Miraculously Undamaged And I Was Able To Do A Full Recovery!
#10
My Friend Told Me She Broke Her Phone And Sent Me This
#11
Spaghetti On A Drill
#12
When I Was Younger, I Tried To Dry My Laptop Keyboard By Putting It In The Oven On Low
#13
Customer States "Our Intercom At The Gate Doesn't Work" Meanwhile In The Connections Box
#14
Lol "Gold Plated" My Ass. (Gold Doesn't Rust) 🙃
#15
Crunchy And Fibre Rich
#16
This Mac Book Cable Being Used By A Staff Member At Work
art-is-part-of-being-smart 3 years ago
Well, they do cost $80 USD to replace. Mouldable glue will do the trick.
#17
My Eyes It Burns!
#18
It Just Bothers Me
#19
This Beauty Of A Touchpad I Found At The Thrift…
#20
What Mandatory Sanitizing At Work Did To My Brand New $2,000 Laptop Last Winter
Patrick O'Harris 3 years ago
That is definitely not what was supposed to happen but I must admit... I kinda like the look 😅
#21
This How-To Video
Jayne Kyra 3 years ago
I have an old laptop with a hinge like this. Tried to close it long ago, and the back panel just popped off. I blame Vista for that.
Be Gay Do Art (he/she/they) 2 years ago
Yeah my computer is like this. It's bc I dropped it. I can close it, but you have to make sure you hold the back so it doesn't break. A 1,000 dollar laptop too
Load More Replies... art-is-part-of-being-smart 3 years ago
tell me you voided the warranty without telling me you voided the warranty
Michael Fuhry 3 years ago
Two-part epoxy is a miracle substance, and I refuse to believe science had anything to do with it's presence on our plain of existence.
Load More Replies...
Mikayla Blum 3 years ago
I've done that to my 2015 chrome book after it fell. It shockingly lived on another year.
Chloe *Leah* Pheonix 3 years ago
I introduce, Tiktok! (Not all tiktok is bad but this is just eye burn)
Craig Reynolds 3 years ago
Not for nothing but if you are determined to do that hack fix, put the hinge on the backside and use epoxy, NOT screws...
Nazda Pokmov 3 years ago
Too cheap for proper repairs....this is not a DIY type object like a door.
Marco Conti 3 years ago
OK, it works, but screws? I have glues that will bond the metal for eternity and cost $10 for a lifetime supply.
Samantha Hurrell 3 years ago (edited)
And that is why I never bothered fixing my DS when it's hinges broke exposing wire. (We're talking 10 year old handheld and over 5 years ago).
A B C 3 years ago (edited)
Ugh. I'm all in for equality and most other topics feminism affects, including the problem of mansplaining, but your comment is toxic feminism. Do you know it's a man? Do they explain anything to a woman in this video? Is there ANY reference to the mansplaining topic you see in this screengrab, or did you just jump at the opportunity to hate against men?
Load More Replies... #22
Even When Booting, iPhone 11 Displays Other Images
#23
Boom
#24
Bought A Vic 20. Came With A Rad Wasp Nest. I Reckon This Is Fine
#25
The Server / WiFi Setup Where I Work. (The Tupperware Is To Catch The Water From The Leaky Aircon)
#26
My Mum Is Using Her Laptop In The Rain On The Beach
#27
Can You Make A Network Map For Us?
#28
How Do You Even Wear Dimples Into A Keyboard Less Than A Year Old? Is This The Keyboard Of A 50000 Wpm Typer?
#30
What Do You Think It Looks Like Inside?
Mohsie Supposie 3 years ago
It is not one of those curved TVs. https://www.samsung.com/uk/tvs/qled-tv/q60a-65-inch-qled-4k-smart-tv-qe65q60aauxxu/
#31
I Don't Think The Problem Is With The Modem This Time...
#32
People Are Often Shocked When They Found Out I'm Such A Bad Electrician (Not My Pic)
#33
Client Told That Old Owner Would Leave All Network Infrastructure. Thank You
#34
“The Ports Stopped Working!” “Which Ones?” “All Of Them!”
#35
New Girl At My Job Tried To Find Out The WiFi Password To Connect Her iPhone And Watch Tiktok During Breaks, Bent The Router Hook While Trying To Take It Off The Wall Brutally, That Metal Hook Got Stuck And Short Circuited The Router From Inside. People Are Dumber Than Donkeys
#36
Pro Tip: Dont Store PC Stuff Near Paint When Moving Into A New House
#37
I'm Gonna Start A Collection
#38
The New Bookmac Amateur
#39
When You're Given 4 Business Hours Notice To Have 7 Workstations Available For A Training Class:
#41
Got A Ticket About A Computer That Wouldn't Boot. Found This Plugged In
#42
"Screw In With Confidence"
#43
New Form Factor
#44
Black Friday Came A Bit Early
#45
The Aftermath Of A High Speed Rear End Collision With The Laptop In The Trunk
#46
Omg
#47
My Brother-In-Law Bought A Cheap 2tb Ssd, But He Said It Was Slow And Not Working Properly, So He Wanted Me To Check It Out And… Nice
#49
Ahhh
#50
My Fan Was Vibrating And Making Loud Noises. Decided To Cut Around The Fan. It Now Passes The Diagnostic Test
#51
$1.90 In Change Removed From An Imac Optical Drive. Oh Yeah, Also A Chuck-E-Cheese Token.
#52
Laptop Of A Guy I Sat Next To At Uni. It Still Works For Some Reason
#54
"I Didn't Touch A Thing. I Just Walked In And It Was Like This" - Any Manager, Any Given Day...
Architectofkain 3 years ago
In this case I always ask: "What have you done?" - "Nothing, I did nothing!" - "Ok, what have you done BEFORE you did nothing?" ... Works always.
#55
Just Turn It Off And On Again. Should Work
#56
Sorry Guys, My Bad, Next Time I'll Be More Careful Transporting The Instagram And Whatsapp Servers
#57
"No, I Haven't Spilled Any Liquids Near The Computer. Why Do You Ask?"
#59
Customer States She Could Not Copy Files On This 60$ 2tb Ssd From Amazon
#60
My Boss Thinks He's Funny
#61
Friend Did This
#62
A Burning Laptop
#63
We've Gone Too Far!
#64
My Local Government Office’s Server
advaith babu 3 years ago
wait...what...this is in Karnataka, India..yeah our government offices always have windows xp as the server and i am pretty sure this is not an old pic
#65
Client Reports Spotty Internet In Engineering Office
#66
Customer Stated "Minor Damage" On Intake Form, The Techs Think Otherwise
#67
"I Am Not Satisfied With The Product."
#68
I Tried To Unplug My Monitor And The Entire Socket Thingy Came Out
#69
Oh God Whyyyy
#70
What A Day To Have Eyes
Mohsie Supposie 3 years ago
Not a bad idea actually. Looks tidy and fairly safe. Why re-invent the wheel?
#71
It's Hard To See But There Is A Cut That Goes Through The Bezel At The Top. In Addition To Destroying The Screen, This Student Cut Through The Chromebook! They Ran Their Face Mask's Elastic String Back And Forth Creating Friction To Cut It.
#72
Apparently This Is A Customer Server Power Supply
#73
A Friend Hired An Electrician To Run Ethernet Drops In His House
#74
What Do You Mean You've Converted You're Data Line To A Clothes Line?
#75
Just Got This Computer In At Work. Looks Like Someone Spilt Hot Chocolate And Just Continued To Use The Computer For Months
#76
Touchpad Ready For Lift Off In …
#77
Client's Face Turned Beet Red When I Asked If It Was Him Or His Son That Put On The Thermal Paste
#78
My Chromecast Isn't Having A Good Time
ғɪɴɴ ᴅ. ʜᴀʀᴍᴀɴɴ 3 years ago
screen becomes black, screen shows the beep screen, annabelle appears on screen, much panik happen
#79
Bomb Defused - Counter-Terrorist Wins
#80
Customer Wasn’t Sure Why New Build Was Idling At 80c
#81
Found Outside My Office
#82
Second Hand Router I Bought Ran Too Hot. A 7-Up Can, Tape, And Toothpaste Solved The Issue
#83
Got Called In This Morning
#84
Platform From 2011 And Cpu Still Works After 0 Contact For All These Years
#85
Sold My Friend My Old Parts. Clearly This Was A Mistake. He Says It’s Currently Running A Minecraft Server As Well As A Whole Bunch Of Docker Containers. I Just Realized I Sold My Old Favorite Horse To The Glue Factory.
#86
We Shipped This Machine Brand New To Our Client Two Months Ago. This Weekend He Sent It Back To Rma, Wouldn't Turn On. Client Said That He Had Another Tech Shop Take A Look At It B4 Sending To Us
#87
An Expensive And Insulting Soccer Ball
#88
”stuck During Sorting, You Guys Can File A Freight Claim Online”
#89
Stripped Screw. Last Ditch Effort With Jb Weld. Will Try It Again Tomorrow, Wish Me Luck! Will Update If It Ends A Disaster
#90
My Friend Said That He Don't Know Why His Card Is Running Hot
#91
What Do You Mean You've Converted You're Data Line To A Clothes Line?
And i was like WTF!! 3 years ago
What Do You Mean You've Converted You are Data Line To A Clothes Line!??
#92
Only "Slight" Water Damange
#93
Found An Old Server Where My Father Works. I Wanted To Keep The Cpus Before They Threw Them Away And I Saw That They Left The Plastic Film On The Heatsinks. These Worked For A Decade Like This.
#94
"My Hard Drive Died And I Tried To Fix It But Got Stuck. Can You Recover The Data For Me?"
#95
I'm Sure They'll Be Calling Tech Support Soon
#96
We Found The Heat Problem For The Client
Jyri Hakola 3 years ago
Pretty dumb idea tho attach that sticker in the first place onto that surface
#97
Saw This Full Page Marketing Ad For Finding Jobs
#98
D-Did You See The Ghost? It Ran Through Here And Slimed Me!
#99
10900k Keychain
#101
Blackberry Graveyard!
#102
This Unmonitored Computer At Sox-35th Which Seems To Have Full Access To Every Switch Along The Red Line On The L. A Single Lock-Pick Could Bring Chicago To It's Knees
#104
Recently Moved. Wondered Why The Network Sockets Did Not Work And Borrowed The Tester From Work...
Dirk Daring 3 years ago
It's a rollover cable configuration. That will never work as a network cable.
#105
This Is How Dell Is Cooling A 1000+$ Cpu
#106
Just Received This From Ebay... From Another Country
Giles McArdell 3 years ago
Some people have no idea, I once received a Glass lampshade "packed" the same way.
#108
I Feel Like This Should've Worked
#109
Wcgw Putting Your Phone In The Microwave To Dry Off
#111
Someone Installed This Fuse On +12v In Parallel
#112
Always Use A Firewall Kids
#115
Gigabit Internet Connection In An Apartment Complex
#116
The New Eu Standard Powerplug Has Arrived!
Add New Image
What do you think ?
cybermerlin2000 3 years ago
My fiancée and I collected the last of her belongings from her ex-husband not long after we met. He gave her a laptop and said she can have it as it didn't work and looked smug about it. We left, and I thought I would take a look at it while she refuelled the car and within 5 minutes I had it working again. She asked what was wrong with it. He had used old disk compression software on an 80gb hard drive to make it 120gb and partitioned it into 2 60gb drives. I managed to departion it using disk recovery software and then decompress the drive as he had left the software on the hard drive. She rang him before we set off to let him know we had fixed it. The break up and divorce was very messy as he was a serial cheater and scammed a lot of money out of her and the other women he was cheating with. So yeah, screw him
M O'Connell 3 years ago
We just found a bug in a product that allows the user to manually set the first IP address octet to 127... which bricks the product because you have no way to access it at the new address. Wonderful.
Daniel Atkins 3 years ago
Had a customer complain his printer not connecting to his computer. So I think maybe it is the wireless adapter that connects to his cellular internet provider. So I update the firmware on the adapter in case it is the problem. I then tested the machine with a crossover cable and it works. Fiddle with it for a while notice his network is in and out. So I look at his network modem and the battery is ballooned out and all that is held in place with a rubber band. So the best I can tell is that the swollen battery pushes against the case and breaks contact when it gets warm from use Cools a little then restarts. Luckily for him he had a spare battery apparently these small cellular modems do this to the battery often thus the reason he has spares.
Barbara Vandewalle 3 years ago
I was at work when one of the CRT's stated to smoke. Boss said that is NOT one their features.
M O'Connell 3 years ago
When I was quite young my father was the volunteer IT department for my school. He installed donated Macintoshes donated by some corporation in a 3rd grade classroom, and the teacher promptly made a banner that said 'computer center's or something similar over them... in glitter letters. Shedding glitter smoked two monitors.
Load More Replies...
Trixster Million 3 years ago
Everything hooked up to my Gaming PC works, which also functions just fine: 20210911_1...80bfeb.jpg 
yeciye 3 years ago
I don’t get it, how is that a disaster? If someone had time to take a screenshot (and it worked) then it was likely intentional.
Load More Replies...
cybermerlin2000 3 years ago
My fiancée and I collected the last of her belongings from her ex-husband not long after we met. He gave her a laptop and said she can have it as it didn't work and looked smug about it. We left, and I thought I would take a look at it while she refuelled the car and within 5 minutes I had it working again. She asked what was wrong with it. He had used old disk compression software on an 80gb hard drive to make it 120gb and partitioned it into 2 60gb drives. I managed to departion it using disk recovery software and then decompress the drive as he had left the software on the hard drive. She rang him before we set off to let him know we had fixed it. The break up and divorce was very messy as he was a serial cheater and scammed a lot of money out of her and the other women he was cheating with. So yeah, screw him
M O'Connell 3 years ago
We just found a bug in a product that allows the user to manually set the first IP address octet to 127... which bricks the product because you have no way to access it at the new address. Wonderful.
Daniel Atkins 3 years ago
Had a customer complain his printer not connecting to his computer. So I think maybe it is the wireless adapter that connects to his cellular internet provider. So I update the firmware on the adapter in case it is the problem. I then tested the machine with a crossover cable and it works. Fiddle with it for a while notice his network is in and out. So I look at his network modem and the battery is ballooned out and all that is held in place with a rubber band. So the best I can tell is that the swollen battery pushes against the case and breaks contact when it gets warm from use Cools a little then restarts. Luckily for him he had a spare battery apparently these small cellular modems do this to the battery often thus the reason he has spares.
Barbara Vandewalle 3 years ago
I was at work when one of the CRT's stated to smoke. Boss said that is NOT one their features.
M O'Connell 3 years ago
When I was quite young my father was the volunteer IT department for my school. He installed donated Macintoshes donated by some corporation in a 3rd grade classroom, and the teacher promptly made a banner that said 'computer center's or something similar over them... in glitter letters. Shedding glitter smoked two monitors.
Load More Replies... Trixster Million 3 years ago
Everything hooked up to my Gaming PC works, which also functions just fine: 20210911_1...80bfeb.jpg
yeciye 3 years ago
I don’t get it, how is that a disaster? If someone had time to take a screenshot (and it worked) then it was likely intentional.
Load More Replies... 
Related on Bored Panda
