50 Photos That Prove Tech Support People Have Seen It All
People who work in tech support probably don't get paid enough. With all the people in the world who don't know their way around a modem, you come across some pretty strange technological issues. Here are some of the craziest situations reported by tech support. Hopefully, nothing you've done is in here.
The Snakes Are Taking It Too Far
First, they want to invade a plane, and now they're causing issues for T-Mobile?
Someone found three snakes in this network unit and probably had a heart attack after seeing the first one.
When They Say The Copy And Paste Didn't Work
This is the doing of an older person, so at least they tried to copy and paste.
It was probably a pain writing out these long URLs only to find out you did it wrong.
Imagine A 46-Year Lockout
Whoever got themselves locked out of this messed up pretty badly.
By the time it's okay to try again, the iPad 55 will be out, and cars will be flying.
"Just Don't Touch It Bro, It Works"
If this is what you have to do to keep your Wi-Fi working, I'll send prayers your way.
No one should have to live this way, so hopefully, tech support fixed this problem.
"Came To A Restaurant With My Dad To Fix Their Internet Issues"
Immediately upon walking in, you can see the issue.
You should never let your wires get this wild if you want to run a business. It looks like there's even a sneaker in there!
Upgraded His Phone And Used Old Screen Protector
How could you be this belligerent with tech? Can you not tell that your upgraded phone is much bigger than your old screen protector?
Whoever did this shouldn't be around technology.
A Super Cracked iPhone
You've probably seen phone bubbles, but none as bad as this.
How did it even make it to this point without someone trying to fix it? It probably happened overnight.
"User Called In Asking If It Was Bad His Screen Was Bulging"
Well, it isn't a good thing if that happens! In what scenario would it be good for your screen to bulge like this?
There isn't a time or place where this is supposed to happen.
Who Did This??
Someone's grandpa decided to screw this screw into the headphone port for some reason.
Why he did it remains a mystery, but why would he even try it in the first place?
Four Hours Later
The way those wires are tangled in the picture on the left, I don't know how someone managed to fix this in four hours.
This looks like an all-day job.
"I said 'Put It In Rice'"
How someone got "put it in rice" confused with "put rice in it" is beyond me, but someone had to deal with it.
Did they really think putting rice in it would help?
Someone Was Fed Up With The Ringing
When you're fed up with your phone ringing all day, what would you do?
Some would unplug it from the jack, others might keep the line busy. This person put it in the oven.
After 10 Years Of Use
This keyboard was the only one used at a grandmother's shop.
The Enter key was used when entering orders, and you can tell that the Enter key has had better days.
Burn It Before It Does It By Itself
If they don't hurry up and fix this issue, there might some serious issues.
This is the most complex wiring system I've ever seen, but there's no reason why it should be this way.
"Broken Clip? No Problem!"
If seeing this doesn't make you sigh, you aren't that deep in the tech world.
It might look harmless, but pinning your cords like this is one of the worst things you can do to it for longevity reasons.
Customer Brought This In Saying It Won't Power On... This Is How He Uses It
There's a lot going on here. Why would someone use their iMac like this with all the plastic still on it?
People don't have a clue how things work, do they?
That's Not Dust, But Grease
The tech guy said this is the nastiest mouse he's ever seen.
He had to clarify that this isn't dust you're seeing, it's hand grease! That's awful, and it needs to get burned.
Shipping Computers With No Packaging Materials
Why would anyone ship thousands of dollars worth of computers without the packaging material?
You can't find the extra money to make sure your products don't break during the shipment?
It Probably Overheated
What do you think happened here? My best guess is that it overheated, but you never know these days.
Maybe someone brought a lighter to it to see how durable it was.
"You Can Fix Your Sister's Phone, Right?"
The person who asked if this phone could be fixed said that it gets hot sometimes. They also said it turns off by itself.
Lastly, they said there was a bit of a smell. That's battery acid.
"There's Something Wrong With The Printer In The Lab..."
Yeah, there's something wrong with the printer. It looks like the blue didn't want to stay inside or a Smurf started to melt all over.
This was probably fun to fix.
Somone Used This For Weeks
Imagine charging and using this laptop for weeks, but your main concern is a disc not working properly on another computer. That was the scenario with this one.
Maybe they just couldn't afford a new laptop.
"My PC Won't Turn On"
Well, I wonder why it won't power on anymore?
Did you check the back and see that the power switch looks like a pizza when you leave it in the oven too long?
"Someone At Work Secured This Power-Board"
This is one thing you shouldn't try, no matter how much you need it.
That screw is pretty close to the sockets, so this person got lucky nothing crazy happened.
"My Parents' New Wi-Fi Mount"
Some parents need all the help they can get when it comes to tech.
If their kid had been around when it was time to install this, you can bet it wouldn't have happened.
"Drilled Right Into The Battery"
At least a new nice blend came from this boneheaded move. You get a modern laptop with a medieval vibe to it.
Fix it and try selling it on eBay!
"Some Beautiful Patchwork"
If you even sneeze at this, you can bet it won't work the same again.
This is like holding on to life at 100 years old and the doctor just said you should've passed last week.
"Didn't Have A Case For An SSI-EEB Board"
People who are tech-savvy can get away with something like this, but ordinary users shouldn't dare.
In the industry, they call this a "test bed." An SSI-EEB board needs a case, remember that.
Is There Such A Thing As Too Big?
It would be so annoying and a little bit hard on the wrists to scroll back and forth on a screen zoomed in that much.
I hope they find what they're looking for.
That's What Anxiety Looks Like
There are two types of people in the world.
People who check their notifications, and anarchists. How emotionally stable is this person that they can let their emails sit there like that.
The "Wifi" Cable
IT people everywhere are just shaking their heads. For the last time, this is an ethernet cable.
It's very, very different to Wifi. But something tells me this sign probably works anyway.
Someone Had A Meltdown
This coffee machine rules that office and all these little sticky notes are the offerings it requires to brew them their drink.
It likes the chaos, that's been its end game all along.
What Is Happening?
I think this person went out of their way to make their phone background look like this by using copy and paste a bunch of times in the photo editing app.
Is it a good look?
How Is This Any Better?
According to one Reddit user, their mom didn't like the color of their printer, so she used nail polish to "paint it". I have a feeling that nail polish shouldn't be used on electronics as a general rule of thumb. This uneven and streaky paint job looks terrible.
How Did This Even Happen?
This laptop got folded like an accordion. I'm not even sure how something (or someone) could do this in theory. One thing is for sure, though – that laptop's life is over. Time to buy a new one, and this time, don't attempt to fold it up.
It's Practically Spotless
There's nothing worse than being given a loaner computer for the day while yours is being repaired. Here's what one person had to use at work, and as you can see, it hasn't been cleaned in ages. Ewww... I would be requesting Lysol wipes from tech support right away.
Bad Designs Make Life Harder
Someone definitely thought they were being clever when they designed these round USB thumb drives. The only problem? It's impossible to plug in two of them at the same time. When it comes to technology, practicality trumps aesthetics every time.
Science Experiment Gone Wrong
Someone complained that their computer wasn't working anymore, so when the IT person went to investigate, this is what they discovered. I'm not even sure what I'm looking at. It looks more like a petri dish than a hard drive. I guess that explains why it wasn't working.
Schools Must Deal With This All The Time
I'm sure working in IT at a school is on a totally different level. How often do you think Chromebooks are returned at the end of the school year looking like this? It's time to do some lessons explaining the difference between computers and coloring books.
When The Customer Refuses To Upgrade
One computer tech had trouble explaining to their client that since their computer is over 30 years old, it's not going to work as well as it did back in the '90s. Still, this customer refused to upgrade. On the one hand, I admire their dedication to their computer but on the other hand, computers have advanced so much in the decades since this dinosaur was made.
Yeah, That Phone Is Toast
For future reference, if your phone ever does this, just know that it is not fixable and also needs to be disposed of immediately. This phone is at high risk of exploding at this point. The customer who brought it in was lucky that nothing bad happened.
Classic IT Humor
The next time your IT person suggests a hard reset, just know that this is what they actually have in mind. Kidding! But I bet there are times when IT professionals wish they could take out their frustrations on technology with a hammer.
They Typed So Fast The Keyboard Melted
Either someone was typing so fast that they broke the sound barrier, or this keyboard was involved in an unfortunate accident with heat. I'm going to guess it was the latter. Let this be a reminder to keep high temperatures away from your computers.
Interesting Idea
Someone actually decided to drill holes into their mouse to make it more aerodynamic. I'm not sure if this person understands physics because it looks like all this did was make a mouse that triggered my trypophobia.
The Cutest IT Call
The operators of this security camera claimed that they were frequently getting "brown, fuzzy" images from the feed. When the IT person investigated, they found the cause right away. It wasn't a technology issue – it was just a cute bird!
Yup, There's Your Problem
If your computer seems to be getting super hot for no reason, it might be a good idea to check the fan – especially if you haven't cleaned it in years. Here's what one tech support worker discovered when they inspected a customer's computer. That looks like a decade's worth of dust and grime. Yuck.
Just Back Away Slowly
To be honest, copy machines like this have always scared me, and I never learned how to use one properly. Maybe that's a good thing, because I wouldn't want to be the person who caused this problem. It's going to take a lot of carpet cleaner to get those ink and toner stains out.
Pro Tip: Don't Use Candles Near Computers
No, that's not pink slime. It's candle wax that dripped into someone's hard drive. I have a feeling this computer won't be returning from the repair shop anytime soon. Hopefully the owner backed up all their files.
Safety First, Everyone!
Even though we live in the digital age, people often forget that we still need to practice safety rules when using devices. For example, don't jam a bunch of plugs into a power bar and then ignore it. This person is lucky their house didn't burn down.
It Never Even Got A Chance
One office worker was a little too eager to open their new mouse and cut the cord in the process. Honestly, I blame the companies that insist on using packaging that is impossible to open. Accidents like this must happen every day.
Burtland Dixon
