Technology is the backbone of basically every modern-day corporation. Employees of every level rely on it to conduct business through video conference calls, coding all kinds of software, sending e-mails, and retrieving data. Without technology, companies wouldn’t be able to conduct business effectively in the 21st century. But our computers, fiber optic cables, and servers would be useless without tech support personnel to provide proper maintenance and support.
Here are some of the most astonishing disasters that tech support ever had to handle. Some of these stories are so ridiculous, you'll be rolling your eyes big time. You've been warned!
Chemical Splatter on the PC
The tech support that was called in to fix this PC probably wanted to use latex gloves to clean up the chemical splatter on this computer, monitor, keyboard and mouse. Someone must've confused the monitor and keyboard's design for something a little out of line. But if you do a double take, you can quickly see it's just the pattern. Whoever called this poor IT guy was probably seeing things.
The Pulled Fiber Optics Were Never Fixed
Although tech support is usually very good at fixing things, they don’t always finish the job. Take this fiber optic cable. It was pulled out of the ground by an internet provider that was given three billion dollars by the United States government to install high speed internet in rural areas. Unfortunately, they never went back to finish the job. So, the cable has remained exposed to the elements after all this time.
The Cables Were Yanked
This work is so shoddy. It looks like someone pulled the ethernet cable along with two other cables out through the socket and caused some serious damage to the wall in the process. In fact, it’s so bad that the outlets right next to it looked shocked. Fortunately, the damage to the wall can be easily fixed with some drywall. But they’ll need a couple of screws to re-attach the electric socket’s casing, too.
The Baby Monitor’s Growing Battery
This techie is used to fixing other people’s problems, so it certainly wasn’t difficult to figure out what was wrong with their baby monitor’s back panel that had suddenly started to crack. It turns out that the battery was bloated beyond recognition. Now most people wouldn’t know why this happened, but the tech support guy realized that the battery needed to be replaced soon or it would explode.
Please Don’t Touch the Power Brick
Some management teams aren’t really techies, but they do their best to figure things out. Take this image for example. It shows a power brick that’s been labeled with the warning “Please don’t touch. Thank you.” They also added a thin piece of metal to the wall so that it will secure the power brick in place and keep it from coming loose from the wall outlet or falling off. A for effort. F for fat chance.
They Added Chargers on Top of USB Ports
This tech support guy added USB power outlets to their home in the hopes that his family would actually use them. But instead, they plugged in their adapters to the plug to charge their devices. Then again, most socket USB ports only charge at 5W whereas chargers charge at over 30W, making the charging rate a whole lot faster. That’s probably why they did this, but points to the techie for trying to update his home to the 21st century.
The Rustiest CPU Ever
People find all sorts of cool stuff that previous owners left behind when they move into a new house. This person found a CPU and brought it in to tech support because they had high hopes it could get fixed and might still work. But judging from all the rust on the casing, the interior is probably just as awful. Heck! Even if it did work, you'd probably need to get a tetanus shot before touching that rust bucket.
This PC Needs Cleaning
A client handed in their computer to a tech support team because they were complaining that it was making a lot of noise. It also kept shutting off by itself. But when the techies opened the PC up to take a look, they not only found the interior caked up in dust, but also found a mud dauber’s nest. One of these wasp-type creatures undoubtedly crawled into the machine through a vent and set up its nest on top of the processor’s fan. No wonder the computer kept shutting off. It kept overheating because the nest was interfering with the fan.
This Desk Server
Generally, servers are placed on racks in a room full of fans to keep them cool. Even the most basic corporations have their servers set up nicely. So, it’s kind of disappointing that tech support was called in to look at this cable mess attached to a server sitting on a wooden desk at a government office. One would think that the government would be able to afford a decent server room with money from taxpayers.... but nope. Apparently that's not the case.
This GPU Doesn’t Fit
Shock and confusion flashed across the tech support team's faces that opened this computer up and saw that GPU smashed against the inner framework. The owner should have probably checked the specification of the case to see if his GPU would fit before attempting to install it into one of the hard drive bays. This would have saved them from having to pay extra to have the framework repaired. But hey! At least they can totally play online games now.
Frontier Airlines is on the Fritz
When something’s on the fritz, it’s in a state of disorder or has stopped working properly, which certainly describes the condition of most of the terminals at Frontier Airlines. There only seems to be one terminal that’s fully working. The other two are displaying error messages and the terminal on the far left is just a blank screen. So, it looks like tech support is going to have to upgrade the airline’s software to Windows 10.
The Severed SuperSpeed Cable
Some scanners have a SuperSpeed (SS) USB 3.0 cable designed to interface with a server or a computer terminal. Unfortunately, this scanner might not be operational for a while because the part of the cable that connects to the machine is stuck in the port while the rest of the cable has detached itself. Replacing the cable isn’t an issue, but getting that piece out of the port is going to be a real challenge.
The Chaotic Server Room
They say that cleanliness is better than chaos, especially when it comes to server rooms like this one and there’s a good reason for that. An organized server room that’s properly stacked and has the cables all sorted and labeled will make it easier for tech support to service when something goes wrong. But a chaotic server like this one can make servicing a malfunction so much more complicated because the techie has to sift through a rat’s nest of knotted cables. Also, it’s a fire hazard because server rooms can get very hot even with cooling systems in place.
The Swollen Battery
This might look like a Capri Sun juice bag or a blood bag, but it’s neither of these things. It’s actually a battery that’s become so swollen that it’s in danger of exploding. This might seem unlikely but some batteries will swell this way when they’re old or in really bad condition. Regardless, tech support must have done a double-take when they saw the battery’s whole swelling issue.
The Never Lose Your Charger Hack
Ever spent hours looking for your charger but couldn’t find it? Well, it looks like this person had the same problem. So, they used some kind of cement or glue to permanently attach the charger to an outlet adapter. Unfortunately, when the owner needed to detach the charger, they couldn’t, so they brought it to a tech support team to take a look. And it looks like this team had their work cut out for them.
This Water-Damaged Laptop
According to the laptop’s owner, they threw a glass of water on their laptop. Now this might have happened by accident since a lot of people eat and drink while they work at their desk. But the interior of the laptop looks so damaged that it almost looks like it caught on fire. This would explain why the owner would have thrown a glass of water on it. They were probably trying to put the fire out.
HPs in the Trash
Not exactly sure why anyone would throw tons of HP laptops in the trash, but this office had four waste bins full of them. Either someone misunderstood the instructions to put those laptops away or these devices are no longer operational. But judging from the look of it, that’s a lot of money that’s been tossed in the trash. And if this is a mistake, someone is definitely going to find themselves fired.
The Techie Dumping Closet
This tech support team’s company took over a building, but what they found in one room was like a technological dumping ground or a graveyard. But at least the previous owners dumped their high-tech trash inside this closet and not out in a landfill. As it turns out, a lot of people dump e-waste every year when it's near the end of its useful life. But a techie will undoubtedly find some material that they can salvage and repurpose for their needs.
The Dusty Work From Home Equipment
The great thing about allowing an employee to work from home is that the company doesn’t have to lose a valuable asset. Unfortunately, there’s a risk with lending them work equipment like computers. Just ask the tech support team that had to remove all the dust and fix the scratches on the monitors of this work from home equipment that was eventually returned, presumably by an employee who was ready to move on to another job.
The 1.69 TB Text Document
This text document has been named Big Bertha and for a very good reason. The file size is 1.69 terabytes. Most text documents are only a few kilobytes in size, but this file is larger than the hard drive capacity on most laptops. And just to put it into perspective, one terabyte alone is 1024 gigabytes. What did the owner store in this file? The entire record of human history?
Laptop Was Damaged by Subway Doors
The folks working at tech support see all kinds of crazy things day in and day out, but this laptop really takes home the cake for most damaged equipment of the year. And the explanation is insane! It turns out that the laptop reportedly got caught in the subway doors. How does someone accidentally find themselves in a situation where their laptop could get crushed like this? Perhaps they were struggling to get in or out of the subway as the doors were closing and it caught their laptop bag.
Some Jobs Are Just Sloppy
This tech support guy drilled a hole on the side of a conduit and stuck a junior service (SJO) cord through it. Then he used some kind of sealant to ensure that the cable wouldn’t get pulled out or come off on its own. But the work is so shoddy that the guy actually placed a sign on it that read “I am not proud of this.” Then he added a sad face at the end. But at the end of the day, the only thing that counts is making sure that the job was done right even if it doesn’t look great.
This is a LAN Nightmare
This is a local area network (LAN) which interconnects computers within a limited area like an office building or college campus. Unfortunately, this technology is not only advanced but also extremely complex, especially when it’s a hot mess like this one. It’s hard to envy the tech support team that was called in to untangle this jungle of cables to get the network operational again.
Fatal System Crash
It looks like someone took a sledgehammer to this laptop. Then they threw it from the top of a 30-story building and finished it off by running it over with a truck. Although the story behind how this laptop met its end is unknown, the owner did bring it in to tech support to have an expert take a look and they had one request. “Can you recover the data?” The good news is that in most cases, the data can be retrieved as long as the hard drive isn’t too badly damaged.
This HDMI Port is Jacked Up
That poor HDMI port has definitely seen better days, but the reason behind how it got this way is really weird. According to the tech support representative, a kid told them “I pushed the cable in a little too hard” on their PS5 HDMI port. Well, this kid must have been Superman’s son because he totally wrecked the port. How did he even do this? It’s like he tried hammering the HDMI cable into the port.
The Printer’s on Fire
You’d swear that this could only happen in “The Office,” a TV sitcom that took place at a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. But this was real life and a techie had to figure out what on Earth was causing this Epson printer to set the paper on fire as it came out. Maybe it was possessed by a demon or something. Then again, laser printers do get as hot as 400 degrees in order to flash boil whatever is being printed onto the paper. But at this point, it looks like this office needs a fire extinguisher.
This Keyboard Was Oven-Baked
The tech support that saw this keyboard cringed at the sight of the keys on this laptop all melted and contorted. It turns out that the owner had accidentally spilled coffee all over their computer, and in a desperate attempt to dry the liquid up, they stuck the machine in the oven. Unfortunately, this only made it 100 times worse. It’s a safe bet that the tech support person had to resort to magic to fix it or call time of death on this laptop.
Detangling the Mess in a Village Server
A tech support worker got called in to work on a remote village institution's servers, but they had no idea what they were getting into until they arrived. Once they got there, they noticed that the problem was the result of a series of exposed cables intertwining with one another. And detangling everything was a horrible nightmare, but in the end, they managed to get everything organized and back in working order.
The Avalanche of Broken Screens
Some companies display trophies on their display cases or walls. This company displayed broken screens. But that all changed one day when it all came crashing down, according to Reddit user iRepairFox.
"So we used to have this massive display case full of broken screens. A few years back we had a hurricane come through. No storm damage at all whatsoever. Not even any water leaks. Just THIS. The front panel of the case just came unsealed and this is the end result. Maybe the seal was already on it's way out and the drop in barometric pressure somehow caused it to fail completely? Hard to say. Could have just been a coincidence. Either way, we're NEVER doing that again..."
The Keyboard Key Came Off
Keyboard keys take a lot of abuse as office staff bang away at the keys day in and day out. So, it’s not surprising that some keys will come off eventually. Well, when this happened at this business, tech support learned that someone had tried using superglue to fix the key. Unfortunately, it’s no longer moveable. Perhaps, it would have been easier to just ask tech support to provide them with a new keyboard.
The Toner Cartridge Exploded
Most of the time, a malfunction is the result of human error and not necessarily a technical glitch. And by the time tech support gets called in to take a look at the problem, it becomes more of a cleaning job. Take this situation for instance. Someone placed the toner cartridge into this copier the wrong way. So, the toner exploded all over. Hopefully, the office worker who did this will ask for help next time instead of trying to replace the toner cartridge on their own.
Customer Spray-Painted Their MacBook Air
Every tech support worker on the planet would do a forehead slap if they saw someone bringing in a MacBook Air for repair. It turns out that the owner didn’t like the color of their expensive laptop so they spray painted it. The only problem is that the paint job is horrible and looks like it has begun to peel off. Also, there’s a risk that the owner might have over sprayed and introduced the paint to delicate areas of the device, like the ports.
The Crack in the RAM
Cheaper shipping is okay when ordering something basic like a book, but when ordering technology, it’s always safer to pay a little extra for higher quality shipping. This guarantees that the package is handled with care so you won’t open a box and find a broken RAM chip like this person did. It looks like tech support has their work cut out for them if they want to make these broken halves whole again.
They Used a Bottle Cap as a Heat Sink
This Raspberry Pi single-board computer is a tech support worker’s worst nightmare. The owner actually used a bottle cap as a heat sink for the processor, which is pointless because Raspberry boards generally stay cool unless they are overclocked or over-processed. Alright, so maybe it’s not the worst idea but there are certainly safer options out there. Just ask any professional. They’ll know what to do.
Old Laptop SSD Drives Get Recycled All the Time
Tech support workers are to technology what doctors are to human patients. They even perform transplants... well sort of. In this case, they’re actually in the process of removing SSD drives from a bunch of 8-year-old laptops to transplant them into 10-year-old PCs so that they’ll perform a little better. And as any techie will tell you, SSD drives are faster and more power efficient than conventional HDD drives. In fact, a PC with an SSD drive will boot in mere seconds.
One of the Worst Cable Jobs Ever
All those cables are so tangled up that they’re a mess. Though admittedly, they could be a lot worse. At least the cables are all contained, the antennas are centered on the bottom, the side panels are on, and the network door is able to close. Someone probably moved the cables around after the installation so the whole setup looks messier than it probably is. Luckily, a couple of Velcro fasteners would clear this whole mess up.
They Anchored the Cable for Tightness
This person anchored the cable to the wall for tightness, which is an accident just waiting to happen. If the cable gets yanked when someone accidentally steps on it, it might get pulled out of the connector, resulting in damage to the equipment and the cable. But if you have to loop a data cable like this, tech support workers recommend that you set this up in a way that ensures that the cable won’t get trampled on.
They Threw Breadcrumbs on Their MacBook Keyboard
This person literally crumbled up a slice of bread and tossed the crumbs all over his MacBook keyboard for the sole purpose of enlisting in a free keyboard replacement program. But given that he intentionally did this and it’s obvious that he did, a techie from the program will take one look at this photo and deny him the keyboard replacement on the grounds of intentional damage.
There’s a Problem With This Mouse
At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be a computer mouse in sight, and yet there is. It’s that thing dangling over the shelf next to the monitor. That’s right! That’s what a computer mouse looks like without its casing. The owner called tech support because they claimed their mouse wasn’t working. And judging from its current appearance, it’s easy to see why. Maybe the owner should just buy themselves a new mouse.
Pre-Built Office PC in Shambles
It looks like someone didn’t use enough screws or used plastic pins in lieu of screws when they worked on setting up this pre-built office PC. Either that or the delivery person dropped it on the ground and kicked it a few times. That’s the only explanation anyone can think of for why all the cables and pieces on the motherboard would have come loose from the PC’s casing. So, it looks like the pre-built computer will need to be rebuilt.
33 Kilograms of Broken Apple Pencils
Apple pencils have extremely fragile components. Even dropping the Pencil on its tip can damage the soft plastic tip. Luckily the plastic tip can be replaced, but the rest of the Pencil has no serviceable parts. So, they end up in a box like this one with all of its other broken siblings that have broken in half. Maybe they should come with warning label that says “don’t press the Apple Pencil too hard.”
This Laptop Split in Two
MSI laptops are great for their intended purposes, which is generally gaming related, but not when they’re in this condition. Tech support simply couldn’t believe it when the customer brought in the laptop with the monitored severed from the motherboard. But despite the fact that the owner broke the screen off, the monitor continued to work. So maybe some crazy glue might put this device back together again.
iPads With Holes Drilled Into Them
This box is filled with expensive iPads with holes drilled into them. The reason why this was done is for data security. Apparently, some people would rather damage these devices to ensure the data inside can’t be recovered by the general public instead of simply erasing the data and reusing the device. There’s also an easier way of wiping out the storage devices in an iPad by using a powerful magnet.
A Burning Connector is a Bad Thing
This should be a no brainer but a burning connector has the power to destroy electronic gadgets like this laptop. Ironically, Apple once offered a Mag safe connector like this one to ensure that this wouldn’t happen. But they created a magnetic field that attracted small metal pieces like staples that resulted in a short that damaged equipment like this. And judging from this photo, tech support has their work cut out for them.
The Cases in these Batteries are Bulging
Some tech support workers will receive all kinds of things to take a look at, like these batteries whose cases are bulging like they’re about to burst. Luckily, that’s not the case. The cases get like this when dead batteries are stored in freezing temperatures. The electrolytes present in the water of each battery then turns into ice which causes the casing to look like it’s about to go nuclear.
They Yanked the RAM Out of Their PC
If there’s one thing that tech support has learned over the years it is that PC and laptop owners all suffer from the same mental condition that tells them that they can fix any technical problem all by themselves. Case in point are these RAM strips that were taken out for no apparent reason and now the person has no idea how to put them back in and is asking for help.
They Used Too Much Thermal Paste
Thermal paste is a thermally conductive chemical compound which acts as thermal insulation and eliminates air gaps or spaces from the interface area of a device. But you’re only supposed to apply a small amount. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case with this CPU. When tech support took a look inside this computer, they were shocked to find that the motherboard was smeared with thermal paste.
The Plug from a Pinball Machine
This techie took a photo of the plug from a pinball machine that they’re trying to refurbish. And judging from its shape, the plug most likely dates back to the 1960s. But this type of plug comes with 2 parts and the part that’s missing is the one that has openings for the prongs that screws on. But if that’s the condition of the plug, then the pinball machine is probably in even worse shape.
The Air Conditioner/PC Hybrid
Technical support is very much aware that some folks will try and fix a computer problem on their own before calling an expert to take a look. Take this pic for example. It looks like someone went full MacGyver and designed their own air conditioning unit and PC hybrid so that the AC’s condensation water could run the PC’s water cooling system. But this was obviously a temporary fix and they needed tech support to find a more permanent solution. Shocker!
Techies Are Total Keyboard Hoarders
Some employees carry their emotional baggage when they come to work, but tech support likes to carry a ton of keyboards. This is actually quite a common practice and there’s a reason for their techno hoarding. Many of these keyboards are broken and in need of some technical TLC. So, tech support will fix them, test them and keep them around in case anyone at the office needs a keyboard. It sure beats turning these useful tools into e-waste.