We don’t have any in-house IT personnel at my company, so tech issues generally land on my shoulders…which is kind of ironic since, a) in school, I majored in English Lit (though I did start out in the sciences) and b) we’re a company whose product LIVES on the Internet.

A couple weeks ago, our receptionist told me her speakers were “broken” and, can she justify buying a new set (even though the set that “broke” were weeks old). I was really busy, and didn’t have the patience to look at them, so I said, yes (like headphones, I didn’t think speakers were that reliable)…

So this Fail is on both of us really…

Today, I was training an intern to do a task that required speakers, but the computer she was on didn’t have any. I went to the supply closet, and there were the receptionist’s speakers – in the box, presumably readied for a return to the store. I decided to try my luck with them.

I plugged them in and turned them on…no dice. Then I turned them over and see an empty power jack…Hmm…so…unlike headphones, these needed a power cord (I’m not perfect! 🙂 I go back to the box to get the cord, and am not surprised when I find it missing.

I went to the receptionist’s desk, and tell her to ignore me, while I search through the mass of wires around her computer (it’s also where our office server is). Sure enough, there is a power jack not plugged into anything. I unplug it, and leave without telling her why. I just couldn’t bring myself to tell her.

-Marianne

[Picture Source: LividFiction (CC)]