aNewDomain.net — Knock, knock, knock. What’s this? Someone has arrived at Pruitt Manor and is knocking on the door. Hmm. Let me take a look out the peep hole. Hey! It’s the courier with the new tech I ordered! Oh, I can’t wait to open the package and try out my shiny new tech toy.
<Ant rips the box open, pulls out the device, powers it on and …>
Wait a minute, it’s not turning on. Let me change batteries. Hmm. Still no power? What’s wrong? Don’t tell me my new toy is defective. No!
All screenshot image credits: Ant Pruitt for aNewDomain.net
It’s Mass Production at Its Best
It happens to all of us. Maybe not all the time, but when it does happen, it’s a major pain. That’s because — what with mass-production consumer-electronic processes — there’s bound to be a small percentage of products that sneak past quality assurance when they shouldn’t pass through QA at all.
To quote Star Wars‘ C-3PO, we have “machines building machines.” Machines building machines is a process that works wonders when it comes to maxing out the quantity of product that will hit the store shelves. A major consumer-tech company is now able to produce so many more product SKUs — and in far less time than was ever possible before. Who can turn down a proposition like that? Not Apple, that’s for sure. You’ve heard there are image retention issues on the new iPad Mini, right? Fanboys and skeptics alike are lighting up the support message boards.
It is sad, in a way. Buyers like me do tend to scream bloody murder when major manufacturers like Apple, Sony and others ship defective products. Check your favorite social media sites or message boards. You’ll see all kinds of bashing that results from defective new products.
Sure, I get your anger. You spent a week’s pay on a new gadget, and you’re upset your new hardware won’t work out of the box. Luckily, there are terms of service and return policies to protect us all. Unless you’re trying to inform people, there’s really no point in yelling and cursing-up the message boards. Product won’t work? Return the sucker.
Don’t emulate unhappy early adopters of the Sony PlayStation 4 who’ve been reporting bricking issues since its November 15 launch.
Got a problem with the new Apple iPad Mini or the Sony PlayStation 4? Don’t stomp around like a four-year-old with a temper tantrum. Don’t burn up the message boards. Grab a receipt and return your device. Then leave me your comments below. Let’s discuss. I’m here for you.
I’m Ant Pruitt for aNewDomain.net.
Based in Charlotte, NC, Ant Pruitt is an IT pro, a columnist and the podcast captain at aNewDomain.net. Look for his Smartphone Photographers Community and Yet Another Tech Show. Follow him @ihavnolyfe or on Google+ and email him at ant@anewdomain.net. See all Ant’s articles on aNewDomain by following this link here.
