IT Worker Gets A 2:30 A.M. Emergency Call About An “Exploded” Computer, But The Expensive Repair Reveals A Much Simpler Problem
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When someone calls IT in the middle of the night claiming their computer has exploded, it’s probably reasonable to assume something has gone seriously wrong.
But one former data center employee learned that not everyone uses the word “exploded” quite so literally.
Back when bulky computer terminals were scattered throughout office buildings, the employee worked overnight shifts supporting users who needed access to the company’s systems around the clock.
One morning, around 2:30 a.m., a priority user called with what sounded like a potentially dangerous emergency.
According to the caller, his computer terminal had blown up.
Having been trained about the risks of electrical accidents and imploding screens, the relatively inexperienced employee immediately worried someone might have been injured.
After confirming everyone was safe, they arranged for an emergency hardware repair.
Unfortunately, the technician’s findings were considerably less dramatic than the original report suggested.
And the costly misunderstanding apparently wasn’t the last time an employee’s creative description caused confusion.
User tried being funny with a problem report
Back in the days of ‘mini’-computers (e.g. PDP-11/84) supporting CRT user terminals scattered around in different offices, I got a call about 2:30 one morning from one of our priority users, basically the office that justified us having a night shift in the data center, reporting their terminal blew up.
In my initial training, they’d told us the two main physical hazards of working in a computer room were electrocution and imploding CRTs, so I first asked if anyone was injured, and the guy replied “no,” but sounded kinda confused.
At the time I was pretty new and young, so I thought that was maybe a trauma response, so I just told him we’d have someone down there so soon as possible.
Sounds like a crazy training.
I called my boss to get approval to call in the (contracted) hardware maintenance, he approved it, so I made the call.
About half-an-hour later, that maintenance guy stomped into my section and informed me that the CRT hadn’t imploded, the customer simply meant it had quit working (ergo his confusion when I asked about injuries).
It had quit working because someone hit the outlet with a vacuum cleaner.
Yikes.
Yes, we paid an expensive contractor time-and-a-half for a 4-hour minimum service call, just to plug the power cord back in.
I understand that all the support reps gave stern talks to the users after that, about being specific and avoiding hyperbole when reporting trouble.
(Didn’t really help – I had an upper-management guy call in some weeks later complaining about “squashed bugs” on his screen, and he got upset at me when I suggested Windex on a soft cloth. Turns out he just didn’t like saying the word “asterisks,” the control characters that would fill his screen when he lost connection to the server.)
The IT worker’s reaction was entirely understandable, particularly given the safety training they’d received about potentially dangerous computer equipment.
When someone reports that a terminal has exploded, checking for injuries and arranging professional assistance is a reasonable response.
Unfortunately, the caller apparently meant that the computer had simply stopped working after its power cord was knocked loose by a vacuum cleaner.
That distinction turned an ordinary troubleshooting issue into an expensive emergency service call, complete with overtime rates and a four-hour minimum charge.
It’s easy to laugh at the misunderstanding, but the incident also illustrates why precise descriptions matter when reporting technical problems.
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The later complaint about “squashed bugs” on a computer screen reinforces the point. Without knowing that the caller meant asterisks, the employee understandably interpreted the problem as something physical.
Of course, asking a few additional troubleshooting questions might have prevented some confusion.
Still, there’s only so much an IT worker can do when the description bears little resemblance to the actual problem.
This person explains a good training technique to use.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an IT employee who thought a ticket was closed, only to hear otherwise from the client’s manager.
This person has been there…and has learned quickly.
And this person has a good response for it it happens again.
The terminal didn’t blow up, but the repair bill certainly did—all because someone forgot to check the plug.
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