Search this site:


Categories:

March 2006

March 31, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Gatwick airport smoking area

GatwickaiportBen Civiletti points this out from London's Gatwick airport:

Instead of putting the designated smoking area in a far corner of the building, they put it right in the middle of the checkout area. On top of that, they also put it 20 feet away from the children's play area.

If you can't see it clearly, the sign says:

"Children's play area"
"Ages 2 - 6 only"
"Parental supervision essential as the play area is not supervised by our staff"
"No food, drink or chewing gum"
"Remove shoes but wear socks at all times"
"No liability accepted for any losses, damage or theft"

What about the poisonous smoke billowing from the "Smoking area," which is less than 20 feet away?

March 30, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Connecticut "Fast File"

CttaxLee Fleming writes in:

I tried to file my taxes online using the Connecticut Deptartment of Revenue Services "Fast File." However, the system wouldn't accept the PIN I've been using for several years. So I followed instructions and clicked the "Forgot PIN?" link.

I then got a message that stated "The Forgot PIN feature is available only to registered users. In order to set up this feature, you must be able to successfully enter your Connecticut Tax Registration Number and PIN and press the CONTINUE button."

How am I supposed to input my forgotten pin to retrieve my forgotten pin?!

March 29, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Garage stalls sign

Stalls

Quick: where is stall 268? I had to do a double-take.

(Hint: signs shouldn't count right to left.)

March 28, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Hand dryer icon

Dryer

Funny, I usually dry my hands with that thing. But each to his own, I guess.

March 27, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Hertz "Gold Customer" line

Dsc01147
This customer service line at a Hertz car rental irritated me to no end. Seeing this sign (reading "Hertz #1 Gold Customers" with an arrow pointing to the right), I dutifully stood in line on the right for 15 minutes, only to be told by a surly clerk that the Gold desk was downstairs.

Dsc01148
Yes, the arrow actually meant not to get in line on the right, but to pass through the unmarked door behind and to the right.

Dsc01149
This helpful sign taped to the door as an afterthought, with tiny all-cap letters, described what the sign failed to hint at.

March 25, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Xbox message

ErrorsuccessNathan Davis submits a picture of a message from his Xbox:

I don’t know what happened on my Xbox, but I thought it was ironic!

March 24, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: USB storage watch

Usbwatch Roman Frenkel points out:

I know there are tons of gadgets out there and the concept of having USB storage on your watch isn't bad.

But if you have to carry around the wire in the picture with you at all times, (or even a retractable usb cord) to upload or download data - what's the point? - especially considering the current miniscule size of usb drives these days.

March 23, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Broken speed limit

SpeedlimitAn anonymous reader sends in this picture from Rocky Hill, New Jersey: a 25 mph speed limit sign, then a few yards later a 35 mph sign, then a few yards later a 25 mph sign. Have fun gunning the engine for 0.2 seconds before hitting the brakes again!

March 22, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Keyboard box

KeyboardMichael Lee writes:

The ultimate input device? How did they come up with that?

It's a standard boring keyboard!

March 21, 2006 10:36 AM

Broken: Patents on facts

Michael Crichton on how even thinking a certain fact can, by law, be an infringement of a patent. This is so, so broken.

From This Essay Breaks the Law - New York Times:

Any doctor who reads a patient's test results and even thinks of vitamin deficiency infringes the patent. A federal circuit court held that mere thinking violates the patent. All this may sound absurd, but it is the heart of a case that will be argued before the Supreme Court on Tuesday. In 1986 researchers filed a patent application for a method of testing the levels of homocysteine, an amino acid, in the blood. They went one step further and asked for a patent on the basic biological relationship between homocysteine and vitamin deficiency.

Broken: Equifax.com secret question

EquifaxKevin Bennett writes in:

I was attempting to retrieve my username and password from Equifax.com. I entered my basic information and Equifax found my account, then the authorization page wanted me to answer the "secret question" I supposedly filled in when I created my account.

However, the question was so secret they couldn't even show it to me!

March 20, 2006 11:43 AM

Broken: Stupid survey

From Seth Godin, a rant on a poorly designed survey: Stupid Survey Award, 2006.

Broken: Smoothie menu

Dsc00862

With all the warning signs, I decided not to order.

Also, it's broken for people to use genuine warning symbols (like the radioactivity icon) as jokes. That "crying wolf" makes them less effective in the real world, outside the smoothie shop.

March 18, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Left arrow

The_other_left Ayse Sercan sends in a picture taken in San Luis Obispo, California:

I took this photo of a traffic sign at the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus.

The arrow must have meant "the other left."

March 17, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Women's Weight Loss location

Dsc02822Dsc02824Spotted in suburban Atlanta, Georgia:

Women's Weight Loss...

.. next door to Ice Cream and Desserts.

How appropriate!

March 16, 2006 05:20 AM

Broken: Yahoo weather lookup

Yahoo_weather

This has bugged me for years. If you search Yahoo Weather for "New York, NY" - the default search if your Yahoo profile has a NYC zip code - the site asks you if you meant "New York, United States" or "New York, New York, United States" or perhaps one of several other choices. (Try it here.)

What's worse, if you click the first choice - "New York, United States" - you go to an even less helpful page asking you to "Browse for a Location." (See that here.)

Could I just get the New York weather, please?

March 15, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Liberty Caskets sign

A_real_dealRick Chambers submits a picture of this unsettling sign in Kalamazoo, Michigan:

I saw this sign one morning while out for a run and laughed so hard I got a side stitch. Hey, I guess it's good to give the customer options!

What's even funnier is that unless you peeked in a window, you would see that the business had gone under -- so to speak -- and that the sign refers to the building, not the product.

March 14, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Bumper sticker

BumperDick Miller writes:

Recently, I made a contribution to a charitable organization. In the thank-you note (along with a solicitation for an additional contribution), they sent me a bumper sticker advertising their organization.

On the back of the bumper sticker was this disclaimer:

   Bumper sticker not intended for outdoor use; may be damaged in a car wash.

I guess I could just keep my car in the garage.

March 13, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Nature's Answer echinacea packaging

Dsc02174_1_1

The image on the left is a brand new echinacea tablet bottle, just opened for the first time.

The image on the right shows, after removing the cotton, how much space in the bottle was taken up by the capsules. What a waste of packaging!

March 11, 2006 12:03 PM

Broken: RFID scanner message

Broken_rfidStian Grytor sends in a picture from Oslo, Norway:

This is a shot of one of the new RFID scanners that can be seen these days on all sorts of public transportation throughout Oslo, Norway.

Deployed, but not yet in use, they are apparently "Out of work."

[Before they're deployed, they're unemployed? -mh]

March 10, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: IBM consulting ad

Ibm_ad_1

This is an ad campaign from a couple of years ago that I never could figure out.

How does a slimy tree root and the word "deeper" make anyone want to hire these people as consultants? Do they like eating dirt? Are they earthworm gardeners? I don't get it.

March 9, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Parking violation sign

ViolationLauren sends in this picture taken in an airport parking garage, and notes: "Maybe they are trying to cheer you up after realizing your car is gone?"

March 8, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Surveillance camera orientation

Cvs_sReader Louie sends in a picture taken in Washington DC:

I was walking in an alley behind a CVS Pharmacy when I saw this surveillance camera pointed towards a closed window as opposed to the street.

This is definitely not the most effective security system.

March 7, 2006 12:50 PM

Broken: Misleading political telemarketers

I got this voice mail today from a telemarketer who says that a congressman wants to "recognize you with a national leadership award," and would I contact his call cent-- uhh, his office, to get the details.

If by "national leadership award" you mean "invoice for a large political donation," wow! I really don't feel honored! In fact you wasted my time with a misleading spam message!

I try to steer away from politics on this site, so I'll give the caveat that, to me, this has nothing to do with his party; rather, it's this duplicitous style of fundraising - whatever party uses it - that is broken.

Download audio file (Quicktime .mov, 150kb)

Broken: Stop sign

Stop_signsSally Lewis sends in a picture from Louisiana:

These two signs on the same pole completely baffled me and my passengers.

Was I supposed to stop or keep going?

March 6, 2006 05:05 PM

Broken: Citibank under fraud attack

BoingBoing reports: Citibank under fraud attack, customers locked out of accounts.

Broken: Turkey Jerky package description

Turkey_jerky

"Turkey jerky isn't just a snack... it's a snacking experience!"

Uhhhh... no, it's a snack.

Who writes this stuff?

March 4, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Logitech Bluetooth headphones

Logitech_headphonesJames Hands writes: "These $120 Logitech Bluetooth headphones broke only after a week of use. The headband cracks at the center, making them uncomfortable and then eventually useless when the unit stops working completely."

James notes that Logitech support will send replacements, "but the replacement sets have the exact same problem."

March 3, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Parking restriction signs

FrontBackPaul Schreiber sends in pictures of two parking restriction signs in Mountain View, California:

I was trying to park my car on a Saturday on Castro Street. The sign on the left was in front of my car and the sign on the right was behind my car. Am I supposed to obey the sign in front of our car or the sign behind it?

March 2, 2006 09:26 AM

Broken: (plea for new entries)

Hi to all This Is Broken readers -

I'm happy to announce that we've arrived at the thousand-post mark: the post below is #1,000.

We've had fun posting your entries (and a few of our own) since our debut, Broken: Harvard Business School reunion sign, from June 20, 2003.

But we need more entries from you. Bad products, places, signs, ads, or situations (that photograph well) showing a lack of customer focus. Screenshots of websites can be good, too, but they have to be different from what we've run in the past. E-mail them to us (broken at goodexperience dot com).

Tips to help get your entry on the site:

- send a photograph or screenshot that tells the story

- keep your comments short and to the point - just tell us why it's broken

- choose something that's different from what we've run in the past

This is a participatory site - we need more entries as we continue publishing entries five or six days a week - so send them in!

Finally, here's a list of Web/tech submissions that "have been done" and are unlikely to make it on the site, unless you find a really unusual example...

What we do not want:

- pricing errors on websites (a million-dollar amazon.com book) or dumb discounts (like negative amounts, or for zero percent). Please, no more pricing errors!

- errors on game websites or in videogame software

- Windows errors (the "blue screen of death" or others) seen in airport display terminals, kiosks, etc.

- obscure geek software errors (SQL problems, debugger problems, etc.)

- unfortunate or silly contextual ads ("shop for [insert disease here] on eBay!")

Looking forward to seeing your entries.

Broken: Projector screen label

Dsc00994Spotted in Silicon Valley:

The projector screen should never be allowed to "run back uncontrolled."

Everyone, please control your wild projector screens!

March 1, 2006 08:03 AM

Broken: DayQuil/NyQuil convenience pack

Daynyquil3Chris Henry writes in:

Houseridden by a nasty cold, I bought some DayQuil/NyQuil gel capsules as an alternative to swallowing the foul-tasting syrup. But I had to struggle with the packaging for the capsules. There are no easy-open tabs on the back of the capsule package, and you can't punch the pills out of the backing. You have to tear down the middle and then tear into the cell where the capsules are. Not only that, but you also have to pick at the packaging to finally release the pills.

I think I'll go back to the syrup.

Broken: Chocolate fountain experience

Not broken, necessarily, but from Chocolate Fountains of New Jersey comes this gem of marketingese:

Enjoy the cascading chocolate fountain experience at your next home party.

Thanks, Laurie K.

Previous Posts: