 |
A project to make businesses more aware of their customer experience, and how to fix it. By Mark Hurst. |
| About Mark Hurst | Mark's Gel Conference | New York Times Story on This Is Broken | Newsletter: Subscribe | RSS Feed |
Search this site:
Categories:
Doug Schaefer points out:
This is a photo of the HVAC controls on a 2007 Chevy Impala car I rented. The position indicator on the 3 control dials is a small blue LED in the chrome trim ring of the dial.
At night, this is very readable and easy to see. However, during the day, the blue LED is very hard to find in all the chrome reflections - it takes a concentrated effort to tell where the dial is pointed.
Natasha Lloyd points out:
I got the message below when I wanted to delete a demo game from my Samsung C417 cell phone:
"All the JAR files will be deleted. A
re you sure you wa
nt to delete?"
This message is broken for two reasons.
One, most people probably don't know what JAR files are, so how can they be sure they want to delete them?
Two, there's really no excuse for not supporting word wrapping nowadays - "A re" and "wa
nt" break the reading flow, making you read them at least twice to get what they're saying.
I found this at Bed Bath and Beyond: a "Need Caffiene" eyemask.
However, maybe some caffeine (note: e before i) would help the copy editor run a spell check before the product is manufactured!
Sarah Kline Morgan writes:
This warning was stuffed into the box of my Toastmaster toaster - model #T2010CTW.
The warning reads:
WARNING!!
To interrupt toasting,
turn toast color control
to off/cancel.
Do not push the toast
lever manually.
Internal mechanism will be
irreparably damaged.
What kind of toaster is "irreparably damaged" by using the LEVER to remove the toast?
Chris Ward writes:
A few weeks ago, my boss gave these electronic devices out to everyone at work that are supposed to combine a world clock, a calendar, a calculator and an alarm. This device is supposed to inspire quality in the workplace.
This is what this "Quality" device looks like after two weeks of sitting on my desk. None of the buttons work and you can't change what's displayed in any way, or turn it off, for that matter - quality indeed!
From Kazanjy's Flickr photostream:
A lady in downtown Palo Alto, California let me take a picture of her walker legs. This picture exemplifies one of the failings of a common user hack to make walkers actually work: tennis balls over the feet.
The problem is that tennis balls are made of low impact rubber, which doesn't perform well under the duty cycle of scraping along pavement all day.
Someone should design a walker properly so that the user doesn't need to modify its feet.
Nicholas Mann writes:
Steve Jackson writes in:
On my new mattress pad there are two tags with washing instructions:
Machine Wash Warm
and
Machine Wash Cold
Using two tags to explain what can be done on one is just inefficient; providing different directions is just plain broken.
Kenneth Brody writes in:
Below are three images from a box of Kix cereal on our shelf.
On the front of the box it says "Save $4.00 on select DVDs - see side panel for details."
So I check the side of box and find the text - "See back for details."
I then looked at the back of the box and found the text - "See side for details."
So now I know that the front and back both say "see side for details."
I checked the last side of the box and found the text - "see back for details."
Other than "priced $9.99 or higher" on the side, I see no additional "details" to tell me on which "select DVDs" I can use the coupon.
Shane Kelly writes:
These Vector power inverters were on the hanging rack near the checkout at BestBuy.
You can see that the hanging tabs are on the end of the boxes' lid flap, and that their considerable weight has pulled them all open.
Looking carefully I saw that there had been an effort to re-seal some of the boxes with scotch tape, but that too had failed to keep their lids closed.
Vector should re-design their packages so they stay closed when hanging or they should require that the product be placed on a shelf instead of being hung on a rack.
Mathijs Panhuijsen points out:
I wanted to replace the battery in my clunky old Nokia phone, and I had a lot of trouble with opening the back cover (which is a whole ThisisBroken topic in itself).
To find out how to open the back cover, I go to the Nokia site to find my phone's user manual. However, I've had this phone for so long that I don't remember the model number (there are about 100 to choose from, mostly identified only by a meaningless alphanumeric string).
Luckily, there is a handy link: "Find your phone's model number," which pops up, an instruction to open the back cover of your phone and check the model number on the label inside.
Classic!
The model number should also be available somewhere on the exterior of the phone or somewhere in the menu.
Paul Henkelman points out:
I recently noticed that on both this image and on most standard Monopoly boxes, the token rests on "Boardwalk" and the dice read "9."
But this is impossible. In order for a token to move nine spaces and land on Boardwalk, it would have to start from the "Go to Jail" space.
P.S. On the Spanish version of the game box, the dice read "8."
A reader writes in:
I like bright colors, so I bought this Saitek keyboard.
I've had it a month and it still drives me crazy that the "volume up" button is on the left, the "volume down" button is on the right, and the "mute" button is a full three buttons away!
From Larsz's Flickr photostream:
The Panasonic FX07 is a nice little camera.
However, every time you activate the special setting for taking photos on an airplane, this irritating text comes up on the screen:
TURN OFF THE CAMERA DURING THE TAKEOFF AND LANDING. FOLLOW THE
INSTRUCTION OF CABIN ATTENDANT.
Ken Erickson writes:
Local station personnel say they often have to rescue stranded and frightened people from this lift.
A station attendant said, "The first thing I have to do to get them out is to unlock the door, then climb in and calm them down."
Rowan Manahan writes:
So there I was, ready to buy a spanking new Opel Astra convertible for my wife. She had the Hermès headscarf and the Jackie-O sunglasses all ready for a test drive.
The Opel salesman couldn’t have been better informed or more courteous. He went outside to demonstrate the roof dropping for us prior to our test drive, wittering on about the unique “folding hardtop” action.
Now, I live in Ireland, where it rains between 150 and 225 days per year and, sure enough, it had rained the night before. So when the salesman hit the button on the remote to drop the roof, it pitched up and then gracefully folded itself back into the boot/trunk of the car – but not before dumping about 3 pints of water on the front seats … I have never before seen a car salesman with NOTHING to say. Not a syllable. I just can’t wait to hear some marketing person from Opel describe this as a “Feature” …
Jeremy Esland writes:
Somehow I lost my office scissors, so the next time I was in Staples, I bought a new pair of scissors made by Tonic Studios.
Back in the office, I tried to get them out of their display packaging - seems I needed a pair of scissors to free them. Ok, that's no problem - I just bought a pair, right?
David Deckert writes:
This one has bugged me for years but it took me until now to take the picture. The screen lock function of my PocketPC phone has appropriately large buttons so that you can enter the PIN with your thumb on the touchscreen. Unless you mis-key it.
Then you need to press that tiny little OK button in the upper-right corner. To further add to the torment, there is a dedicated hard button for OK on my phone but it is disabled, wait for it... when the phone is locked!
Bob Sifniades points out:
These Reef sandals have a bottle opener built into the sole, which is convenient, and a very clever design, but not very sanitary. Who knows what you walked on before you open the bottle with the bottom of your sandal!
Nic Price asks:
Which button do you press to turn the lights out?
If you guessed the black one, you are correct - however, I still think that the icons should be made more obvious.
Anca Mosoiu writes:
I rented a PT cruiser, and every time I went to open the door, the trunk, or turn on the ignition, I would hit the panic button on the PT Cruiser key.
I panicked every time I tried to start the car!
It may look innocent enough, but check out the warning on Hasbro's FurReal Friends Butterscotch Pony:
"Adults take note: Pony comes unassembled in box with head detatched. You may wish to not open the box around your children if they may be frightened by a box with a decapitated horse inside."
Don't buy them "The Godfather" DVD, either, I guess.
Thanks, Laurie
Chris Barr points out:
I recently purchased a Mackie CFX16-MKII audio mixing console, and upon inspecting the box I noticed the normal warning symbols such as "fragile," "this end up," etc.
Then I noticed this one nondescript odd symbol on the far right of the normal icons that looks like an alien wearing a gas mask or something.
There was no description of the symbol in the box, the manual or the website. There wasn't anything on the console itself that had anything to do with this symbol. I am still baffled as to what the symbol means.
[Teletubbies meet Cthulhu? -mh]
Chris Keating writes in:
Here are the instructions to the clock radio that was in my hotel room at a Crowne Plaza hotel:
1. Press ALARM MODE until the buzzer light is lit.
2. Press and hold BUZZER for 2-3 seconds. After one beep, "ALARM" and the hour will start to flash in the display window.
3. Press TUNE/TIME SET (<< = minus, >> = plus) until the desired hour appears.
4. Press BUZZER. The minute will flash.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to set the minute. Two short beeps will confirm the setting.
I've been making trips to this hotel for months, and this instruction card has always bothered me. First, it's difficult to follow.
Second, It doesn't give you instructions on how to set the alarm to use a CD or the radio to wake you up.
Third, the device doesn't give you much indication that the alarm is really set.
Finally, it's been my experience that the card isn't always in the room.
Having complained, I want to point out that this breakage is more Sony's fault than the Crowne Plaza's -- the interface on this thing is abysmal.
Michael Flarn Norton submits a picture taken in Niagara Falls, Canada:
The screen of the vending machine reads "COLA," but the vending machine features water as the only option.
Also, charging $2.50 is a very unreasonable price for a small bottle of water.
David Sauder points out:
It's hard to imagine anything simpler - or more familiar - than an ordinary light switch. Which makes it a good choice for an emergency application: the user won't have to stop and figure out how the switch
works because it is something they use every day.
For most switches "on" is up and "off" is down. However, that isn't always the case, so adding on/off labels is a good idea.
But in this case, the labels don't clarify matters, they confuse them. If the switch is pointing to "Off", it's really "On", and vice versa. Imagine how much clearer this would have been if they had reversed the position of the on/off labels and left the arrows off completely.
Jem Stone submits a picture taken in Brighton, UK:
I spotted this clothes dryer rack at the UK branch of Habitat.
The label for this clothes dryer rack reads:
"Do not put wet clothes on this airer. It is suitable for the airing of dry clothes only- not the drying of wet clothes.
Some colour may transfer from the wood if wet items are placed on it"
Who uses an a clothes dryer rack for clothes that aren't damp or wet? Why would you want to air out clothes that are already dry?
Damon Van Vessem writes in:
This GE universal remote control came in one of those nuclear-blast-proof plastic packages, which are impossible to open without some scissors and cursing.
The remote's instructions were hidden in the packaging between two layers of cardboard. Even though I tried to cut the packaging as cleanly as possible, when the remote was finally liberated, the instructions came out in pieces!
There has to be a better way to package the remote so you don't struggle with opening it and end up cutting up the instructions even when you try to open it up as carefully as possible.
Michael Dwyer points out:
Costco sells a Laptop wedge pillow. I can see all kinds of uses for a wedge pillow, but a laptop stand is not one of them.
First of all, the ergonimics are totally wrong. The photos shows a recipe for carpal tunnel syndrome.
Secondly, no laptop should be operated while sitting on a padded surface. You will cover the cooling vents and your laptop will overheat and eventually shut down, if not become damaged.
A reader named Chris points out:
This warning came with a desk that I got from Target:
Cautious: Please do not worry if still some smell from this fresh product when open it. As it is non-toxic and no dangerous while using. It will be gone in a few days after exposure in the air.
Not only was the English poorly translated, the desk smelled.
Ian Chard submits a picture taken near Edinburgh, Scotland:
In our hotel room at Dalhousie Castle Hotel near Edinburgh, it was extremely hot, since there was no ventilation in the room and it was above a heated spa.
For our "comfort", the pictured air conditioning unit was supplied.
At least I presumed that's what it was. It had no identifying marks, and the control panel in this picture didn't help much. What do the buttons that read WMW and W.SP do?
Whatever it was, it just blew warm air around the room.
Ischai Cohen writes in:
I recently got a new Dell Latitude laptop.
It has two USB ports on the right side, but you can't put two USB plugs in at the same time because the plastic covering is too thick.
Colin Murtaugh writes in:
At work the other day we received a computer mouse which came in the box pictured above.
We'd like to start using the mouse, but we can't break the seal, which reads, "Do not break seal prior to usage"!
Janne Raiskila points out:
When this Toyota Yaris is unlocked, opening the trunk requires pushing directly on the keyhole with considerable force.
Besides being unergonomic, doing this will stain your fingers with grease from the lock. There is no way to open the trunk from the inside of the car.
Yale Kozinski writes in:
This is the front panel of my Panasonic microwave oven. Can you figure out how to simply heat something for a specified time?
Didn't think you could. Well, you have to press the "Power Level" button, then turn the dial to the desired cook time. Turning the dial doesn't do anything unless you press "Power Level" first. This has so far confused everyone who tries to use it.
Yadav Gowda writes in:
My friend's mother recently came back from Arizona, and she brought with her a pencil from a gift shop.
The pencil is shaped like a cactus. The eraser is at the end of the outline of the cactus, making the eraser unusable, unless you were to break off the end of the pencil to use the eraser.
Mark Frauenfelder asks two very good questions. From Boing Boing: Poorly thought-out label: Hershey's (non) chocolate milk:
Why is Hershey's in the business of selling regular milk? And why would it insist on making the label look chocolately?
Alan Clarke from London, England writes:
This oven looks very high tech. Sometimes a high tech interface is one that has the fewest knobs and as many modes as possible. In the picture, you will see that the oven has two identical unmarked knobs and one unmarked button.
On this oven, everything you do is context-dependent, and the only way to operate the oven is by looking at the display for feedback; which would be fine if the display was actually visible.
However, since the display and the knobs are all at the very top of the unit, and the kitchen designer has placed it directly below an overhang in the worktop, the only way I can set the oven or check on the progress of something cooking is to get down on my knees.
A reader named Matt writes in:
I came accoss this pen today. One would think that it writes in blue ink. The cap is blue, the plastic by the point is blue, the plug at the end is blue, and even the logo of the business (in this case, a local bank) is also blue.
However, when I started writing with the pen, the color of the ink came out black. Having a pen with exterior blue indicators should not have black ink inside.
Alex Pavloff writes in:
This is a combo laser pointer/powerpoint controller, so you can stand up, do your presentation, go forward and back remotely (via RF), as well as use the laser pointer.
It was a freebie, and is pretty cheap.
However, the case is poorly constructed. There is fabric that holds the device in place. When the pointer is placed in the case with the clip up, the fabric fits snugly over the laser button, resulting in the laser staying on until the battery goes dead.
Good thing I had 2 of these, otherwise, the controller would have been dead by the time I arrived at my next presentation.
Alex B points out:
Here's a closeup of the safety warnings on my new camera's battery charger. You would think that the manufacturer would try to use clear and unambigous language here, but I have no idea what an "ITE" is.
The definition of "ITE" doesn't appear anywhere on the battery itself. I guess I could see if it's in the instruction manual, but that would defeat the purpose of putting the warning on the label!
Hanan Cohen points out:
The power, wake and sleep keys are pretty important to access. Couldn't the product designers find a better placement for those keys?
Paul Schreiber points out:
This Envision LCD monitor pivots from portrait to landscape. However, it has storage cups on the side so when you pivot it, all your stuff in the cup holders falls out, unless you take the time to remove everything from the cup holders every time you switch the monitor orientation.
Michael Witt points out:
The box that this Belkin mouse is packaged in has a warning label that says:
WarningThis product contains chemicals, including lead, known to the state of California to cause birth defects and other reproductive harm.
Wash hands after handling.
"Wash hands after handling"?? It's a mouse!
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.
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!
Stian 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]
James 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."
Chris 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.
Bob Crump points out:
I received this clock from my company a year ago before Christmas. It's been on my desk for over a year now and I finally looked at the four.
Whomever produced the clock seems to have their own version of the Roman numeral character for four!
From Kanngard: How do I get the room colder?, a poorly designed Roca temperature control in a hotel room.
Reader Timylie writes in:
This is a pillow i bought at Bed, Bath & Beyond.
The pillow is supposed to be a "Therapy Pillow." However, the warning label says "WARNING: Do Not Use For Sleeping. For Decorative Purposes Only."
Sleep is therapeutic, so if I can't sleep on this pillow- it isn't a very useful therapy pillow!
Another good one from David Pogue. Link: Weapons in the Fight Against Hard-to-Open Packaging - New York Times.
Clamshell packaging annoys me especially because so many electronic products come entombed in them: radios, cameras, walkie-talkies, inkjet cartridges, videotapes, tools, phones, flashlights, accessories and so on... these sharp-edged, steely-hardened acrylic crypts have broken countless scissors, ripped flesh and wasted ridiculous amounts of people's time.
Jessamyn West writes in:
Gas pumps are always a horrible hodge podge of instructions, pictures, ads and ad hoc instructions taped over older instructions.
Recently we've seen pumps that try to ameliorate this by having clear indications of at least where the instructions are. However, having to read a one item list to get pointed to the real instructions which are someplace else is broken.
Mark Crummett writes in:
We carry this car cup at our store. It seems to be a hot beverage cup for use in a car, but according to the label, it can't be used for hot beverages! Go figure.
Bob Sifniades points out:
Fruit Of The Loom sells socks in a resealable bag. I can't think of a good reason for this. It won't keep water out for long, because the bag intentionally has holes punched in it to let out trapped air.
Maybe it's to keep the unused socks from falling out, but I think most people would just throw all the socks in a drawer after opening the bag.
Just for fun, I tried using the resealing bag feature. No matter how or where I pulled, the plastic around the zipper tore, and the zipper never opened.
I notice this NCR card swiper every time I check out at Whole Foods. It asks me "OK?" and I reach for the "Yes" button, but then I notice it also tells me "Press Enter".
Why ask "OK?" if you're not going to let the customer answer the question?
Daniel Brown writes:
As part of our kitchen remodel, we purchased an LG refrigerator. The refrigerator is split with two vertical doors, the freezer is a single drawer on the bottom. (Freezer on the bottom should have won an award of some kind for usability.)
However, this device has one of the worst kinds of usability issues - the kind you don't notice for about a week. The doors, unless forcefully closed, do not close themselves. In fact, they actually hold themselves open about an inch. (This is part of the magnet mechanism that seals the doors to each other as well as to the refrigerator itself.) Hence, unlike nearly every other refrigerator door, these must BE CLOSED rather than relying on gravity to do the job for you.
To add insult to injury, the unit will beep at you indicating that a door was left open.
Alan Selk writes in:
Printers do not ordinarily include paper or a connecting cable in the box, but this "Don't forget" notice on the box had me worried that my wife had bought a printer with no ink cartridges. Thankfully they were included, but there should a be a list of what items are included in the box with the printer.
Also broken: Even though the picture on the HP Printer box shows an odd-looking cable with a wide plug on one end, I was relieved to find that the printer requires a standard USB cable. They also need to update the picture of the USB cable to the current one.
[P.S. Merry Christmas from This Is Broken! Happy unwrapping tomorrow... may all your instructions be clear :) -mh]
This tea boasts that it's "monkey-picked." Am I missing something here? (All I can think of monkeys picking is lice...)
Pete Bender points out:
There are a number of things broken with the Timex 'Easy Set' Alarm clock manual:
1. The 'Bottom of cabinet' text is placed between a drawing of the top and the front, nowhere near the bottom.
2. The buttons for the easy-set feature are physically marked 1 (alarm set), two buttons labeled 2 (<< & >>), and 3 (enter). However, in the diagram and in the directions, they are referred to as 11, 3, 9, and 10, respectively.
Perhaps the best part of the whole thing is the fact that the clock itself was not functioning! It's been returned, and the hunt for a well-designed alarm clock continues.
Ian Shook writes:
I recently picked up a pair of "Chicago Cutlery" brand scissors. I don't know if it was an intended feature to make the blades separate for easy cleaning, but they tend to separate while in use.
When opened up close to all the way, the lock keeping the blades together disengages. I've cut myself twice. Fortunately, I was wearing shoes the third time they fell apart.
Sam G writes in:
I was at the Dollar Tree store and saw this educational children's toy labeled, "Human Body."
Obviously, the toy was actually a frog. Perhaps they are encouraging the theory of evolution.
Stacy Ashton writes:
The concept behind the thermal control is excellent - who likes cold coffee?
The main problem, though, is the design of the sipping hole. It's set further back from the lip of the mug than in regular coffee travel mugs, which is particularly problematic when the liquid is kept hot. Instead of just being able to pour the coffee in your mouth, the coffee, BY DESIGN, burns your top lip. Every time.
This makes it pretty much unusable.
Richie points out:
This is part of a small sticker that came on a pair of Old Navy flip-flop style sandals:
UPPER: OTHER MATERIALS
LINING AND SOCK: OTHER MATERIALS
OUTER SOLE: OTHER MATERIALS
Apparently Old Navy doesn't want us knowing what materials they use in their sandals, or maybe they don't even know themselves. I don't know what the 'lining and sock' part refers to since these sandals are pretty basic - a strap and the sole.
Obviously Old Navy has some work to do on their sticker design.
Alison Y. points out:
This is a Nokia charger with non-rigid prongs. This is fine in a regular wall socket, but on a horizontal power strip, the charger falls out and needs to be artificially propped up by a phone book or another item. This is broken!
I also love the warranty sticker, which voids itself if the sticker is removed.
Andreas Constantinou points out:
This control panel in Chengde, China is a typical case of an over-engineered user experience that is really broken. It's a central control panel for a hotel room typical of high-end hotels in China, probably considered a must-have luxury.
There are several reasons why this is broken:
- If you try to turn on the TV using the remote control it doesn't work. My first thought is that the TV is broken. After careful inspection, you have to turn on the TV through this control panel, then zap through then channels.
- All the buttons are the same color, have a similar shape and are organised in a flat hierarchy. There is no sense of a contextual grouping. Are the channel/volume buttons for the TV, the music, or the world time?
Nathaniel Kennedy writes:
The new baseball team in Washington DC is called the Nationals... So check out this bear toy in their gift shop.
Where is the "n" in Washington?
This is broken!
Joe Wright points out:
I saw this box containing an "Auto/Air adapter."
By the looks of it, it is trying to tell me to park my car or airplane next to the giant "Auto/Air adapter."
Steve Manning writes:
I lost my Amex Blue card at JFK airport a few months ago, and when I called to report it I was told a replacement would be issued in "about 20 days". The following conversation ensued:
Me: 20 days? My other Amex cards arrive in 24 hours when replaced. (The American Express tag line is "the only card you'll ever need".)
Amex: The Blue card has a special chip inside that takes longer to produce.
Me: What purpose does the chip serve?
Amex: It provides you with greater security for online transactions, sir.
Me: But when I order online, I type my credit card number into a form, so how does a chip, which the computer never comes in contact with..
Amex: It's for online security. Is there anything else I can help you with today, sir?
Me: Yes. You can help me understand how a chip embedded in a credit card, a card that is not inserted into anything, makes any difference?
Amex: Sir, I've already explained that the chip is for enhanced security purposes when making purchases online. Is there anything else I can assist you with today?
Me: Is there any way to get a replacement card sooner?
Amex: We can send you a temporary card tomorrow morning.
Me: What is temporary about it?
Amex: It doesn't have the chip.
Me: Can I use it to make purchases on the Internet?
Amex: That's up to you sir.
Intrigued, I called the application line for Amex Blue. The very nice woman asked me if i had any questions about the card before applying..
Me: What's the chip for?
Amex: It's for enhanced security online.
Me: How so?
Amex: (giggling) They don't tell us that.
Kyle Graves writes:
This is the product description page for the Belkin External iPod Battery. Check out the "Advantages." ("Not compatible with iPod Mini.")
Since when is not being compatible with something an advantage?
Daphne Lee (hi to Howard Lin) writes:
When I saw the shampoo bottle for the first time, I had to stand in the shower and wonder if it's new... or the same? It actually had me confused for a minute or two before I decided it was plain confusing wording.
Pedro Adler writes:
Countless times I wanted to turn on the top right plate but instead, because of the bad design, I turned on the middle (lower) plate. Also, the icons above the buttons are misleading - look at the rightmost icon!
Jonathan Langer writes:
I cut this off of a label of seperately wrapped apple sauce cups. Apparently the product is 'unsweetened', yet it is 'sweetened' with Splenda, an artificial sweetener.
Anthony Argyriou writes:
This digital thermometer has an interesting defect: it's too smooth. Why is this a problem? Because when I stick it in my mouth, under my tongue, and bite down to hold it in place, it slips out. The pressure from my teeth isn't enough to get a grip on the very smooth, tapered shaft of this instrument; instead, my teeth slowly close down on each other as the thermometer slides out of my mouth.