December 31, 2003 03:24 AM

Broken: (Holiday break)

This Is Broken now takes a break for New Year's... see you on Monday, January 5.

December 30, 2003 03:00 AM

Broken: Tokyo subway sign

Update 12/30: Originally this post showed a strange image of a poster in the Tokyo subway. Several readers pointed out that it's a fake. The correct image is posted to the right. Nice design, showing who to give up your seat to.

December 29, 2003 03:03 AM

Broken: PeopleSoft save error

Kevin Montgomery writes:

I've attached a fun error message from PeopleSoft for your entertainment. Basically, it says you need to fill in a field. However, that field may be somewhere else, and it may be invisible. VERY useful!

December 24, 2003 03:15 AM

Broken: (Holiday break)

This is Broken now takes a long weekend for Christmas. Look for us again on Monday, December 29!

Please have a happy holiday, whichever holiday you celebrate this season.

And please take pictures of any gift you see that's not quite designed right. Send the picture to broken at goodexperience dot com, so I can post it here!

-Mark Hurst

December 23, 2003 03:30 AM

Broken: iTunes censorship

Paul Schreiber writes:

Oddly, song #2 is censored, but #3 is not. Heh.

December 22, 2003 03:45 AM

Broken: Austin, TX

Jim Neeley writes:

At the main entrance to the gates at the Austin airport, you're directed left for gates 1-11 and right for gates 12-25. Simple, except that gate 11 is actually to the right! One doesn't exactly want to have to backtrack to find one's gate while lugging two carry-ons, does one?

December 19, 2003 03:40 AM

Broken: Cellphone shutting-down beep

Hanan Cohen writes:

Everytime I give a lecture I ask the attendees to turn off their cellphones ("Is there a heart surgeon among us? All the rest, please shut down your cellphones.") Then begins an orchestra of beeps, of cellphones shutting down!

Why do cellphone makers think that shutting down is the right time to sound a beep or a tune? Can't they think of the possibility that the shutting down of a cellphone takes place in time when beeping or chiming is not desirable, like in a concert or a class?

December 18, 2003 03:29 AM

Broken: Santa sign

I spotted this outside a restaurant in Tokyo earlier this week. A Christmas sign whose English translation went horribly wrong...

December 17, 2003 02:57 AM

Broken: Lord of the Rings review (funny)

Dave L. writes:

With the imminent release of Return of the King, I thought you might like this.

This is a clipping from an inflight magazine from "Air Caribe" (one of the Caribbean island-hopping airlines) from about August 2002.

Something is definitely a little broken here :)

December 16, 2003 03:48 AM

Broken: Regal Cinemas' points program

Evelyn Wells writes:

Regal Cinemas has a "Crown Club" that lets you earn points whenever you buy tickets, and the points add up to little freebies (popcorn, drinks, tickets). This is all fine, but the thing I think is broken is that it only lets you earn up to 10 points a day (1 point for every dollar). I almost always go with my sweetie, so we buy two tickets, which adds up to more than $10 even for a matinee. So, instead of feeling rewarded, I feel cheated! I'm sure this wasn't what they intended. It seems like it would be just as easy to have a "two ticket" limit per day, instead of a $10 limit.

Here's a link to the web page explaining the details:
http://www.regalcinemas.com/movies/cc_rules.html

Evelyn

P.S. I just went to their web site to see if I could also send this feedback to them directly. They do have a form, but the comment section is limited to 255 characters! WHY do companies allow this? It's so stupid... Just another case of programmers doing UI design.

December 15, 2003 03:44 AM

Broken: MS Word dialog box

Brad MacBeth writes:

Here's a treat from Microsoft Word 2002.

Remember, MS Word doesn't like too much editing!

December 12, 2003 03:37 AM

Broken: Unfortunate store name

Petteri Lyytinen writes from Finland:

Here's something we came across on our interrail through Eastern Europe.

It's a jewellery store in Prague, Czech Republic.

I wouldn't like to consider myself stupid, but this one left me dumbfounded. Could you, or one of your readers, please explain to me, what the heck is "perky schmuck jewellery"?

December 11, 2003 03:33 AM

Broken: Hand-washing sign placement

Anthony Malloy writes:

This sign is above the taps in our men's washroom.

Why do I think it's broken? The intent of the sign is to remind people of good hygiene - wash your hands before heading back to work. Only thing is, it is above the taps, and if you're there you're probably already going to wash your hands. This sign should be on the door that leads out of the cubicle area.

December 10, 2003 03:00 AM

Broken: Newspaper's automated phone service

Sean Forman writes:

When using the automated telephone service to temporarily stop newspaper delivery for the Philadelphia Inquirer, you are asked to enter the date to stop delivery:

"Please enter the date to stop delivery. For example, January 1st, 2001 would be entered 0-1-0-1-0-1."

The correct technique is to enter the month, then the day, and then the year, but their instructions in no way make that clear. Also, I'm not sure how many people have (intentionally) stopped papers for a day in a year further out than a year from now.

December 9, 2003 03:50 AM

Broken: Billboard wording (funny)

Seen on Defective Yeti: This billboard is just wrong. I'm all for well-meaning public-service announcements... but will this really make the youngsters aspire to become engineers?

December 8, 2003 03:28 AM

Broken: Reset button on any lengthy form

Dan Cummins writes:

After filling out a lengthy online form [like the one shown here], almost everyone will want to click the Go button to submit the form.

But why is the Reset button placed so close to the Go button? Who would intentionally click the Reset button after filling out a lengthy online form? Plus, many will accidentally click the Reset button, leading to some frustrated visitors!

The message is clear - move or remove the unnecessary Reset buttons.

(I found this on www.homeplans.com, in Advanced Search.)

December 5, 2003 03:16 AM

Broken: Budget rent-a-car phone

Just so Thrifty doesn't feel alone here at This Is Broken...

Craig Theisen writes from New Jersey:

This sign at the Philadelphia International Airport baggage claim area is self-explanatory. Obviously, if you want to get a pick-up from Budget, you're going to have to go outside and wait and hope the bus is running.

December 4, 2003 03:09 AM

Broken: Virgin Atlantic baggage form

  Dave Lawrence writes:

On a trip back from Washington on Mr. Branson's finest, my luggage was delayed at Terminal 3. I waited around 30 minutes and alerted the baggage staff, who were on the lookout for my case.

Before it eventually appeared, this is the "Contents Questionnaire" I had to fill in [click on graphics to see both sides of the form].

"What have I got in my bag, Mr. Customs Man? Oh, the usual sort of things: A shirt, a skirt, a mechanic, an infant, hair, weather and electricity, and yes, I did pack my bag myself."

December 3, 2003 03:00 AM

Broken: Railway platform door

Chris Heathcote writes from England:

I was in Birmingham New Street railway station (England) today - one of the waiting rooms on the platforms had this great combination of signs. I didn't manage to get a picture of the various people that went up to the door and physically tried to prise it open.

I guess the door is automatic, once you push the button.

December 2, 2003 03:41 AM

Broken: Thrifty rental, O'Hare

Pete Maher has written this mini-opus on his recent customer experience with Thrifty Rent-A-Car at O'Hare airport in Chicago.

Take it away, Pete.

My Experience with Thrifty Car Rental: A Customer Tragedy in Four Acts.

by Pete Maher

ACT I - THE ARRIVAL

I am glad he hath so much youth and vigor left, of which he hath not been thrifty. --Swift.

Scene I - O'Hare Airport on a cold, wet November morning.

Enter: The Customer.

After de-boarding my flight, I head immediately for the rental car counter.

No one is there.

Just a sign telling me to take the bus to the Thrifty car rental location.

I step outside, just in time for the parade -- Hertz, Hertz, Budget, National [SIGH], Hertz, Budget [SIGH], Avis, Hertz, Hertz [DEEP SIGH], Avis...Thrifty [RELIEF].

Scene II - The Bus.

Enter: The Bus Driver.

One, two, three steps onto the bus.

I sit.

The Bus Driver grunts, "blue chip!"

Confused, I pause... mutter, "uhhh.. Thrifty?"

The driver scowls.

We continue on to the next terminal.

Enter: The Goth Rocker.

At the next terminal, an outwardly pleasant gentleman -- who just happens to be heavily pierced and mascara'd -- boards the bus.

Again, the driver grunts, "blue chip!"

(At this precise moment, I notice a sign above the windshield that reads something like, "Please inform driver if you are a Blue Chip Member." Ahh, a customer loyalty program... I resist breaking into a loud cackle and regain my composure.)

The man tosses a blank stare at the driver. Awkward silence for all ensues.

The driver repeats [loudly], "Blue Chip!!"

The customer finally chirps, "car... rental.. car?"

Wrong answer, man.. Wrong answer.

ACT II - THE MISSING CHARIOT

When what's lost has been found, what's to come has already been? --Dylan

Scene I - The Car Rental Place.

Enter: The Harvesters of Sorrow.

I finally arrive at the car rental place.

Short line, several people behind the counter.

We do our dealings.

She hands me the car keys, directs me to "Spot 5 in the first row" [gestures].

No description of make, model, or color. Just "Spot 5 in the first row".

I walk in the direction of the first row. Find it with ease.

Find Spot 5, no problem. Well, slight problem.. No car.

Look around. Spot 4, car. Spot 6, car. Spot 1, car..

Hmm...

Just then, a guy in a Thrifty shirt happens to walk by.

"Excuse me," I say.

I explain to him that my car seems to have disappeared; I show him my paperwork.

He yanks the paperwork out of my hand, looks around, and quietly rattles off a six-digit number. He splish-splashes his way through the parking lot, trying to match paperwork to dashboard. Now it's raining harder than it has all morning.

After five minutes or so, the man returns with my paperwork, which is now wet and ink-stained. No, "wet and ink-stained" doesn't begin to describe the state of my paperwork. It's barely holding its form at this point. It bleeds ink. Picture the way Pat Benatar's make-up might have looked in 1982 after playing a 3-hour concert... in New Orleans... in August. That is how my paperwork looks.

I return to the rental counter and explain to the four people behind the counter that my Thrifty car is nowhere to be found. The closest employee -- who has been slouched over the counter since I arrived and whose chin is seemingly glued to his right palm, and whose right elbow is seemingly glued to the countertop -- lazily motions toward Spot 4, and says, "that's the one."

"Not according to the guy who works in the parking lot," I fire back.

Scene II - The Car.

Eventually, we find the car.

I toss my laptop bag into the backseat and climb in. No... Please tell me this isn't happening. It appears as though Phillip Morris himself was the last person to rent this car. I look skyward and give thanks that the car is not equipped with a smoke alarm. At least it has wheels and a CD Pla-, err.. at least it has wheels.

An hour-and-a-half later, I'm almost to my client site on the South Side of Chicago. The rain is starting to become a problem.

The final stretch of road leading to my destination has nearly 2 feet of standing water on it. There's no turning back at this point. I hug the center of the road and white-knuckle my way to higher ground.

ACT III - AFTER THE FLOOD

After high floods come low ebbs. --Dutch Proverb

Scene I - Parking Lot at the Client Site, After My Meetings Have Ended.

Enter: Polite Lady.

"Sir.. Excuse me, sir?"

"Yes," I say.

"I just spoke with a few of our couriers.. They say the road out is completely flooded. The water is waist high."

She points me to another exit and gives me directions to the interstate.

Scene II - Back in the Car.

I glance at my watch.

Looks like my meetings ended sooner than expected. Ooh, I might even make an earlier flight home. Getting close now.

Ok, where do I exit?

There it is: "Rental Car Returns, Next Exit"

[miniature logos of Hertz, Budget, Avis, National -- but no Thrifty]...

It's now or never... I better- It's too late.. I missed the exit.

It must be up ahead. Why wouldn't the Thrifty logo be on that sign?

"Welcome to O'Hare International." "Long-term parking... Short-term parking... Arrivals stay right."

It's got to be here somewhere? Where are you,

Thrifty?

"Departures ahead." "Terminal 1." "Terminal 2." "Airport exit - City."

I exit the complex, just in time for some traffic. Forget that earlier flight.

After more driving, I see a sign for Car Rental Return.

Same exit sign as the one on the way in, except this one has the Thrifty logo added to the end of the list. Deep breath.

Two redlight-lined miles later, I see the Thrifty place approaching me on the left.

Unfortunately, this is one of those roads you find in congested areas around airports that has an island separating the lanes of traffic.

It's elevated about four inches higher than the rest of the road, but it might as well be four feet high -- I'm crossing it, and I'm returning this car if it kills me.

I sneak up onto the elevated divider, wait for my chance... It's Frogger-time.

I punch the accelerator and swerve across the road into the Thrifty parking lot. I pull into the designated return area, get out, and silently vow never to rent from Thrifty again.

Scene II - The Car Rental Place.

Enter: The People from Act II, Scene I.

I walk to the counter and hand the man my now-crunchy paperwork and keys.

I say to the guy, "you know.. When you're coming from I-294, there's no sign for Thrifty... There's a sign with all the other rental car companies, but not Thrifty."

He mutters, "you should have followed our directions." "Your directions," I ask?

He reaches down behind the counter and pulls out a Bazooka gum wrapper-sized sheet of paper with a faded set of directions on it.

"No one gave me these," I say.

He replies, "Yeah we did. We put them in the envelope with your rental contract."

I dig my way through the paperwork, hurriedly trying to prove my nemesis wrong.

Sure enough, I find the directions.

"Guess I should have somehow known that, huh... You know, no customer is ever going to know you've given him directions unless you tell him so."

He shrugs his shoulders and walks away. I steam.

ACT IV - SUNDOWN

The end crowneth the work. --Elizabeth I

Scene I - The Bus.

Enter: A Different Bus Driver.

I step onto the bus that's supposed to take me back to the airport terminal.

The driver asks me which airline I'm flying.

I reply, "US Airways."

We quickly arrive at the first terminal. People get off. No word from the driver.

I ask him, "is this the exit for US Airways?" He hesitates for a moment and says, "Yes, it is."

I exit the bus.

Scene II - The Ticketing Area.

Enter: The Information Lady.

"Excuse me.. Can you please tell me where I can find the ticket counter for US Airways?"

"Yes, sir. That would be in the Next Terminal [points off in the distance]... You just need to go out this door, turn right, and walk until you reach the next terminal.."

"But it's raining and the Thrifty guy told me-.. OK, thanks."

I step back outside and walk in the rain until I reach my destination.

December 1, 2003 12:03 AM

Broken: Sign typography

Andrea Emery writes from Ottawa, Canada:

Every day I cycle into school and on my way in, I pass this building sign. It's been up for quite a while and I couldn't resist snapping a photo of it. It's a perfect example of the Gestalt principle of proximity: things that are grouped closer together are perceived as belonging together. Therefore we tend to read this sign from top to bottom and not necessarily line by line.