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A project to make businesses more aware of their customer experience, and how to fix it. By Mark Hurst. |
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Broken: Microsoft Application error reporting
Jonathan Wolf Rentzsch points out an amusing error message:
You chose to end the nonresponsive program, Microsoft Application Error Reporting.Jonathan writes:
Ironic... Microsoft Outlook hung one morning, and when Microsoft Application Error Reporting
tried to report the error, that hung too.
[P.S. Happy New Year from This Is Broken! -mh]
Broken: M27 westbound sign in Hampshire, UK
Gregg Bond submits a picture of a sign taken between Fareham and Southampton in Hampshire, UK:
I was driving along the road the other evening and spotted this overhead road sign.
Suffice to say, its properly broken :)
Broken: "Pop-up" pop-up blocker ad
Matt Larson writes:
I am rather sick of annoying pop-ups, and berating me with pop-ups is probably not the best way to get me to download your product.
Also, this window continued to appear about 10 times after i kept closing it
Broken: Cafe Press dog t-shirt fitting instructions
Kevyn Hopkins wonders:
I'm not sure how these measuring instructions on the Cafe Press website will help me fit a t-shirt for my dog...
Broken: Orange Mobile customer call
Simon Willison shares a story on his blog about the UK mobile phone company Orange:
I had a call on my mobile phone from a lady claiming to be from Orange, my mobile phone service provider here in the UK, who told me that my contract was about to expire. She then asked me for my password. Alarm bells instantly went off in my head, so I told her (truthfully as it happens) that I didn't know my password. Then, she asked for my postcode instead.
At this point I was pretty sure this was a social engineering attack, so I started to quiz her about why she needed the information. She said it was for a "security check." I told her I was uncomfortable giving out personal information to a cold caller over the phone. Then, she told me that it was nothing to worry about because it was all covered by "the data protection act."
I said that I would rather conduct my business in an Orange shop, and she told me that she would have to put a mark on my record that indicated I had failed a security check. I interpreted this as a threat, which convinced me that the call was an attempted con. I asked for her name and ended the call.
I e-mailed Orange customer support via their website with details of the call and the number it came from. I then received their reply - and it turns out that the call was really from Orange!
Banks and other online services have learned to repeatedly tell their customers that they will never contact them and ask for their account information like a password. Orange are leaving themselves wide open to social engineering attacks. This incredible lack of attention to basic security has given me serious second thoughts about trusting them with my business at all.
Broken: Sprint billboard at Times Square, NY
Joe Schmidt points out:
This is a picture of a Sprint billboard at Times Square in New York City displaying a crashed Windows screen.
Classic!
The original and all sizes can be seen here on Joe Schmidt's Flickr photo stream.
Broken: HP Printer box
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]
Broken: Box directions
Dan Mahaffey writes in:
I received an order of Christmas decorations in a corrugated box made in China.
I noticed that "sharp instructions" are forbidden. I had planned on getting into the package with the command "Open, @#$(*!! " but the Chinese supplier wanted me to be more polite. So I used a sharp instrument instead.
Broken: (for fun) Suffering cough-syrup customers
Gabriel Hurley points out:
Buckley's is a cough syrup company with the slogan "It tastes awful. And it works."
On their website is a photo gallery of customers sending in pictures of themselves suffering through the Buckley's customer experience.
Broken: Magnavox Television manual
Bob Heideman writes: This is from my Magnavox 27MS4504's Manual.
"These features are the same." Uhh... what? Classic.
Broken: Monkey-picked tea
This tea boasts that it's "monkey-picked." Am I missing something here? (All I can think of monkeys picking is lice...)
Broken: Timex 'Easy Set' alarm clock
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.
Broken: Denver Post 'email article' option
Laura S. Creekmore observes:
In The Denver Post online, when you are trying to email someone an article, it states that your message accompanying the article can be "100 characters maximum" (which is pretty short in my opinion).
The problem is that the input box doesn't alert you when you have typed over 100 characters. It lets you type over 100 characters. Then, when you click to send the message, it clears the whole form and then alerts you that you have typed more than 100 characters.
I shouldn't have to be counting letters as I type.
Broken: Audi owner email
Adam Bromwich writes in:
I received an Audi owner e-mail with the following news item, which I found to be incredibly amusing:
Non-Problem Problems
They have been called "faux problems" — a term used to describe customer problems that aren't really problems, but are actually part of the car's design. Examples include red lights in the doors that continue flashing (to show the alarm system is armed and operative) and the sound system that automatically adjusts the volume at various speeds to compensate for driving noise.
As an assist for new owners, Audi includes a list of frequently-cited "faux problems" and explanations in the owner welcome kit. This helps reduce unnecessary calls to the dealer and adds to the driving experience. So if you're a new owner and you think you may have a problem with your Audi, check the owner privileges portfolio that came with your welcome kit. It may be not be a problem at all.
I guess Audi has given up on designing these features and instead chalks it up to owner ignorance. I would have expected them to tell me something along the lines of, "Here are some common misunderstandings, and we're working to eliminate them."
Their examples can be addressed with design changes, even just by providing visual or audible feedback to the driver. Sad to see that Audi's approach to design problems is so broken.
Broken: Insurancehotline.com form
Dave Collins writes in:
In the fine tradition of the "Do not read this sign," I bring you this website submission form:
http://www.insurancehotline.com/scripts/insquote.pl?instype=rosalind_sto
Yes, a completely empty form.
The piece du resistance: you can successfully submit this form!
Somehwere out there a database is bursting with nulls.
Broken: (not broken) Billboardom
Not broken... just a sort of related site, showing interesting advertising campaigns. BILLBOARDOM: Gallery of Billboards, Signage and Outdoor Advertising.
Broken: (for fun) Mt. St. Helens volcano camera
Reader Rivka points out:
A few months ago the Mt. St. Helens volcano webcam was blocked... by a fly.
Can't the fly see it's blocking our view? Broken fly!
Broken: Provantange.com shopping cart
Alex Yourke points out:
On Provantage, an online shopping computer products store, clicking the "Remove" link under an item in your Shopping Cart does not remove the item - it throws an error dialog named "Javascript" that tells you what to do to remove the item.
To make matters worse, even if you follow the instruction of putting in a zero and clicking the "Remove" link again, it complains with the same error dialog! You actually have to figure out that you must click the "Recalculate" button after changing the quantity to zero. So, this "Remove" link is worse than useless, it forces the user to go through a series of unnecessary and unexplained steps.
Broken: Chicago Cutlery scissors
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.
Broken: Nuts Online slogan
I'm officially starting the club called "Then why'd you name it that?"
First entry: Nuts Online - "we're more than just nuts!"
Broken: Scotia Bank rewards site
Jamie Munro writes:
As a Mac user, I'm completely blocked from using the Scotia Bank rewards site to review my balance and view their catalogue.
This is their "new" site. The old site worked fine with Safari. It's hard to believe in 2005 that any major corporation would release an IE-only web site.
Broken: Human body toy packaging
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.
Broken: Displaced Smarte Carte
Peter Shapiro sends in a picture taken at the Chicago O’Hare Airport :
The Las Vegas carte probably got sick of the bright lights...
Broken: Route 95/128 sign in Massachusetts
Chet Milosh sends in a picture of a roadway sign:
This sign is on Route 95/128 just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Route 95 is splitting off Route 128, and the sign is supposed to be alerting you of this.
However, the sign appears to point to Route 95 which is branching off and becoming a dirt road. Even funnier, it looks like people have taken the dirt road. The actual split is about a mile up ahead, but you wouldn’t know it from the sign.
To make matters worse, there are a even few little cones that direct you into the dirt road.
Broken: GPS For Less terms and conditions page
Steve Marshall writes in:
I just bought some stuff from GPS for less. I found that before you purchase the items, it displays a terms and conditions page, where the terms and conditions are displayed as white text on a white background...and you thought grey text was hard to read!
Broken: Jean label logo
Andrew Stevenson points this out from Ben Donley's Flickr page:
The label reads:
=if(Label="","RMA","?")
This is an Excel function. It also would work in Microsoft Access. The factory is using Excel or Access to store all the logos for the different jeans they make and then print them onto leather. This is what happens when there is a bug in their software.
This was seen at the Chatuchak market in Krung Thep, Thailand.
Broken: Triple thick shake
Robert Lee observes:
McDonald's advertises a "Triple Thick® shake". I've been trying to locate the National Shake Thickness Standard to verify that these shakes are three times thicker than the standard.
[Maybe not "broken", but an apparently unprovable promise... -mh]
Broken: Bodega sign on 39th and Broadway
Joshua Seiden writes in:
This fine lunch establishment offers a "Hair and Nail Deli Salad". I may reconsider going vegan!