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There’s something about humans and technology that makes them a perfect combo for a disaster waiting to happen. And even though we live in 2020, where tech has become a quintessential part of our daily lives, it doesn’t mean it’s as easy as pie. Don’t believe me?

Ask the tech support workers who have been witness to such monstrosities, it makes you wonder what on earth their clients were thinking. A client upgrading his phone and keeping his old screen protector ‘cause why not? Check. A mouse covered in hand grease up to the point that it’s just a lump of sheer nastiness? Check. Rice inside the iPhone? Sure. Cables tangled so badly, they resemble a wasp nest? Of course.

Thanks (do we really wanna thank them for dis?) to the Reddit community that goes by the all-telling name r/techsupportgore, we now have pure nightmare material for tech support workers or any other person who is no stranger to common sense. Psst! More painfully funny and cringe-worthy tech and gadget disasters waiting in part 1.

#2

I Said "Put It In Rice." Not "Put Rice In It."

I Said "Put It In Rice." Not "Put Rice In It."

techsupportgore Report

#3

Apparently Someone Got Tired Of It Ringing, So The Put It In The Oven

Apparently Someone Got Tired Of It Ringing, So The Put It In The Oven

techsupportgore Report

The r/techsupportgore subreddit was created on February 29, 8 years ago, and has since grown into a solid community of 467k members. According to the group’s description, it will make you “cringe to the brink of passing out after a few minutes looking at this subreddit.”

Some time ago, Bored Panda contacted Coffeechipmunk, the moderator of the r/techsupportgore subreddit, who said that the most popular posts in the community are usually the ones that show a device a moment away from exploding.

“It’s both dangerous and cool,” explained the mod. “They probably get so big because people post the pics and you think, 'Wow, that's just a bomb at that point.'"Whoever is wondering why the subreddit got so popular, it all comes down to the fact that “Honestly... it's very fun," Coffeechipmunk said.

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#4

This Key After 10 Years Of Entering Orders At My Grandmothers Shop

This Key After 10 Years Of Entering Orders At My Grandmothers Shop

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#5

Just Set It On Fire

Just Set It On Fire

techsupportgore Report

“In a time where most of the internet can be incredibly serious and most times saddening or angering, r/techsupportgore is fun because you go on it and you can laugh (and/or cringe) at the crazy posts. Where else can you see a post like, 'Wow, these cables really are messy' to 'A lizard fried my motherboard' back to back?”

Essentially, it attracts a bunch of people that enjoy tech and the very worst of it. Also, it’s especially relevant to the current generations Y and Z who basically grew up with tech around them. For these kids and young adults, seeing the picture of someone trying to charge their new laptop without taking it out of the box is essentially priceless.

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#7

One Of My Clients Upgraded His Phone But Kept His Old Screen “Protector”

One Of My Clients Upgraded His Phone But Kept His Old Screen “Protector”

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#8

German T-Mobile Found 3 Snakes Inside Their Network Unit

German T-Mobile Found 3 Snakes Inside Their Network Unit

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Kari Panda
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ah, the irony. The German word for snake is also a term for someone who‘s deceitful. Seeing as our lovely Deutsche Telekom dastardly 'renewed' the contract I had with them (thus making me pay for my phone/internet TWICE for 1,5 years), I vote for this to become their official representation photo.

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#9

Customer Brought In This Imac For Not Powering On... This Is How He Apparently Uses It

Customer Brought In This Imac For Not Powering On... This Is How He Apparently Uses It

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#10

The Nastiest Mouse I Have Ever Seen In The Field. Make No Mistake, That Is Not Dust. That Is...uh...hand-Grease

The Nastiest Mouse I Have Ever Seen In The Field. Make No Mistake, That Is Not Dust. That Is...uh...hand-Grease

techsupportgore Report

#11

Shipping Thousands Of Dollars Worth Of Computers With No Packaging Material

Shipping Thousands Of Dollars Worth Of Computers With No Packaging Material

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Philly Bob Squires
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Amazon did this to me... I ordered 3 6 TB hard drives and they shipped them in a bubble mailer that looked like a truck ran over it. All of the HD boxes were crushed. The drives weren't damaged but I sent them back anyway along with a really stern phone call. They replaced them (actually sent me 4 instead of 3.) Ordered some lavender soap bars for the wife and they packed them in paper and bubble wrap and in an oversized box that was so secure you could have shipped nitroglycerin in. Go figure.

Martha Meyer
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When you package stuff at Amazon, you get told by the computer which size package to use. The algorithm sometimes makes weird decision, but doing it different that it tells you, will get you in trouble.

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Suzanne Clark
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Our college once received a donation of computers and paperwork from IBM. We received several medium sized boxes, approximately 16 x 16 inches, one of which held a single sheet of paper.

Oskar vanZandt
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I do tech gear collections and deliveries at times for my job... I am expected to bubble-wrap each piece (PC, laptop, monitor etc.) separately (keyboards and mice are a different matter). Customer returning kit: throw it all into a box, tangled into one big knot without any packaging...

DogMom
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Best Buy did the same thing to me with noise canceling headphones

Id row
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I just ordered a 20lb jug of cat litter and some cookies from Walmart. They came in the same box. Needless to say, the cookies had turned to dust.

Angharad Eatough
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

noooooooooooooooooooo, If they all got broken then.......... well that would be sad

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#12

Do You Think It Got Too Hot?

Do You Think It Got Too Hot?

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#13

"You Can Fix Your Sisters Phone Right? It Gets Hot Sometimes And Turns Itself Off A Lot". "What's That Smell?" Battery Acid. Literally Battery Acid

"You Can Fix Your Sisters Phone Right? It Gets Hot Sometimes And Turns Itself Off A Lot". "What's That Smell?" Battery Acid. Literally Battery Acid

techsupportgore Report

#14

“There’s Something Wrong With The Printer In The Lab...”

“There’s Something Wrong With The Printer In The Lab...”

techsupportgore Report

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#15

User Calls About Disc Being Stuck In Another Computer, Mentions Off Hand About This Laptop. They Had Been Using And Charging It Like This For Weeks...

User Calls About Disc Being Stuck In Another Computer, Mentions Off Hand About This Laptop. They Had Been Using And Charging It Like This For Weeks...

techsupportgore Report

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Jon S.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh crap, that's about to have the battery ignite. Mine expanded about 1/8th of that and I panicked, took the battery out and shut it in a steel box, before I could sleep soundly.

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#16

Brother Wanted A Wireless Mouse, Kid Wanted To Help

Brother Wanted A Wireless Mouse, Kid Wanted To Help

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#17

After Two Days Of Troubleshooting, The Solution Was To Simply Flip It Upside Down. Of Course

After Two Days Of Troubleshooting, The Solution Was To Simply Flip It Upside Down. Of Course

techsupportgore Report

#18

"My PC Won't Turn On"

"My PC Won't Turn On"

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#20

Someone At Work Secured This Power-Board

Someone At Work Secured This Power-Board

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#21

People That Use PC Cables To Rest Their Feet

People That Use PC Cables To Rest Their Feet

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Jon S.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Offices should supply foot rests or smaller desks for short people. Looks like she would struggle get her heels on the ground.

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#24

Came To A Restaurant With My Dad To Fix Their Internet Issues

Came To A Restaurant With My Dad To Fix Their Internet Issues

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Kim
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Please tip health inspection... The people that are responsible for this grossness are also responsible for a clean kitched o_0

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#25

"I Forgot That I Left My Laptop On The Top Of My Truck. It Flew Off When I Was On The Highway. Can You Fix It?"

"I Forgot That I Left My Laptop On The Top Of My Truck. It Flew Off When I Was On The Highway. Can You Fix It?"

techsupportgore Report

#26

Spaghetti Baguette. "I Was On A School Trip. 6 Electric Sockets For 70 People"

Spaghetti Baguette. "I Was On A School Trip. 6 Electric Sockets For 70 People"

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#27

Drilled Right Into The Battery

Drilled Right Into The Battery

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#29

“My Tablet Is Not Charging” - Is This A Battery Or A Pillow?

“My Tablet Is Not Charging” - Is This A Battery Or A Pillow?

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#30

Customer Tried To Change The Mainboard

Customer Tried To Change The Mainboard

techsupportgore Report

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#32

My Girlfriend's Xbox 360 Hard Drive Was Rattling... Can I Recover The Data?

My Girlfriend's Xbox 360 Hard Drive Was Rattling... Can I Recover The Data?

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#34

Dispatched About A Computer That Wouldn't Boot, It Was Epoxied To The Desk. They Had To Cut It Out For Us

Dispatched About A Computer That Wouldn't Boot, It Was Epoxied To The Desk. They Had To Cut It Out For Us

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Tiari
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It certainly looks cool, even though it's totally impractical.

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#35

Hey Boss, The UPS Had Some Crazy European Connector, But I Fixed It!

Hey Boss, The UPS Had Some Crazy European Connector, But I Fixed It!

techsupportgore Report

#36

He Paid Extra For The Expert Installation

He Paid Extra For The Expert Installation

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Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not too technical savy but it looks like a liquid cooling system that's been badly setup. Hence the whole "paid extra for the EXPERT installation" bit

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#37

Teacher Was "Multitasking" And Set Laptop On Hot Stove... It Still Works Other Than A Few Lines On The Screen

Teacher Was "Multitasking" And Set Laptop On Hot Stove... It Still Works Other Than A Few Lines On The Screen

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#38

Customer Attempted Their Own Hdmi Repair With A Blowtorch

Customer Attempted Their Own Hdmi Repair With A Blowtorch

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#39

I Tried To Use My Old Case As A Chair

I Tried To Use My Old Case As A Chair

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#40

"I Straightened Bent Pins With Tweezer, But It Won't Work Afterwards"

"I Straightened Bent Pins With Tweezer, But It Won't Work Afterwards"

techsupportgore Report

Note: this post originally had 80 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.