Simple fitting instructions included.....

[Stringmaker]

Those simple words strike fear into my heart every time I see them.

They are a sophisticated cypher which when decoded mean the following:

"You will endure the seven circles of hell before you get this to work in the way you expect. You won't have the correct tools; you will break something vitally important and even then, it won't fit properly.....Mwahahaha!"

My water butt and downpipe adapter kit has arrived......wish me luck.

Am I just a pessimist or do any of you have tales of woe?

 

[Elen Sentier]

Yup! that's me too ... Best of Briish to you. Pix of the various stages of insanity might be fun...

 

[Stringmaker]

Ah good I'm glad it isn't just me!

 

[John Fenna]

You are not alone!

 

[Graham_S]

The Haynes manual school of engineering

"Simply remove"
"Fitting reverse of removal"

 

[Man of Tanith]

Tales of woe?
Years of struggling with flat pack.
Finally snapped and said not doing any more to lisa you can do em.
The next lot of flat pack had the simplest instructions ever.


Mutter mutter mutter

And I suspect it features in my immediate future as we are moving again soon

 

[mrcharly]

You'll be fine, as long as you have enough gaffer tape and a cup of tea

 

[crosslandkelly]

As men, we only resort to instructions as a last resort.

 

[BJJJ]

It's when they say "so easy a child can do it" . You know you are going to need a child to figure it out.

 

[British Red]

My worst was flat pack.....a trailer. It came with 276 bolts plus nuts and washers in 6 sizes plus about forty sundry parts and springs

Instructions were badly translated from the original gibberish.

At one point my darling wife was bringing me a brew and was barely missed by a flying socket wrench

 

[Stringmaker]

I regard myself as very placid and easy going. not given to fits of temper at all.

Unless.........an inanimate object conspires against me then I do tend to get a bit sweary.

A recent example was a flat packed self-assembly traditional hat stand for our hallway. Suffice it to say that the original is now in the garage...

 

[Markoben]

I always think if a product needs instructions then it doesnt fulfill its function. You should simply be able to use it. Surely thats the essence of good design.

Mark

 

[Stringmaker]

I agree to some extent but if it is something new to the individual (like a new piece of technology for instance), then instructions are needed to use it to its full design potential.

Most smart phones for example fall very much into that category.

 

[British Red]

I always think if a product needs instructions then it doesnt fulfill its function. You should simply be able to use it. Surely thats the essence of good design.

Mark

Cars?
Computers?
Or in the case of one retailer I worked for, complete operating theatres?

I think some items require instructions to either use or assemble - particularly those with controls or requiring user input. I can assure you my Husqvarna brush cutter required assembly, maintenance and operating instructions. It most certainly fulfils its function however.