What was your biggest oopsy on a call??

[KopyKat]

More of a funny story...

Quite a few years back I had to replace a gear on an old analog copier in a dentist's office. Got the set screw out just fine but the machine was so old and rusty that the gear had seized onto the shaft. Tried every lube I had in my kit but the damn thing wouldn't budge.

I don't carry rarely used tools in my kit so I went out to the car and got my big ass channel locks. I didn't think about how that would look to the patients in the waiting room. But their faces were priceless! I have a habit with opening my mouth and blurting out what I find funny comments at some inopportune times. Without a thought, I said "Got a tough pull back there." Hey I thought it was funny! The receptionist gave me 'the glare' pulled me aside and asked me never to do that again. Got the gear replaced and got the heck out! Had to use the back door after that one.

Also have broken shit, got cut and shocked over the years like everyone else and probably still will in the future...nature of the business.

[schooltech]

Yeah, same stupid shit as other techs-cut, broken lamps, damaged drums, shocked, etc.

I think it may have been when I started to work on the Gestetner 2713z series machine (the little clamshell machines) and I worked on a few before but w/o the doc feeder. Going to replace the fuser, and once the releases were out, the machine opened up and I think I went to pick up another tool or something --- the machine began to tip over on the table due to the extra weight of the DF. It scared the shit out of me because that would be the equivalent of having a car fall off of an auto lift.

I caught it, kind of "looked around" and I pretty sure that no one saw it.

Looking back, probably taking too long to work on the machines at a strip club in Vegas was a service call "no-no" but it was definitely not an 'oopsie.'

KopyKat---those faces had to be a classic look!!!

[schooltech]

Yeah, same stupid shit as other techs-cut, broken lamps, damaged drums, shocked, etc.

I think it may have been when I started to work on the Gestetner 2713z series machine (the little clamshell machines) and I worked on a few before but w/o the doc feeder. Going to replace the fuser, and once the releases were out, the machine opened up and I think I went to pick up another tool or something --- the machine began to tip over on the table due to the extra weight of the DF. It scared the shit out of me because that would be the equivalent of having a car fall off of an auto lift.

I caught it, kind of "looked around" and I pretty sure that no one saw it.

Looking back, probably taking too long to work on the machines at a strip club in Vegas was a service call "no-no" but it was definitely not an 'oopsie.'

KopyKat---their faces had to be classic!!!

[joelsa12]

When I first started in this industry I worked for a dealer where I was the office gopher. I did everything from installs, computer networking, and supply deliveries. I was out in a box truck for the first time in my life. All alone young and scared to be driving such a monster. I was delivering supplies to a chuch. Took the short way under the over hang to the front door. For some reason the truck just stopped. I was confused. I got out walked around the truck to find nothing in the way. I jumped back in and punched it. Right then I realized I was stuck under the under hang. We had to take the air out of the tires to get it unstuck. The company had to pay for a new over hang that they tore down about two months later to add on to the building. Bright side of the story I did get those supplies delvivered. I am happy to be a tech now so I fix things now rather than break them

[Robert Sveinson]

It wasn't my oopsie, but it was on one of my
XEROX 4000s Shudder time again.
This oopsie occurred because my co-worker
was helping me to get my head above water.
It was a machine in my NEW territory.
I had made one visit to this fine machine, but
another problem showed up.
When I visited this machine (for the first time)
I did I think all the good stuff we all do during
our visits. I was sitting on the floor fiddling
in the xerographic cavity and when
I was loosening a nut with my quarter inch
open end box end wrench when ( clumsy me ) I
dropped it! When it landed in the big black
plastic base it did not make a sound
as we might expect. I was able to reach
the wrench and I picked it up.
Surprise! The reason that the wrench didn't
make a sound when it fell was that the plastic
base was full of toner ( don't know why) and
fuser oil. What a fine sticky sludge I had.
I cleaned my wrench and finished doing
the "total call" and tested it. I didn't do
anything about the BLOB down there, because
I was way behind on my calls, and I was running
and co-workers helping me in my new territory,
and flagged this one, in my note book for my next visit!
I am starting to SHUDDER, just thinking about this
call!
Well before I could get back to this machine
the customer called with another problem, and a
willing co-worker took the call. It was his first visit
as it was mine, and he was more observent than I was for my
visit.
He spotted the BLOB, but he didn't touch it. He went to his car
and brought in his "super suck" vacuum cleaner. He sat down
on the floor and fired up super suck and pushed the
crevis tool into the blob that he thought was only toner.
You can well imagine the sound as the vacuum cleaner
sucked up the toner/fuser oil blob. Some of the blob
got out of the vacuum cleaner to cause a huge mess.
It was a tile floor so my co-worker ( bless him) was able
to clean up the mess so well that the little room
looked as if nothing had happened.
I bought him lunch and were then able to laugh
at the near disaster.
I can't recall whether there was a prize for that story,
but it got lots of laughs.

My co-worker left Xerox, but not because
he had to fight with the blob

This story still causes laughs and puzzlement
to new hires..

Robert

"Still no shudder in my life, and I spent
9 or 10 years on the 4000s in that territory
and I remained "sane" I think!!"

[mrwho]

Since we're here also sharing other people's woopsies, here's one.

The very first day I went to work on my new job as a copier tech, as I was arriving at my new job location, I saw to of my (now ex-)colleagues running out of the facilities pushing a brand-new Konica 1212 on top of a cart. As they are hastily pushing it through the parking lot, the cart's wheels bump on something, the cart suddenly stops and the machine crashes straight on the floor. Without a word, the two fellas pick up the machine, load it onto the cart and push it back into the building.

I was dumbfolded watching this and thinking "Holy cow - I thing I'm going to enjoy working here!"

[mrobe48942]

Two oopsy's spring to mind.Both in my early days around 1980.The first was after servicing a Toshiba BD608 in a school during the holidays,it had to be pushed on its trolley back into a store cupboard.The trolley was a home made one by the customer too tight to buy the proper cabinet.I pushed the copier to the cupboard,one of the wheels suddenly stopped.The top which was not screwed on and the copier ended up on the floor,with the copier on its side. The caretaker helped me lift in back on the trolley.Not a mark externally but terrible paper skew for the rest of the copiers life.Schhh.
The other was also in a school around the same time.I was servicing a Roto 613 offset.The machine was tempory placed in the school hall because a new floor was being laid in the Reprograhic Room.The new floor had already been laid in the school hall, they were navy blue vinyl tiles.I had just finished the service and was tidying up.I reached over to put the top back on the can of MEK I had been using and accidently knocked it over.Instant melt down of 4 vinyl tiles in the dead centre of the hall.Oooops.
I haven't always been accident prone,honest, and I have just completed 32 years in the trade

[scepter2112]

I was working on a Canon MP270 in my office, and had a blown power supply. I sent my supply out for repair got it back. Installed and tested machine all was well, while talking to my Boss and installing rear cover BOOOM! The repair center I sent the board to, replaced a Heat sink with a poor soldering job. There was a solder joint that extended further than it should have and when cover went back into place made contact with back cover. It scared the #%&* out of me, and the look my Boss gave me made me feel like an Idiot.

[blackcat4866]

I don't remember the precise circumstances but as I tell it'll come back to me.

I started out at a Mita dealer, and we sold mostly 15cpm tabletop machines. This was ~ 1991. I was setting up two new Mita DC1435s, and had a Mita DC131 partially disassembled. All three were lined up on one of those wheeled collapsible carts that the salesman use. The DC131 weighs at least as much as the other two machines combined.

As usual, the salesman was pushing to have his machines done first ("I've got to leave in 15 minutes. Will the machines be ready? No?..."). So I rush through the setups. The salesman is trying to take the machines while the test copies are still coming out. I turn my back for a moment then when I look back, the first 1435 is in the salesman's car and he's taking the second one.

In slow motion I see the cart tip, then crash to the concrete floor with the DC131 on it. What do you suppose the salesman says? "Why did you do that?!" =^..^=

[apache_cat]

Great thread plenty of laughs. Though its not so funny at the time.
I have done the toner thing. Been shocked and that sort of thing.

My worst memories so far have been when doing operator training. First colour mc I trained on customer asked me if it would copy on to some gloss paper they had there. So I said lets find out. (I know I know) anyway after it wrapped around the fuser. I then proceeded to pull the fuser out and turn it upside down thus spilling silicone oil all over there carpet. Ooops.

On my very first training call I was on a copier I had never seen and had no Idea about at all (but that never bothers copier companies). Any way copier was in a very small room and I was nervously trying to find menus and so forth before the people came in. Unfortunately I farted and it was deadly. Just then the people came in. Lucky for me they blamed it on one of their own who was notorious for such things. Ooops

Did a training call one day and people kept looking at my face and turning their heads away. They seemed to be either trying to hide laughing or crying I couldn't tell. There was about 20 people. So I got through the training thinking what a bunch of
A** Holes. When I got in my car and reversed out I notice this massive zit had broken out on the end of my nose. It was ready to burst I have never had one like it before and I am over 40yrs old. oops