Giving gadgets as Christmas gifts this year? The Consumerist reminds us that with expensive, high-demand electronics like consoles, tablets, and phones, it’s important to open them up and test them to make sure they work before you wrap them up and put them under the tree. Here’s why.
Photo by Neon Tommy
While no one wants to think they’re the type of person who might open up a new PS4 and find a box of bricks instead of a console, or an iPad that’s actually a mirror instead of a tablet, it happens to people all the time. Beyond that, it’s worth checking to make sure all of the accessories are there and the device is in good working order before putting it under the tree or gift wrapping it. You don’t want to unbox and set up a new console only to find it’s DOA and you’ll have to spend the day after your happy unwrapping in line at a department store trying to exchange it for a new or working model.
Beyond the fact that you want to get your money’s worth and avoiding the hassle of returns and exchanges (especially at the last minute or right after the holidays), there’s a bigger problem that can be easily avoided with a little testing: The sad, disappointed look on your friend’s, child’s or spouse’s face when they fire up their brand new gift only to find it’s broken. Don’t let it happen, people.
Should I Test My Kid’s PS4 Before Gift-Wrapping It? Yes. [The Consumerist]
Comments
9 responses to “Don’t Forget To Test Expensive Electronics Before Gift Wrapping Them”
See… they may not be gift wrapping, but the principle is still the same, so… if the suppliers of all our electronic goods could do the same thing…. 🙂
Test every device thats made? 2.1mil PS4’s sold world wide, probably similar number of xbox ones. Plus phones, tablets etc there is no way testing everything is possible.
Yeah…. it’s a joke dude… just a joke…
seriously, has everyone lost their sense of humour round here…?
@timmahh’s comment is fair – it is actually possible to test every one.
These things are put together on a factory line. One step in the line should be a basic operational test.
Saying there’s no way to test every one is the same as say there’s no way glue the back on each one, or put each one in a box, or to soldier in the main circuit board in each one.
Thanks dude… It really was just a joke though… 🙂
Maybe saying “no way” was wrong, more like extremely far fetched and fanciful is more appropriate.
Just be prepared to pay for it (implementing testing for every electronic device made in the world wont be cheap and there’s only so much a company will brunt before passing that cost on) and even then the companies will still have to have a DOA process regardless, as they still wont be able to guarantee every device is not going to be DOA.
Testing every device for ‘quality control’ would need to be done by people, not by robots that handle the vast majority of the manufacturing process
Unless you’re also taking me for a ride and your comment was also a joke 😀
And to add to this, for gifts with batteries, include the batteries, and/or charge them up.
But the seal… you’ll break the seal….
Bought an RC car for a nephew’s birthday. Goodthing I decided to test it out first (definitely for the purposes of QC and certainly not my own enjoyment >_>)
It basically didn’t work – it would drive forward a bit and then get stuck (you could still hear the engine trying to run though).