The warranty card for a portable fridge I received as a present seems to be a copy of the Engrish version supplied by the OEM.
The sheet contains sentences such as:
"Repair will be offered with charged collected in principle if the following happens within calidity" and "Malfunction or damage caused by falling down during carry"
DSE are too lazy to rewrite it? :)
Full transcription here:
For everyone's edification (including mine), from
Ca`lid´i`ty n. 1. Heat.
The sub-directory name says it all: "dick-smith-engrish" A sub-set of Jinglish. :-)
Don...
-- Don McKenzie E-Mail Contact Page: http://www.dontronics.com/e-mail.html Crystal clear, super bright OLED LCD (128x128) for your microcontroller. Simple serial RX/TX interface. Many memory sizes. http://www.dontronics-shop.com/product.php?productid=16460
Almost as good as a manual for an I/O card DSE stocked in the early 90s that made reference to the "PISS HEAD" on PCB. I always regret not making a photocopy of that!
DSE once sold analog watches and I remember the day the tickets came in describing the range as "MENS ANAL WATCH". It didn't take long for the description to be changed :)
Fun fun fun
Mike
I just noticed that the image on the box shows the fridge containing products which appear to be for the Australian market - Schweppes lemonade, Sunkist, Coca Cola. If DSE went to the trouble of designing the box, including a photo shoot, why couldn't they have rewritten the one page warranty? LOL
"Mike Paull"
** DSE sold an electrically heated toilet seat back in the late 70s.Store staff immediately dubbed it - " The Dick Warmer " !
....... Phil
Yeah and most of them were returned; slightly soiled - yukko and not working; and made their wives bring them back; cowards!
AB
What makes you think that those brand names are unique to Oz ? They are all globalbrands.
geoff
You're probably right. I looked more closely and saw a Golden Circle drink box, but that seems to be a global brand these days as well. :)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hate to break the news, but most of these brands are commonly available overseas.
There isn't anything new about poorly translated documentation with imported consumer goods, its been going on since the 1970's that I can remember, and probably earlier.
The cost of actually rewriting the warranty and instructions probably isn't that much, a competent person could probably rewrite the entire thing in a short time, but the cost of printing possibly thousands of copies, and paying someone to open 1000's of boxes, replace the booklets, and reseal them would probably be the big killer :) Doing this with every different consumer product in-store would be a massive undertaking.
Most consumers probably don't give a damn either, many won't ever have a fault with the device within its expected life-span, and therefore won't need to make a warranty claim. Many of those who do have a fault with the unit will simply toss it out and won't claim (will just buy another), (this could also be the case if they are required to post it back to the importer for warranty claim, and the postage both ways is a significant portion of the purchase price of the item) The few unsatisfied buyers that are left would probably bring the thing back and complain regardless of the documentation (or lack of) :).
In my experience, on the very few occasions I have had problems with purchases, I have found most Aussie retailers Big W, Coles, DSE etc are quite reasonable with replacing / exchanging obviously faulty goods, even if you have lost the docket etc. (Most will even refund without a problem if you simply change your mind and return item in re-sale able condition)
I appreciate your point of view and agree it could be a costly exercise opening every box and replacing the instructions. However should it be proven the instructions (due to translation errors) were misleading and this resulted in death or injury to the user, then I think companies importing goods / retailer selling the goods with dubious instructions may very well rethink their obligations when they get sued.
It would not cost much to print an amended instruction book and affix it to the outside of the packaging in one of those resealable bags (something like those packaging notes for customs for instance).
Cheers, Alan
They should take the first sample product and do some basic tests (presumably they still do this anyway - although I have doubts). The misleading instructions should become all too apparent. A revised version should be written, passed back to the manufacturers for printing & inclusion in the original box.
Much better way of doing it, but of course importers are too lazy.
-- Regards Kevin Martin To reply - delete what is "not required" (Abbrev) from my address.
Yes, even though they are usually able to print a new warranty card and have it included in the box!
MrT.
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