Escalate or lose. Last year my internet provider did something similar, kept charging me for a router I'd already mailed back. Three calls got me nowhere, just kept bouncing me between departments. I finally looked up the corporate office address online and sent a physical letter, certified mail, detailing everything. Got a call from an executive assistant two days later, and they not only fixed it but gave me a service credit. The first line people often just don't have the tools or authority to solve weird system errors. You absolutely have to ask for a supervisor or find a way to go higher up the chain.

Oh totally! I had a similar thing with my old Minolta where the film advance was sticking. Turns out it was just some hardened grease on one gear, a five minute clean with rubbing alcohol. Felt silly calling it a "repair" when it was basically maintenance.

My local supermarket installed these self-checkouts six months ago. I've had that exact weight sensor freak-out happen with a bag of apples. It's part of this trend where we're told tech makes life easier, but it just adds new hoops to jump through. Like when apps update and suddenly you can't find the simple button to pay your bill. Why do we accept systems that punish us for tiny mistakes? I'm starting to think the old way with a cashier is less stress, even if it takes a bit longer.

Lmao, right @thea704? Felt like a proper treasure hunt.

Yeah exactly, that flooding story is a perfect example. The delay on our site was about three months total. Had to bring in new equipment to fix the grading, redo some foundation work. The real kicker was the extra cost, which of course the paper plans never mentioned. Makes you wonder how many other projects are just one heavy rain away from a big problem.