Please just LISTEN to me...

I messed with the settings on my DVD player two weeks ago, and consequently, it stopped working. D'oh!

I phoned Stax where I bought it, and spoke to two people who didn't understand what I was talking about. After insisting to speak to other people, I got through to a third person who knew exactly what I had done, and said I just needed to bring it in and he could reset it for me.

Eventually, this morning, I took it there, and this is what happened:

Me: "Good morning. Please can you help me?"
Salesman number 1: "Certainly. What is the problem with this DVD player?"
"Well, I changed the settings on my menu and now I can hear the movies, but can't see them. I called and the person I spoke to said I should bring it in and he could reset it for me."

Salesman number 1 then plugged it in to the nearest TV and could not find a picture.
"Oh, there is no picture."
"Yes, I told you - I messed up the settings."

He then changed from AV 1 to AV 2. Still no picture.

"This is broken, and needs to go for repair."
"No, it is not broken, I told you, and I messed up the settings. I called and spoke to someone who said that I needed to bring it in to have the settings redone."
"Well, I need your remote please"
"I don't have it here, he didn't mention I should have brought it, but I am sure any of yours will work,"
"No, this is a very old DVD player, and none of my remotes will work. Besides, I can’t get a picture, it must be broken.”
No, you are on AV2, and besides, I told you, it was working perfectly well until I changed the settings.”
“Ok then your cable is broken.”
“Um, not really, because you are using your cable and it is still not working.”
“Well, I can’t get a picture either, it must be broken.”
“Sir, with all due respect, you are not listening to me. I changed the settings and it stopped working. It needs to be reset. It is not broken. And if I had brought my remote it would not make a difference because you cannot see the menu on the screen. Please can you call someone else?”
“Ok, please wait.”

He returns with another person.
Salesman number 2: “Hi. We don’t have any remotes that will work on this DVD player, you should have brought yours then I could fix the menu for you.”
“Umm, please can I explain the story to you?”
“Ok”
“It was working fine, but then I changed some of the settings. When I changed it, the picture went away, and I can no longer access the menu. I phoned and spoke to a gentleman who said he knew what I had done and I just needed to bring it in and he would fix it for me.”
“No, he was just going to do your menu thing, which I can’t do as you have not brought your remote.”
“Well, then, let me show you that it won’t work. Bring one of your remotes please.”
“We don’t have any.”
“What about these display DVD machines?”
“No, you must use yours.”
“Ok, let me ask you this – if the man I spoke to was just going to reset it using my remote, why didn’t he just tell me how to do it over the phone?”
“I don’t know, but go home and phone and I will tell you how to do it over the phone.”
“I tell you what, why don’t you write down the instructions for me now instead please?”
Well, I need to know what is on your remote before I can tell you.”
“Ok, most remotes are the same. Bring me a remote and I will tell you which one it looks like.”
“No, it has to be your one.”
“Sir, with all due respect, I don’t think you understand the problem. I cannot fix it using the remote because I cannot see the menu.”
“No, I understand exactly, and you must just change the setting.”
“Please can you call someone else?”

Salesman number 3 overhears me getting louder and louder as this has now taken about half an hour, or it certainly feels like it. He says: “I know what to do – bring me a component cable please.”
He then plugs it into other coloured holes – green and something, not the white, red and yellow that I have, and changes it back to AV1, and voila. There is a picture. He then explains that I have just hosen progressive scan which does probably not work with my old TV – double checking that I don’t have a green plug hole, and then fetches a remote from just one metre away, resets the menu which we can now see, and it is fixed. (PS - my TV is probably 2 years old, and if that is old then I don't know...)

The other two kind of slink off invisibly, and I thank the third man profusely, wondering why the hell he didn’t come and help earlier. He was probably getting his dose of info for HIS daily blog.

It is as I have said before – don’t assume I am stupid and know nothing. LISTEN to what I am saying and assume that I may know what I am talking about.

Generally, I find that women and men are treated equally, and I have no cause ever to decry being a girl and not a boy, especially not at work. But just sometimes, I come across some Neanderthal man who thinks I must be stupid just because I am female. To you Mr Fuckwit, I say, don’t try help me with what you think I need, open your ears and listen. This will lessen both our frustration levels, and prevent GBH to some small-minded git who has not progressed past a third grade education.

Rant off.