Client's PC caught fire during a remote session last Tuesday

So I'm doing a remote support job for a guy in Ohio, right. I'm walking him through uninstalling some bloatware and suddenly he yells that smoke is coming out of his tower. Turns out his PSU was a cheap no-name brand from like 2012. I told him to unplug it immediately and we ended the session. I felt bad but also like how am I supposed to know your power supply is a fire hazard from here. Anyone else ever had a client's rig literally smoke out while you're on the line?

2 comments

2 Comments

eva2431mo ago

Man that's rough but honestly I've had my own PC almost catch fire on me once. My old gaming rig had a power supply that literally sparked when I turned it on and I just sat there watching it for a solid five seconds like an idiot before unplugging it. So I feel your client's pain but also you can't control what power supply they bought off Amazon for 20 bucks. At least nobody got hurt and now they know not to cheap out on the one part that can actually burn your house down. Did you ever find out if his PC was salvageable or did the whole thing go up in smoke?

blakem821mo ago

Whoa hold up, I actually see it a little different. A client trusts you to build them something safe, even if they picked a cheap part you should catch that stuff before it goes in the case. It's kind of like if a mechanic installed tires you brought in even though they were clearly gonna blow out on the highway, you know? Lucky nobody got hurt, but I'd feel pretty bad about that one.