An unusual request for new laptop power cable
Posted by annonymous2@reddit | talesfromtechsupport | View on Reddit | 106 comments
First of all, apologies as English is not my first language, and this happened quite some time ago, so I don't quite remember all the details. I work as a product lead and full-stack developer in a non-profit organisation based in the UK. The headcount of the entire IT department, including myself, is 15 people, compared to over 300 employees worldwide. Sometimes, people ask me about all sorts of IT support requests, which I am more than happy to help with if I have the time.
One sunny afternoon during lunch time, I was approached by a colleague who had just returned from a trip to France. Let's call her Jane.
Jane: Hi, Anno! Do you have a spare power cable for my laptop? I desperately need one right now.
Me: Yeah, you can submit an IT ticket request, and someone will be able to help you with that. Did you lose your power cable?
Jane: Well, no. I was back in France to spend time with my father at his house. I realised that the EU plug does not match the UK power cable, so I asked my dad for help.
Me: Ah, okay. So you forgot to bring it back with you?
Jane: Well, no. My father loves to tinker with electrical stuff, so he cut the power cable head from my laptop's power cable and replaced it with the EU head. But now I am back in the UK and I don't know how to change it back to the UK head.
Me: .... One moment please..... (As I immediately run to ask one of my colleagues who's in the IT support team to come and hear this amazing story himself).
Colleague: So you will need to file an IT support ticket for a replacement cable, as that specific hardware is now deemed damaged and unusable, and we need to contact our supplier about this. Also, you know that counts as destruction of company property, right? You could've just bought a travel adapter, and this issue wouldn't have happened in the first place.
Jane: Hmm, I don't know what's the matter with this. My dad is quite good at electrical stuff, so I don't know what the big deal is about this. But I will submit a ticket for a replacement cable. Thanks.
To this day, Jane still does not think that she did anything wrong, and we are just making things difficult for her. I think she still hates me.
TLDR: User destroyed company property, thinks she did nothing wrong, and moans about IT being difficult to her.
Hot-Win2571@reddit
Should have opened a ticket with Dad, obviously.
Nition@reddit
"I don't know why she came to you for a new power supply. I told her when she gets back to the UK, just buy an EU -> UK adapter to swap it back." - Dad
Kuddel_Daddeldu@reddit
Of course she should have bought an adapter in France, or a French power lead (many laptop power bricks have a detachable lead, with an IEC60320 type C5 aka Micky Mouse or trefoil or C13 like a desktop PC). But usually, IT has some spares; alternatively they are available at shops.
Before USB type C power supplies, I carried one power brick with European, UK, and US leads. Much better than adapters (I still needed adapters for e.g. South Africa and Australia, though). IT did not want to wire a plug for compliance reasons; technically it's not hard with the right tools (wire ferrules and crimping tool).
Nition@reddit
You make valid points, but you've missed that I'm talking French→UK adapter to adapt it back again, not UK→French adapter - that ship having already sailed.
ColdStorage256@reddit
She could potentially buy a UK to EU adapter in the EU.... I think this because I bought an EU to UK adapter in the UK, when preparing for my trip to the EU. Whoops.
Kuddel_Daddeldu@reddit
Of course that ship had sailed; that's what she should have done instead of letting her dad cut off the (molded) UK plug.
IT should have a spare power lead - at least every of my company's IT teams had a box of them. This is how I came by my collection.
Nowadays I just carry a 65W USB Type C power supply that came with UK and EU tips that slide over the foldable US prongs. Very useful.
Old-Class-1259@reddit
Last time I went back to Japan I went to a large two story high electronics store. Not just gadgets either, they sold PC components as well as pre builds and laptops. I asked for the Japanese Mickey Mouse equivalent cable, even pointing at it on a display laptop.
"Oh.. maybe we could order one? We do not sell these individually. Very unusual"
I just could not comprehend that such a shop in a major city Osaka with an international airport wouldn't stock a standard power cable for the local plug.
Nition@reddit
Not a UK→French adapter, a French→UK adapter to adapt it back again.
turtle_mekb@reddit
cutting and resoldering the wires is dangerous because they could have vastly different voltages, and some lack an Earth wire, right? idk about Europe/UK but I think US is 120 V where as Australia is 240 V
GrandMoronOfLogic@reddit
FYI, most computer/laptop PSUs will accept a wide voltage range. My dell laptop charger is 100-240v and I haven't seen a voltage switch on server or consumer PSUs for some time. IMO it's safe to say as long as the plug was wired correctly there should be no risk, but what do I know. The question still stands, why not just buy cheap travel adapter or a generic cable for the region? Sorry, drunk and bored at an airport.
scyllafren@reddit
99% of the laptop power adapters has removable cables, we call it Mickey Mouse cable, as the shape of the connector goes into the power brick looks like him :)
MomokeVst@reddit
My partner's power brick is even easier: it's got a regular desktop-style connector (gaming laptop), so when she came over from Canada to the EU, we just plugged the one from my old tower in there
Sindaan@reddit
Or a figure-8
anubisviech@reddit
Please don't kill me, but I've used the figure-8-plug in Mickey Mouse sockets in the past. There is only one correct way to do this.
handlebartender@reddit
I've heard these described as 'clover' plugs.
harrywwc@reddit
"I'm looking over a three-leafed clover, that I over-looked be-three."
-- Bugs Bunny
handlebartender@reddit
Perfection :-D
xyzzytwistymaze@reddit
This my help desk has a hundred of them on the shelf in a box. It would take literally two minutes to get one and send her on her way. I wouldn't even bother with a ticket.
repocin@reddit
Formally known as IEC 60320 C5
AdarTan@reddit
Having the user wire a plug to a bare cable used to be the norm for appliances in the UK and IIRC up to the 90s the process of correctly wiring a plug used to be taught in schools.
Depending on how old the user's father is, stripping off the old plug and wiring a new one is just "the thing you do".
KungenBob@reddit
That was largely my thought too! Just put the right plug on. It’s not rocket surgery!
StoneyBolonied@reddit
Nor is it brain science
handlebartender@reddit
Obligatory "I should know...."
SeanBZA@reddit
Which I was doing since I was around 6, since my father would always ask about the colours being right, as he was blue green colour blind. So after awhile I was doing it anyway.
Nevermynde@reddit
Father had to be in his 120s, probably.
LupercaniusAB@reddit
This would have been a good joke if this had happened in the US.
Nevermynde@reddit
It was a bad joke. Guilty as charged.
LupercaniusAB@reddit
Only because of European voltage though! I’ll upvote you!
NUTTA_BUSTAH@reddit
That was still pretty commonplace here ~25 years ago. After that regulations happened.
bob152637485@reddit
Why did she throw out the original head??? I mean, sure, it sounds like she wasn't able to do electrical stuff on her own, but if she had just kept the head(or bought one from the hardware store), you could technically change it back. Moreover though, I'd say that if you don't have the know how to do it yourself to begin with, then it's probably best not to touch it at all.
HawthorneUK@reddit
Most plugs are molded nowadays - attaching one yourself is pretty rare and I suspect kids aren't being taught how to do it any more (we had a lesson on wiring plugs in physics at school!).
AshleyJSheridan@reddit
It's wild that it needs a lesson tbh. There are 3 wires, and most plugs even have a little cardboard insert that indicates what wires go where. If that's missing, it's all of 5 seconds online to find where the brown, blue, and yellow/green wires go.
Dinodietonight@reddit
Ich_mag_Kartoffeln@reddit
Here in Australia, it's illegal to wire a plug (or do any electrical work beyond changing a light bulb) unless you're a licenced electrician.
You can go down to your local hardware store and buy the plug, which includes all the instructions on exactly how much of the outer sheath to strip, as well as how much of insulation to strip off each wire. Tells you where each wire goes, wire routing for strain relief, everything.
But you're not allowed to wire it yourself, nonono, definitely not!
darth_static@reddit
Only in QLD. In NSW (and every other state unless the law changed recently), if it's past the outlet it's fair game.
Ich_mag_Kartoffeln@reddit
It's very hard to find any websites that tell you what you legally CAN do; all the ones I've found just list things you CAN'T do. And most of them are sparky's websites basically trying to drum up business. I can't find anything detailed from a statutory authority like ESV.
Several sites I have found (mainly Vic but also in NSW) say it's illegal to fit a plug to a lead.
AshleyJSheridan@reddit
If this was pre-internet, it was also pre-molded plugs on every device. Ergo, it's trivial to unscrew a plug and copy the wiring there.
LupercaniusAB@reddit
You’re right, and so are all the other people. In the US, NEMA 5-15 connectors have the wire inserts labeled L,N and G for line, neutral and ground. It’s pretty hard to fuck up, plus the box has instructions in English, Spanish, and usually French as well.
ON THE OTHER HAND, people are morons, and trusting that some rando actually paid attention and wired the connection correctly is a huge risk.
But yeah, I would have just put a new male connector on.
action_lawyer_comics@reddit
I always say that electrical work is kindergarten homework with life or death consequences. It's really easy to match the colors together and make sure your lines aren't crossed. But it's also really easy to get it wrong and burn your house down
AshleyJSheridan@reddit
There's 3 wires, it's not rocket surgery.
Plodnalong62@reddit
I used to teach it and you wouldn’t believe how kack-handed some kids are!
AshleyJSheridan@reddit
I did know a guy at university who didn't know how to use a screwdriver, so I can believe it. I still think it's wild though. Even chimps can be taught this kind of stuff!
HawthorneUK@reddit
The internet didn't exist at the time.
AshleyJSheridan@reddit
Ok, so it happened 30 years ago. There are still a lot of things out there that would indicate how to wire up a plug. Even taking the back off of another plug would do it, the wire colours are very obvious, even if the person were colour blind.
HawthorneUK@reddit
Lots of things are obvious in hindsight.
Teenagers tend to be overconfident, and to show off or try to hide mishaps from adults - often all at the same time.
Stopping the occasional teen from electrocuting themselves or burning down the family home by making sure they had a vague idea of what to do is probably worth the 30 minutes it took.
AshleyJSheridan@reddit
Who said this was a teenager? This was someone who worked in a position that required them to have a laptop 30 years ago, a time when laptops were fairly uncommon.
HawthorneUK@reddit
r/whoosh
action_lawyer_comics@reddit
All electrical safety is just kindergarten homework with life or death consequences. Match blue to blue, brown to brown, and make sure the lines are actually touching. You're absolutely right that it's stupid easy.
BUT when you do that, you are literally betting your house that you did the job right, because if you get it wrong, you can burn it down. In those situations, actually taking a lesson or having a step-by-step guide to make sure you didn't miss something laughably easy but utterly crucial might seem a bit overkill but it's better than the alternatives
AshleyJSheridan@reddit
Electrical work in a house is fairly trivial compared to something like gas (which can leak easily) or water (which can leak easily).
bob152637485@reddit
Fair if it's molded, though you could always splice it back in in a pinch. You could still buy one from the hardware store though, that's for sure.
HawthorneUK@reddit
Than it needs to be PAT tested before it can be used at work, and probably isn't CE certified, etc. It's cheaper to just buy a replacement at that point.
UsablePizza@reddit
And aint no way I'm passing a spliced cable. A high quality repair sure but that's different to a full cut - it's just cheaper and safer to get a new moulded cable.
oinkbane@reddit
They stopped in the 90s IIRC
Migrantunderstudy@reddit
I had a physics teacher in the 2010s who took it upon himself to continue the practice.
Mx_Reese@reddit
It's a company issued item, I don't know what health and safety regulations are like in the UK but I can't imagine that the company's lawyers would ever approve somebody to use a cable that had been damaged like that for liability reasons.
ctesibius@reddit
It's not against health and safety regulations. Or to be precise, this is one of the operations which are excluded by law from requiring a certified electrician to do it, or for a subsequent Part P inspection. You go to a shop, buy a standard plug for about £1, and follow the coloured diagram which is on a card fitted over the three pins which shows you how to wire it. By design, this is intended to be something that any normal person can do.
And this is not "damage" to the cable - for the same reason, this falls in normal operation.
action_lawyer_comics@reddit
Sure. Not that it's a hard job to do if you're handy with electrical repair, but it would cost less to buy a new one than it would be to ask a lawyer and electrician if it was safe
action_lawyer_comics@reddit
Heck, just spice a second cable with the other head on there, and now you can use it in both places!
LupercaniusAB@reddit
You dropped your /s.
bob152637485@reddit
I think that's just a suicide cord with a laptop charger spliced in...
DerpyNirvash@reddit
It is a power cord for the charger and costs <$5, I'd shrug, find it amusing they went through the effort to change the plug and get a new one for them.
anubisviech@reddit
Yeah, the attachable plugs usually cost more than getting a different cable, plus the effort that went into changing the plug.
bugfish03@reddit
So first off, deeming it "damaged and unusable" is your company's problem. Putting a new plug on a cable is not really a problem. Hell, in Britain, stuff was sold without a plug up until the 90s.
Just get her a new cable, and don't make a mountain out of a molehill.
mrdumbazcanb@reddit
Did you add a note that family is smart and dumb enough to be dangerous but not helpful
tes_kitty@reddit
Well, it was only the power cable, not the full power supply. The cables are cheap and tend to accumulate over time.
I wouldn't have made a fuss but just gotten a cable from the scrap/junk pile/drawer (every company has one).
Gadgetman_1@reddit
The problem really is that this is a cable that her father probably already had one or more of in his house. Why didn't he just grab one?
Just because you think you can do something, doesn't mean that you should.
tes_kitty@reddit
If it was one of those with a mickey mouse connector he might not have had one since you find those mostly only on laptop PSUs.
Gadgetman_1@reddit
They're also common on HP monitors. Personally, I think I have 3 or 4 from various other devices trhat I've junked over the years.
tes_kitty@reddit
I have some too, but not everyone does. My monitor is from HP, but uses a normal IEC power cord.
Gadgetman_1@reddit
Most laptop PSUs have a detachable cable with a standard plug so that the manufacturer only needs to stock one PSU and just add the correct cable based on where they're selling the computer.
If her father modified that cable, he's an imbecile and should have his tools taken away before he hurts himself.
A few smaller models use a 'wall wart' type that plugs directly into the wall socket. If he modified that he's effing nuts. and the PSU is a lost cause.
A PSU with a non-removable cable to plug into the wall?
I'd snip off the offending plug, stick it into a travel adapter, and cast it in clear resin. Then place it somewhere easily visible with a 'Don't forget to bring a TRAVEL ADAPTER if bringing company PCs to France' sign on it.
The rest of the PSU? I might fit it with a new plug, and keep it as an emergency spare at the office.
LupercaniusAB@reddit
You seem very frightened of plugs.
Gadgetman_1@reddit
No, just worried about what morons are doing with them.
Randomfactoid42@reddit
The plug is a UK thing. Until the 90s it was common for appliances to be sold without plugs and the user would simply install the plug they needed for their house. The UK had 2 standard plugs and they taught plug wiring in grade school. So depending on her father’s age, replacing the plug would’ve been not out of the ordinary for him.
duke78@reddit
Don't be petty about a £2 Mickey Mouse cable that takes two seconds to swap. She dealt with it so she could work. No real harm done. She won't come forward the next time.
djmcfuzzyduck@reddit
Why are all the comments the same? “just give her the cord”
There were so many choices before changing the head that could have been done and that’s the problem.
We had one employee when we first went WFH in 2016 that killed their Ethernet port on their laptop by trying to shove in HDMI cable in the slot. They got it in eventually. Some folks are dangerous to tech.
RubiscoTheGeek@reddit
Yeah the point isn't really the cable, the point is "don't fuck around with company tech."
Mx_Reese@reddit
Especially don't fuck around with company tech in ways that could kill you and create unnecessary liability for the company.
LupercaniusAB@reddit
I’m really curious as to how you think that this was going to “kill” her. She had obviously been using it without incident. Electricity is dangerous and all, but wiring a male connector is trivially easy, even if you’ve never done it before, and her dad HAD lots of experience with it.
Wodan11@reddit
I'm with Reese... If this is ok and is now IT policy (which it has to be because there's no way IT could validate specific users and anyone with them, family or otherwise, that they might ask for help) then we also have to consider the risk of such a policy (which is the thing you DO when establishing a policy). And that's for morons who don't know what they're doing, will be doing things that aren't just to the cord, and will have significant risk of damage to life and property. The legal liability to the company is now off the charts.
Hence: policy is NO messing with company property whatsoever. Period.
LupercaniusAB@reddit
I am not disputing that. My point is, as it stands, the PSU is unusable in their office, as in, it can’t even be plugged in. Should it have been modified? No. Is it dangerous now that it has been modified for use in France and returned to the UK? Also no.
ethnicman1971@reddit
the comments are the same because while you are right that dad should not have changed the plug, it is a relatively small infraction. Obviously, it did not damage the laptop since the user did not request a replacement laptop. Nor did she lie about having lost it or how it was damaged. The bigger problem was the berating that IT gave her. As others have said, the lesson learned is do not be truthful with IT and things are simpler. Now if the laptop was damaged and the replacement cost was high then maybe a larger conversation should have been had.
tofuroll@reddit
My head hurts to read that.
CriticalMine7886@reddit
Overreacting I think - she had the mains plug swapped so she could work and then was honest with you about what happened.
She could have said, yes I left it behind and you would have just replaced it.
"Mountain out of a molehill" moment. and you have taught Jane she'll get an easier life if she lies to you.
joule_thief@reddit
Exactly this. Hell, we have vending machines that people can get their own and not bother us.
techslice87@reddit
Ooooh I like this idea. May pitch this to my co
Nition@reddit
Even after swapping the plug, she could still just buy the reverse (EU -> UK) travel adapter to swap it back.
davidscheiber28@reddit
Swapping the plug is nothing unusual, doing so to company property is. IDK why she wouldn't just get a travel adapter lol
PlayingDoomOnAGPS@reddit
In every laptop I've ever seen, the actual adapters are dual-voltage and the only thing country-specific is the cable that connects the transformer to the AC outlet. You could take my American power adapter, replace the Mickey Mouse cable with a UK one and be off to the races. I just can't even imagine why you'd want to splice anything, especially on a temporary basis. Jane's dad is a dumbass.
SlitheryBuggah@reddit
Power cable for a laptop? So more than likely into a power brick. So it's either a kettle lead or an hp style 3 circular female connection lead (no idea what it's called)
Either way you'll probably have about 4 or 500 of them kicking around. Stop giving her a hard time replace the damn thing
Gadgetman_1@reddit
We have 3 types of cables; Kettle Lead, Mickey Mouse, and Shaving machine. Well, there's the fourth, the High heat type Cisco uses instead of regular Kettle leads, but those never show up on PCs.
The issue is that he did NOT have permission to work on that cable, and probably half-assed it since it's most likely a cable that could have been found in OP's father's house already. Someone who does that really should be discouraged from doing electrical work.
LupercaniusAB@reddit
“Half-assed it”? It’s marginally more difficult than making a slice of toast. Take off the continental plug and put the correct one back on.
SnooRegrets8068@reddit
I had to go for 2 weeks borrowing a coworkers cable to get full charge because of this sort of nonsense when one meant missing. Budget manager asked if I could use one we (against company policy) had kept in stores. For the previous generation of laptops. The work from home days were fun, hope this lasts all day.
Ich_mag_Kartoffeln@reddit
Depending on power an earthing requirements, it could be a figure-8 or cloverleaf plug.
Whatever it is, it would have been easy to buy a local version for a few Euros.
bobroberts1954@reddit
It seems too trivial to bother with. You were perfectly happy to accept that she lost it. In any event, she no longer had a working cable and should have been provided one. Your reaction was incredibly petty.
that_one_wierd_guy@reddit
nah, letting it slide encourages her to next time she goes to france, let dad do god knows what to company hardware
LupercaniusAB@reddit
Username checks out.
Dude, it’s a plug.
that_one_wierd_guy@reddit
yeah, this time
AdreKiseque@reddit
Jane sounds fascinating
jeffrey_f@reddit
The utility plug side is removeable/replaceable and is considered a consumable item since I can remember and I've been doing this since 1992.
fresh-dork@reddit
i don't get it - most recent laptops can take usb power, so get a brick with french prongs and use that
LupusTheCanine@reddit
And older typically had power bricks with local plug on one end and one of the few PSU standard connectors.
emax4@reddit
Borrow her car and modify it to float.
Nu-Hir@reddit
It sounds like her dad modified the pig tail on the AC Adapter. I have so many of those lying around from the old barrel jack adapters that I can't use any more. I would have sent one out and been done with it.
I mean, you followed policy and did what you were supposed to, but you can do the right thing and still be wrong.
Anonymous_user_2022@reddit
I have done some sketchy shit, while working abroad, but that cake is a few layers short of magnificent.
DeadlyShaving@reddit
Considering my work laptop has a non-removable cord into the power brick and my last 3 from work for the last 14 years have all been as well I'm really surprised at the number of people who are saying "just give her a new cord". Chances being sure it's a removable one, even if it is the next laptop she's given may not be. Nipping this nonsense in the bud now is better than when she's potentially electricuted herself and claiming from the company.
TrippTrappTrinn@reddit
Unless this is some weird powersupply, the powercable just a standard cable being plugged into the powersupply. Available in many shops. Also, as others have noted, put a new plug on the cable!
This is really a non-issue.
Then again, adapters for powerplugs can be purchased many places, and we always bring one when vistting UK.