For once, better instructions

[radhak]

While reading the instructions for installing new faucets for the bathroom, I realized I have rarely seen good english, much less a sense of humor in most instruction sheets. Peerless seems to have paid extra attention to it. So much so that my 10 year old is enjoying reading it out to me.

Then I found they have dedicated a website just for this : http://www.faucetcoach.com/. Check out the de-installation piece - makes for a good read.

[docrowan]

I've seen that before as well. Marketing folks for all kinds of DIY products could take a clue from these guys.

[Mr__Bill]

Love it! Humor is a great way to make people take things seriously.



Bill, on the Sunny Oregon Coast

[pelligrini]

Hehe, I'd like to see something like that for some of those tool assembly instructions.

Step 3K - Attach the inside edge fastening bolt, beware of sharp edges. - (Tools recommended - a small child that is double jointed)
Step 3L - Quit cussing and put a bandaid on your cut before you get blood on the floor. (You should have gotten the recommended tool)

[pierhogunn]

This is great...

Now if I could just get Ikea to put this level of humor into their instructions, and maybe have a internet flash based step by step instructional video...

[WayneJ]

Just think, if you could get instructions like that from Harbor Freight.
Wayne

[BobSch]

Just think, if you could get instructions like that from Harbor Freight.
Wayne

Yeah, but who understands Chinese humor?

[Hoover]

Yeah, but who understands Chinese humor?

This is true. If a package of fortune cookies was included, it would be an easier read.

[radhak]

Just think, if you could get instructions like that from Harbor Freight.
Wayne

I've always found HF instructions humorous. LMAO humorous.

[Uncle Cracker]

I've always referred to the HF variety as "destructions"...

[Tom Slick]

Must have been written by a midwesterner.

[dbhost]

Hmmm.

You know, I am a bit surprised that a company like Peerless would publish something like this. I love the humor and all, but you would think they would put SOME sort of suggestion to wear safety goggles and possibly a dust mask to keep the junk out of the eyes and mouth...

Looks like the lawyers were asleep that day...

[docrowan]

Hmmm.

You know, I am a bit surprised that a company like Peerless would publish something like this. I love the humor and all, but you would think they would put SOME sort of suggestion to wear safety goggles and possibly a dust mask to keep the junk out of the eyes and mouth...

Looks like the lawyers were asleep that day...

Perhaps it's because this step refers to removing a faucet the customer already owns, using tools he (or she) provided, under a sink that Peerless did not manufacture.

Besides that, safety warnings won't stop a lawsuit from being filed, and possibly won't prevent it from going to trial.

[mpc]

Besides that, safety warnings won't stop a lawsuit from being filed, and possibly won't prevent it from going to trial.

True: the company gets sued under the guise of "foreseeable injuries." In other words, they get sued for not doing enough to protect people from mis-using the product, or doing dumb things during installation/use, or not using normal protective gear, that could have been foreseen. Thus things like warning lights & bells on your car for not buckling the seatbelt. The manufacturer provided a safety item and had to add extra warning stuff to the car since "forgetting to buckle up" is a predictable/foreseeable problem.

Having a safety warning in the instructions that come with a product is often meaningless in court because the attorney doing the suing will just say "everybody knows nobody reads the instructions." Thus the warning is often duplicated on a sticker directly attached to the part - getting in the way of "step 1" in the installation ideally. That way at least the manufacturer & court has some reason to know the warning was touched/handled and thus seen during installation.

Even then, the suing attorney says "you put a warning on here about xxxxx. That means you KNEW there were risks with using/installing this product. What other risks did you know about that you didn't warn about?" Or the other "you predicted risk xxxxx. Why didn't you think about risk yyyyy too?"

mpc

[Uncle Cracker]

Warning signs don't affect the judges' (or jurys') ability to assign blame. I think that they are put up hoping at least some people will assume they can't sue if there is a problem, and therefore not pursue the matter.