Saturday, June 05, 2010

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Pre-need... battery changing?

I recently had cause to call for cable TV repair service, and during the (brief) time I was on hold I heard part of a cycle of recorded tips for callers. In one of the tips, they noted that if you’re having trouble with your remote control, you should try changing the batteries — most of the time, the problem turns out to be weak batteries. They go on to add...

We also recommend changing the batteries periodically, to ensure uninterrupted use of your remote control.

Um. Yeah, really? I find it entirely adequate to change the batteries when they’re weak, and see no need to do it prophylactically. It’s not like it’s a smoke detector, or some such. If I find the batteries to need changing, I can change them then. What’s the point of doing it pre-need, other than to use up more batteries by changing them when they’re still good?

2 comments:

The Ridger, FCD said...

But, Barry, what if you're trying to watch three big games at the same time and suddenly your remote goes out!! Think of the precious seconds, nay, minutes! you might miss. I say, change 'em every week, you can't be too careful!

Thomas J. Brown said...

Maybe the person who owns the cable company also owns a battery manufacturing plant.