clients are stupid.
A two-fer.

In a previous life I worked for a PR/ad agency that catered to hi-tech companies. I wrote a release about one client's new product, noting that the product was software, and stating clearly what it did. The client asked for a re-write, demanding that I refer to the product as a "management solution." I protested. I don't know why, the fat lot of good it did me (fat lot of good it did the client, really).

My friend Sparky tells of how he was at work one day behind the counter at an electronics retailer, dealing with his habitual vicious hangover, when a man stormed in, his wife in tow and looking apologetic. The man launched into a tirade about the nefariousness of the retailer knowingly selling him a product he was quite certain was engineered to not work. He blustered on about enlisting the help of the Better Business Bureau, the state attorney general, and the Commerce Department to sue everyone involved. When the man paused for a breath, Sparky lifted the item from the man's grasp, opened the battery case, removed the batteries and replaced them -- this time in their proper orientation, closed the case, turned the item on (demonstrating perfect functionality), and returned the item to the man, all wordlessly. The man retreated, accompanied by his wife, now wearing a smug look.
(wretch, Tue 30 Dec 2003, 20:01, Reply)