It was a quiet Tuesday afternoon when the IT helpdesk received a rather unusual support ticket from one of the office staff. The user reported their laptop was “completely dead,” and they desperately needed it fixed. As usual, the first IT technician who arrived to assist expected a normal hardware failure or maybe a forgotten password situation. What they found instead was something no manual could have prepared them for.
The laptop’s screen was shattered in a wildly uneven pattern, the keyboard keys were cracked and missing in various spots, and the entire device looked like it had been used as a makeshift hammer. When the technician asked what happened, the user sheepishly admitted that they had seen a spider crawling under their desk earlier in the day. In a valiant and heroic attempt to “save the office from the terrifying creature,” they tried to swat the spider by smashing their laptop on their desk repeatedly.
The user explained that their plan was to “crush the spider once and for all,” but unfortunately, the spider escaped unscathed — and so did dust and desperation, instantly killing the laptop. The repair was not salvageable, and the user was politely advised that smashing the laptop is not an effective pest control method, nor is it covered under warranty.
The ticket was closed with a note: “Spider eliminated: unknown. Laptop eliminated: confirmed. Recommend pest control and a stress ball for future encounters.” Needless to say, this incident sparked a new company policy: if you see a spider, call IT. And if IT doesn’t answer? Call pest control.