[hutzlibu]

Harmless is a matter of perspective here. The sales guy might have been in serious trouble after it and who knows, could not close some deals he was about to make and maybe was maybe never allowed to be at a trade show again. We do not know.

And well, probably many do not care as sales guys are not much respected here.

(and I have my bias too, but I do not like generalisations too much, in the sense if this idiot sales guy could not fix his machine, bad for him, no harm done to real people)

[jacquesm]

Then maybe the sales guy should have read the manual of the device and it's active components, just like the OP did?

Sales guys that desire to close deals should know their stuff.

[hutzlibu]

So it was not a harmless prank, but a harsh education to tech illiterate people then?

[jacquesm]

No, not really, just reboot the device and go back to work.

[hutzlibu]

Do you know that, or just assume it?

OPs story ended with him walking away, leaving a state of mess.

Indeed funny in a way and maybe even warranted, depending on the sales guy. I cannot judge that. I have not been there.

But it is not correct to judge it harmless, when a real person suffered potential real harm.

[jacquesm]

I read the story and understand the working of that particular device well enough that I am 100% sure that a powercycle fixed it.

[nix23]

Gosh i miss the time when adults could deal with teens and life, then start crying because the world is so unfair.

[thanatos519]

"The sales guy might have been in serious trouble after it and who knows, could not close some deals he was about to make and maybe was maybe never allowed to be at a trade show again."

Yes, and that's a much scarier prospect for the sales guy today than it was 40 years ago.