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The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/raydar2018 on 2025-07-16 13:15:17+00:00.

Happened about five minutes and I feel so bad about it!

I recently got back from about two-and-a-half weeks of holiday, and in that time I kinda forgot some of the finer details of some of the things I am used to using a specific way at work. As part of my day-to-day, I went to use the printer in my office and realised it didn’t turn on when I pressed the button. I checked and it was plugged in, the power cable was properly connected, the plug was turned on - everything should be working, but isn’t. I tried turning it off and on again at the plug, tried switching the outlet - nothing. Naturally, I called it into the IT department, and they sent someone out to fix it today.

It was only about 20 minutes ago, when the technician was on their way to me (they’d called shortly beforehand to make sure they knew where they were going) that I realised something. There is a sign on this printer saying not to turn it off - the sign has been there since before I started, and I have no idea why as turning it off has no negative effect. What I realised, though, was that since it usually isn’t turned off properly, the button I use to turn it on is the standby button, not the power button.

I walked over to the printer, found the oft-forgotten power button, and pushed. Lo and behold, it worked. My heart sinks.

Shortly after that I got another call from the technician. They were in the car park and were asking me to confirm which building on the site it was - I clarified, and then revealed my mistake. I apologised profusely, explained what had happened, and even offered a Kinder Bueno by way of apology. They declined my offer, and laughed with me about the mistake, saying they actually lived not far away and were heading home now anyway.

Could’ve been worse, I suppose, but still. Read so many stories of IT people facing dumb users like this and promised myself I’d never be That Guy. Alas, fate had other plans!

TL;DR: wasted a printer technician’s time by reporting a “broken” printer after forgetting the power button exists, like a fool!