Imagine this! You have a presentation today and you did not bring your cables with you. You drop by the local computer shop to pick some up … one problem. You are not tech-savvy!

Customer : ” I need a monitor cable for my presentation”

Me : ” ok what kind do you need? Do you have a model number of the devices you are trying to connect?”

Customer : (In a panic tries to reemnmer the kind of cable) ” Umm USB to monitor”

Me: “Do you mean USB-C to HEMI? ”

Customer : “Sure I will take it! ……… Pays and runs off ”

(30 min later)

Customer ” THIS is the wrong cable you said it was USB ”

Me ” It is USB-C to HDMI .,.. it says so on the lable”

Customer: ” I just need a monitor cable!

Me: ” OK what kind do you need? ”

Customer “Just a simple montor cable! ”

I would continue this story but basically, the customer comes back three times angry because they keep buying the wrong cable! Every cable sold to the customer would have worked assuming it was for the right device.

The problem is there are all kinds of cables! It is totally ok to be confused by cables if you are not dealing with computers every day! Hell, it is hard for us to keep up as well so do not feel bad.

So how does a non-tech-savvy person get the right cables? Here are some tips

Take a photo of both the computer you are connecting and the device you are connecting

This is the simplest way of making sure that you have the right connection! Take a photo of the port of your computer and the monitor/hard drive/device etc you are trying to connect. This way the tech can make sure you get the right cable.

Bring in the model number of the devices you are trying to connect

Sometimes this is harder than it sounds as not all the model numbers are easy to find. However what this does allow the tech to have a very good idea of what kind of connection is needed

Don’t try to remember the connection if you are not tech-savvy

“I need a UBS” ! We get this all the time. The customer comes in and grabs the first cable that looks familiar just to find out it is the wrong cable. If you are not tech-savvy there is a good chance you may be remembering the wrong term. Best to write it down.

Be clear about what you are trying to do!

The number of customers who want a cable but can’t tell us why they want one is common. By having a clear idea of what you are trying to do the tech offers solutions that may be simple and more cost-effective.

Don’t mistake making sure you have the right cable for an unwillingness to help

I totally understand you want the cable right away but if you have the wrong cable it will be a waste of your time and may result in a restocking fee. So listen to the tech when they try to help.

The number of people who want a USB-A to USB-A cable to connect their two computers together. except for the fact that is perhaps the most difficult way to share files between computers. and for some reason, the people who ask for an A to A cable also tend to be very rude. (Not sure why)

They think they want an A to A cable when turning on sharing on their network would be easier. Hell, a USB stick would most likely do what they want.

The Number one reason for returns is and reason for that return is that someone demanded the wrong cable and did not listen to the tech. Save yourself some time and listen to the tech.