Sets and Violence

Last week I bought a broken television. I didn't do this entirely intentionally. I am not the kind of person who strides into a shop and demands "The finest intermittently defective 32 inch widescreen 100Hz TV you have in stock please. Oh, and with 3 SCART sockets". That would be beyond even my level of stupidity. No, the purchase was entirely accidental.

Last week a big white van drew up and they dropped off the aforementioned broken beast. At first, of course, the darned thing worked. Then it broke. Then it mended itself and worked again. Then it broke once more. Ho hum. Since I (and the entire family) really wanted a device which would light up every time the on switch was pressed I called the supplier. OK, they said, we'll sort you out.

What I thought would happen next is that the same, or even a different, van - I'm not that fussy - would turn up. They would carry away the broken set and swap it for a new one. Well, I guess we are half way there.

Today a van arrived. Much excitement, unplugging and removal of old set, discourse on the best DVD to watch on the new box etc etc. Then I was told that they were only here to take the broken one away. Once they have convinced themselves that it is properly duff they will supply me with a new one. Or perhaps the old one back. As Han Solo says at regular intervals in any Star Wars film "I've got a bad feeling about this".

Oh well. At least the old set is working fine (and perhaps allowing itself the occasional electronic snigger).