# Huh?! My PSP has a hair in it!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 22, 2005, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942 "2005-05-22T10:57:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@robotic\_panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robotic_panda)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2005, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/1 "2005-05-22T10:57:47Z")
I received a brand-spankin’ new PSP for my birthday. It somehow has a hair in the LCD screen. Not on the outside, not just underneath, but just sandwiched. I can see it against the black screen. I can see pixels reflecting when I play with it… if I had worse eyesight, I probably wouldn’t have noticed. Teeeeeeny tiiiiiiny hair. My questions are:
1. I should definitely return it, right? So i’d have to get everything (accessories, booklets) back together and so forth? Or is this _gasp_ common? and…
2. Do they just repair hairy PSP’s and send them back out as new, no notice? If (and probably when) I DO take it back, will the thing be put back into commission soon?
3. Is there any way I could fix it myself? I’m betting not, but doesn’t hurt to ask.
I am definitely wondering about questions 1 and 2… i’ve never had anything like this happen with expensive electronics. Can they accuse me of putting the hair there? 😃
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### Author:  [@Dr.Kenneth\_Noisewater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Kenneth_Noisewater)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2005, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/2 "2005-05-22T11:03:37Z")
Are you absolutely 100% positive it’s a hair? I heard there were systems with dead pixels in the screen. Take it back anyway, ask for an exchange. I believe it’s a common problem, if it’s not a hair. Regardless, the store can usually send it back to the manufacturer as a malfunctioning device and set you up with a new one.
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### Author:  [@robotic\_panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robotic_panda)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2005, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/3 "2005-05-22T11:17:23Z")
Oh it’s a hair, I can tell. Tilting the screen shows the 3-D aspect of it (since it is sandwiched between two planes of… plastic?). It is curled through 3 (hypothetical) planes. I know the dead pixel look… this is a hair. Not a human hair, but some hair. It is tiny, but solid and reflective and physical.
I’m planning on taking it back, for that reason. I got it like that, how could I plant a tiny hair into the LCD screen?
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### Author:  [@robotic\_panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robotic_panda)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2005, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/4 "2005-05-22T11:28:48Z")
To clarify, this hair looks like a 1mm long lariat. The hoop at the end curves down to make it obviously 3 dimensional. Tiiiiiny. But obnoxious.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/5 "2005-05-22T17:52:24Z")
> [@robotic\_panda](#):
>
> 1. I should definitely return it, right? So i’d have to get everything (accessories, booklets) back together and so forth? Or is this _gasp_ common? and…
If the item is faulty, you may not necessarily need to reassemble the entire retail package - I’ve had this argument on several occasions when I’ve needed to return defective goods; the store person tries to tell me that they can’t accept return of faulty goods unless they are in the intact original packaging, I just tell them that there isn’t a problem with the packaging, so I don’t need to return it, but the item is faulty and I’m rejecting it (sometimes helps if you can cite the relevant section of consumer law at this point.
Of course you might _want_ to return the whole retail package - to make exchange a more straightforward process, particularly if you want them to perform the exchange on-the-spot.
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### Author:  [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2005, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/6 "2005-05-22T18:53:53Z")
Perhaps I’ve just been lucky but when I’ve returned an item that would be a pain to re-assemble in the original packaging, the retailer has agreed to take give me a new component out of a new box. The retailer then justs puts the defective unit in that package to return to the manufacturer. This, of course, wouldn’t work when the packaging includes specific serial numbers but most of the time it should fly.
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### Author:  [@Tower\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tower_Dweller)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/7 "2005-05-22T22:33:02Z")
> [@Ruby](#):
>
> Perhaps I’ve just been lucky but when I’ve returned an item that would be a pain to re-assemble in the original packaging, the retailer has agreed to take give me a new component out of a new box. The retailer then justs puts the defective unit in that package to return to the manufacturer. This, of course, wouldn’t work when the packaging includes specific serial numbers but most of the time it should fly.
The first Tivo I got was defective, but it didn’t start screwing up until after I had chopped the UPC code off of the box and sent it in for my rebate. I took it back in the hacked-up box, and they just swapped boxes with me. The defective one went back in the new box, and my rebate still went through.
This was at Best Buy, YMMV with a different retailer. I would definitely try.
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### Author:  [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2005, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/8 "2005-05-22T22:55:26Z")
Some LCD screens are bare (most laptop screens), while others (like yours) have a glass cover. It is extremely unlikely that something like a hair can be trapped between the screen and the cover during manufacture. Electronics factories have very strict air quality control for exactly that reason.
My guess is that your LCD monitor has been opened and probably repaired some time in the past.
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Carroll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Carroll)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2005, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/9 "2005-05-23T04:28:40Z")
What’s a PSP?
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### Author:  [@FyreFiend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FyreFiend)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2005, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/10 "2005-05-23T07:40:29Z")
> [@Tom Carroll](#):
>
> What’s a PSP?
PlayStation Portable
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### Author:  [@robotic\_panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robotic_panda)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2005, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/11 "2005-05-24T07:46:53Z")
> [@Dog80](#):
>
> Some LCD screens are bare (most laptop screens), while others (like yours) have a glass cover. It is extremely unlikely that something like a hair can be trapped between the screen and the cover during manufacture. Electronics factories have very strict air quality control for exactly that reason.
>
> My guess is that your LCD monitor has been opened and probably repaired some time in the past.
Thats partly what I was wondering, if they just fix them up and send them back out basically complete. As to the hair/fuzzy, i’m a huge electronics geek, and I thought they same thing, That Just Shouldn’t Be. For the update, **Tower Dweller** , you had it right. It was from Best Buy, and they just swapped the unit out. No muss, no fuss.
I also wanted to say, thank you all for your replies, I’m now a happy gaming/movie watching/MP3 playing panda. And, just for the record, this thing rules. A portable console I can synch with my laptop… wheres the drooling smiley?
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### Author:  [@Arwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arwin)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2005, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/12 "2005-05-24T07:59:55Z")
I would definitely exchange it. That shouldn’t be any problem.
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### Author:  [@robotic\_panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robotic_panda)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2005, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/13 "2005-05-24T08:07:05Z")
Well I could’ve used that confirmation yesterday **Arwin**! Hehe… I really still needed that though.
I’m a salesman’s dream, I feel bad that the product they sold me is defunct :rolleyes: . I did buckle down and exchange it, but now if this one has a problem i’ll be even more “eh” about it. I can be spineless sometimes I tell ya.
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### Author:  [@Arwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arwin)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2005, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/14 "2005-05-24T08:30:10Z")
> [@robotic\_panda](#):
>
> Well I could’ve used that confirmation yesterday **Arwin**! Hehe… I really still needed that though.
>
> I’m a salesman’s dream, I feel bad that the product they sold me is defunct :rolleyes: . I did buckle down and exchange it, but now if this one has a problem i’ll be even more “eh” about it. I can be spineless sometimes I tell ya.
Whoops, yeah, 14 minutes too late there. 😃
I’m the same as you - if I can fix it myself, I’d rather do that - but sometimes for different reasons. For instance I had this Driving Force Pro wheel very early on, December 2003, had to go to a special store to get it. Then the pedals started acting up, but instead of exchanging the wheel I just decided I’d attempt to fix it myself, because then I’d have the biggest chance of being able to play on with it the fastest … 😃 Fortunately, I managed it and ten minutes later I was back on track.
I got my PSP early also (17 December) but fortunately (as I ordered it from across the globe) it was in mint condition, no dead pixels, no problems whatsoever.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2005, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/15 "2005-05-24T08:30:16Z")
> [@Ruby](#):
>
> Perhaps I’ve just been lucky but when I’ve returned an item that would be a pain to re-assemble in the original packaging, the retailer has agreed to take give me a new component out of a new box. The retailer then justs puts the defective unit in that package to return to the manufacturer. This, of course, wouldn’t work when the packaging includes specific serial numbers but most of the time it should fly.
Or if your Walmart. They just throw it back in the box then back up on the shelf to sell to some other poor shmuck!
(sorry about the drive by)
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### Author:  [@robotic\_panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robotic_panda)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2005, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/16 "2005-05-24T08:41:19Z")
Well is that true, **SHAKES**?
I bet that’d piss SONY off… or make them really happy. I forget how business works nowadays.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2005, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/17 "2005-05-24T10:02:26Z")
On a related note, does anyone know why every new _Monopoly_ gaming set includes a dark pubic hair. sandwiched inside the folded board?
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### Author:  [@robotic\_panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robotic_panda)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2005, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-my-psp-has-a-hair-in-it/304942/18 "2005-05-24T10:39:25Z")
It’s one of the playing pieces… it represents the prostitution of real estate in this day and age.
Really dude! I hope you’re kidding. (mine was a tiny fuzz hair, in no way pubic… blech. I wouldn’t have questioned it in that case.)