# Stupidest product design you’ve experienced **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 25, 2023, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621 "2023-03-25T02:57:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 47
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/921 "2023-08-30T10:26:04Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > If it has more than two wheels is it a “bicycle”? have you been living under a rock for the past year? … it’s called INFLATION!!! ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/922 "2023-08-30T12:58:01Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > it’s called INFLATION!!! I hope so, otherwise it’s difficult to pedal… ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/923 "2023-08-30T16:30:37Z")
I was about to say the same thing. It seems that most car manufacturers have to put the connections for seat belts in the rear seats either flush with the seats or even buried in them. I remember at least once when I couldn’t even find the female connector. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/924 "2023-08-31T04:40:28Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I’m wondering what real use these would have. > > Perhaps a very large campus or resort of some sort? The cargo containers on the back have wheels on them. Can it dump them off, and winch them up? Yes, I was wondering about that too. Car-free locations like the Toronto Islands or Mackinac Island, university campuses, pedestrianized downtowns, places with narrow streets like Old Town in Quebec City or Stockholm… it would be a specialized use case for sure. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2023, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/925 "2023-09-01T23:49:46Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > I remember at least once when I couldn’t even find the female connector. Would this be an appropriate, non-sexist time to say “That’s what _she_ said!”? ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/926 "2023-09-04T06:05:08Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I’ve been taking Ubers a lot lately and sometimes have trouble buckling the seat belt in the back seat, where the female end is basically flush with the seat. In a lot of cars, it’s also really difficult to tell which receptacle belongs to the middle seat and which to the side seat. In one of our cars, it’s possible to click your buckle into the wrong one, which makes it really tough to release it without groping the person next to you. It’s my fault for going along with the pretense that you can fit three adults in the back seat of any modern car, though. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/927 "2023-09-04T14:13:41Z")
Yes, that’s another problem I’ve had. Usually, though, I’m by myself back there. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/928 "2023-09-04T22:38:26Z")
Not to mention that the seat belt warning ‘BEEP BEEP’ starts and continues unabated while the people in the back are all saying ‘I have m,y seatbelt on! It’s not me!’. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/929 "2023-09-04T22:47:41Z")
I’ve never had the seat belt warning beep go off for backseat passengers. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/930 "2023-09-05T02:28:17Z")
Our rental Camry had this, which we discovered when we put all the food and snacks on the empty back seat, but only after we were on the freeway. Thank goodness the next exit was really close, and Hertz had left the car owner’s manual, so we could figure out how to turn off the alarm. We learned to put the food on the floor, since you had to reset the alarm every time you started the engine. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/931 "2023-09-05T07:04:25Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I’m wondering what real use these would have. “Last mile” deliveries, family shopping, school runs: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/rQhzEnWCgHA/maxresdefault.jpg "The Car-Replacement Bicycle (the bakfiets)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQhzEnWCgHA) ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/932 "2023-09-05T10:49:16Z")
a classic in S-America: my gut feeling: those are not bought, those are made/fab’d … [![](https://assets.diarioconcepcion.cl/2018/03/recicladores.-640x400.jpg) ](https://assets.diarioconcepcion.cl/2018/03/recicladores.-640x400.jpg) [![](https://hastaqueteencontre.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/WhatsApp-Image-2018-09-19-at-11.00.08-AM-1.jpg) ](https://hastaqueteencontre.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/WhatsApp-Image-2018-09-19-at-11.00.08-AM-1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2023, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/933 "2023-09-27T14:33:36Z")
I purchased three 24" fluorescent light bulbs the other day. As I was walking through the door after arriving home, one of them slid out of its package and went crashing to tile, breaking into a hundred pieces. These delicate bulbs are packaged in a flimsy cardboard sleeve that is opened on both ends. They were standing on end on the shelf at the store which would make one think that they are securely in the package. Apparently not. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2023, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/934 "2023-09-27T15:01:41Z")
Okay, I’ve got a bone to pick with Microsoft … a bone the size of an elephant’s tibia. We have Windows 10/11 PROFESSIONAL because we are an enterprise entity. The machines need to be on our domain, etc. So, guess what the DEFAULT setting is for “Network Discovery” on our enterprise machines. OFF. Really? What genius decided that?! ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2023, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/935 "2023-09-27T15:52:09Z")
They likely consider that a security setting. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2023, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/936 "2023-09-27T16:13:08Z")
Banquet frozen sausage links. They have never found a way to seal the contained up once it’s opened. It started out (before Banquet bought out the brand) in boxes that were impossible to seal (still are, I believe). Larger containers are plastic bags. Originally, they had one of those press-and-close seals. Only it didn’t go across the entire top of the bag. The ends would tuck in, but get loose in the freezer. Now they have a bit of tape to keep it closed. Tape that won’t stick to greasy surfaces, which you can’t avoid having when you’re dealing with frozen sausages. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/937 "2023-09-28T13:32:37Z")
My TV remote has a universal capability that allows control of the cable box. Among the features is turning them both on/off with a single power button. The On/Off coding is apparently some kind of exclusive-OR. If the box and TV get out of sync, pressing the power button will continually turn one of them off and the other on. The only way to correct this is walking across the room to manually change the on/off state of one of them (or finding the perpetually lost cable box remote). Not a major problem, but a continuing annoyance. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/938 "2023-09-28T14:07:16Z")
I just realized that this picture, which I posted to the September Mini-rants thread yesterday, belongs here. [![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHcTHLTbFhufVc-VG7m7jNWeKNRWWAf_O15sC_GlrqMzp6VCISjET11cAs4Aem3a-hPlS8l730ocbWLHp0SU4S6FeCc6xqkIOkD7-IkJY-nyQ7MSGyAE=w600-h315-p-k "New item by James Hyder") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/Beo8PkCC5Eq9PSQD6) In case you can’t see clearly, the waxed paper wrapper for the stick of unsalted butter is printed in red, but the outer cardboard box it comes in features blue as its dominant color. The salted butter is the opposite. What genius came up with this plan? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/939 "2023-09-28T15:28:31Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > The On/Off coding is apparently some kind of exclusive-OR. If the box and TV get out of sync, pressing the power button will continually turn one of them off and the other on. That reminds me of an experiment I’ve wanted to try. I would take two stereos with cassette players, and make a cassette tape of people clapping and put it in both cassettes and attach both to a separate Clapper. I wondered if I could get one boom box to turn itself off and then turn the other one on, which would then produce a clapping noise itself and repeat the process. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/940 "2023-09-28T19:04:32Z")
you know you are at the 'dope, when you read post like that!!! you should def. make a vid of that - I feel there is a lot of myths about tape decks and clappers circulating on the 'web… we need to know the truth [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=46) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=48)