Severe elevator incompetence

[mattbell]

Today I saw something so utterly incompetent that I stopped hurrying to my flight and pulled out my camera to document it.

I went to go use an elevator at Sea-Tac airport.  I pushed the up button, and a "down" elevator arrived.  No one else had pressed a button.  I looked closer at the controls:



Closer...

...

Yep, someone installed the controls *upside down*.  Thus, what looks like the up button is really the down button, and vice versa.  How did they not notice?  What sort of comprehensive 243-point inspection procedure neglects the step of checking if the elevator goes in the correct direction?  The strangest part was that both sets of controls on that floor were reversed.  Wacky.  I pressed the down button and went up to my desired floor.

Comments

[patrissimo.livejournal.com]

that's pretty cool.

[dixiemouse.livejournal.com]

That's AWESOME!!

*LAUGH*

[djdigit.livejournal.com]

Holy shit, I was just at Sea-Tac and I called an elevator and got one going the opposite direction. There were people in it, though, and I figured that what goes up must come down (or the opposite--can't remember which direction I wanted) so the oddity was lost on me. But this might explain it? Freaky. And amusingly sad. ;)

Good eye!

[nasu-dengaku.livejournal.com]

Holy shit... it's been that way for over a week and no one has noticed?

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

Those controls look compartmentalized and supported only by the plate. Therefore, it might not have been a mistake. At work, some of the bored amuse themselves by removing the panels and simply flipping them.

And a laugh was had by some.

[nasu-dengaku.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's possible that someone with a screwdriver and 5 minutes of free time could flip one of the panels. If it was a prank, do you think it was more likely perpetrated by employees or travelers? Airport managers aren't generally known for their sense of humor, so I doubt I would have done this if I worked there.