I once worked for an electronics store, and a man claiming to be a dentist came in and examined a small stereo for his office. It was hooked up, powered up, and playing the radio station the store manager wanted all the stereos to play, so he could listen to it all he wanted. He asked me if the radio signal would be full of static in his office, because his patients didn't like it when the music was fuzzy.
"There's no way I can know that, sir," I told him. "It depends on where the office is, the number of electronic devices around it, how thick the walls are, whether or not you use the included antenna, and sometimes what wall you put the stereo against."
"I just want to know if the sound will be clear," he muttered.
"If you tune it to an FM station, you'll probably get very good reception. There are a number of them in town." (This was in a very large metropolitan area.)
"But I don't want it if it sounds fuzzy. Will the sound be clear?"
"I can't guarantee that, sir, but I'm sure you'll be satisfied."
"Can I bring it back if it sounds fuzzy?"
"If you want to bring it back for a refund, make sure you keep the original box and the receipt. But I'm sure you'll like the way it sounds."
"Nah, I think I'll go somewhere else. You don't know your stock very well, do you?"
We had this same conversation twice more that day with a few minor alterations. He kept asking me to tell him something I couldn't, and for a sixty-five dollar sale yet.
I assume he found some clerk who was willing to guarantee a fuzz-free signal, because he didn't buy the stereo from us.
