Semantics: When “Problem” Was a Problem
Once, while designing a large mail-order system, I wrote the following prompt: “You can say 'Place an order,' 'Check inventory,' or 'Report a problem.'” The client didn't like the prompt because they didn't want to use the word “problem.” They said their legal staff would reject it, because they never allowed them to use the word “problem” in any literature, or in the spoken words of any customer care representative, at any time.
This was a problem for me.
They suggested that I use “Question about a product.” It was now my obligation to disagree with the client. Suppose I buy a new television set, plug it into the wall, and it starts to smoke. I don't have a “question about a product”—I have a “problem ...
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