The 911 emergency number in the US is supposed to be used for, well, emergencies. It is most definitely not to be used to complain about a consumer electronic product that is no longer working for a user. But that"s exactly what an Illinois man used the number for earlier this week. According to The Smoking Gun web site, 48 year old Michael Alan Skopec of Kendall County called his local emergency number to complain that his iPhone was no longer working.
Actually, that"s not totally correct. In fact, he called 911 five times to moan about his iPhone. In the end Kendall County sheriff deputies came to Skopec"s home where he was arrested and charged with obstructing or resisting a peace officer. The police report indicates that Skopec was intoxicated when they arrived which may go a long way in explaining why he felt calling 911 to deal with his malfunctioning iPhone was a good idea.
While we know there are some people who don"t care for Apple or its products, it"s safe to say that most of those people would not go to the extreme that Skopec did. In the end he was released on his own recognizance by the deputies and will appear in court to deal with the charges on November 18. We suspect he will be keeping his iPhone at home when this happens.