Il problema di Violetta con la nuova TV

For a few seconds, everything seems perfect. The screen turns on, and Violetta smiles. Then a message appears in the center of the screen. It is not the welcome message she expected. It says: “Error. Service required.” Violetta looks at it without speaking. She turns the TV off and on again. The same message appears again. She checks the plug. She checks the cable. She even tries another wall socket. Nothing changes. The new TV has a problem.

Violetta sits on the sofa and looks at the box on the floor. She feels tired even before she has finished. “This cannot be true,” she says quietly. She takes a photo of the error message with her phone. Then she calls the store. After a few minutes, someone answers. Violetta explains the problem. The woman on the phone is polite. She says, “Please bring the TV back with the receipt. We will check it here.”

Violetta looks at the clock. It is three o’clock in the afternoon. Her favourite show starts later that evening. She really does not want to go back to the store, but she knows she has to. She turns off the TV, removes the cable, and tries to put everything back in the box. It is harder than taking it out. The plastic bags, the pieces of polystyrene, and the instructions all seem to have changed shape.

After a bit of effort, the TV is back in the box. Violetta carries it slowly down the stairs. This time, there is no neighbour to help her. She stops twice as she goes down and rests the box against the wall. When she finally manages to put it in the car, she is hot and irritated. However, she checks that the receipt is in her bag. She also has the photo on her phone. She wants everything to be clear.

When Violetta returns to the store, she goes to the customer service desk. A woman behind the desk asks her what happened. Violetta explains the story from the beginning. She says that she bought the TV that morning, took it home, connected it, and immediately saw the error message. She shows the receipt and the photo. The woman listens carefully and says, “I’m sorry. Let’s test it here.”

Luca, the sales assistant from the morning, also comes over. He remembers Violetta and seems surprised to see her again. “It didn’t work?” he asks. “Not even for one minute,” Violetta says. They take the TV out of the box and connect it to a power cable behind the desk. Violetta watches the screen. For a second, she hopes it will suddenly work. But then the same message appears: “Error. Service required.”

Luca nods and says, “You were right. This TV is defective.” Violetta feels relieved. She is still frustrated, but at least nobody thinks she did something wrong. The woman at the desk checks the system and says they can exchange it immediately. Luca brings another box from the stockroom. Before Violetta leaves, they test the new TV in the store. This time the welcome screen appears. The picture is clear and bright. Finally, Violetta smiles.