Ionized Gaslighting

I worked in a big box electronics store back when Plasma TVs were all the rage. A customer has been looking at our range.

Customer: “How often do I need to refill the plasma?”

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, what do you mean?”

Customer: “The plasma! How often do I need to refill it?”

Me: “You… don’t? The plasma just refers to the ionized gases in the TV that—”

Customer: “I know what it refers to! But like all TVs, it needs a refill! How often do I need to do that, and how much do you charge?”

He’s raising his voice a little, so my manager comes over to try to help. They have some back-and-forth a little, but that doesn’t seem to go anywhere despite how much my manager tries to explain it.

Manager: “Sir, regardless of what you believe, once you buy a plasma TV, you don’t have to ‘refill’ anything. It’s all included in the purchase.”

Customer: “Not true! I used to have liquid crystal displays, and they needed to be topped up with the liquid every few months! I would send my son out to get it, and he would do it for me! If you won’t help me, I’m gonna send my son in to get it! He’ll figure it out if you guys can’t!”

The customer storms off without a TV.

Manager: *To me.* “That’s what it looks like when a man has had his son fleecing him for years for a product that doesn’t exist.”