Out of box failure

The term Out of Box Failure usually refers to computer hardware. It describes a negative experience a user has when installing and/or performing initial configuration on a piece of hardware that exhibits an immediate failure mode.

Definitions

Out Of Box Failure is a take on a common quality analysis term Out Of Box Experience, used in the electronics and personal computer industries (e.g. Windows Vista's initial release). It refers to a system that has a major defect preventing (or severely restricting) use that is immediately apparent upon opening the box of a new unit or first turning the unit on. The short form of OOBF is a typical abbreviation. Some companies also use OBF; another synonym, also used in numerous unrelated contexts, is DOA–Dead on Arrival.

Causes

Out-of-box failures are typically caused by the following issues:

1. Faulty components that were used in the product but not detected by quality assurance
   
2. Storage induced failures, such as oxidation in high humidity environments
   
3. Transportation induced failures, such as vibration induced looseness in connectors
   
4. Configuration induced failures, for systems configured to customer specifications, but where the configuration of parts is incompatible
   
5. Customer induced failures, from improper setup of the unit

Impact

Out Of Box Failures will significantly reduce customer perception of quality, and greatly escalate warranty costs.

Practical usage

Many warranty policies for computers or other electronic equipment have a specific Out Of Box Failure category to describe actions provided to customers in such cases. For example, from suppliers in various countries:

• (South Africa)
• (U.S.)
• (U.K.)

Historical examples

In Germany, a now-defunct company named AEG was jokingly referred to as "Ausgepackt, Eingeschaltet, Garantiefall" ("Unpack, Turn-On, Warranty case") due to a high Out-Of-Box failure rate.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Out-Of-Box Experience