just read the statement, sounds like mom/dad and all involved were trying to give advice, but in haste you ripped the chip socket out, can't blame this on eyetech. infact the saying "the customer is always right" is just plain wrong. i used to work in lead acid batteries for five years nearly daily some one would drive in with a battery where they beat the cable end on with a hammer/plyers/rock etc., trying to get a good connection at the same time driving the post into the battery case ,ocourse thats the wrong way to connect a cable end, but out of haste they wanted it to make contact right then and destroyed the battery while they could have taken 10 minutes and done it right. you had the knowledge of right and wrong, but chose the wrong way... :-(