A few days ago, my icemaker stopped working. I looked in the user manual and online for troubleshooting tips, but none of them brought it back to life. Thinking that replacement was the most likely remedy, I wanted to find out what a new unit would cost, aside from labor. But this proved to be a fruitless endeavor.

As it turns out, the manufacturer, model number, and other details are nowhere to be found on the icemaker itself. The user manual — if it’s even the right one — covers a bunch of different models. So unless I actually de-install the icemaker from the freezer, I have no way of finding out which model I have, whether the same model is still available, and other important details.

I’ll probably end up calling a refrigerator specialist to diagnose the problem and install a suitable replacement. But it irks me that the whole process is obscured by such obvious missing data. And that brings me to my point: customers shouldn’t have to work so hard to figure out which product they have.

To remedy this, just put the model number, manufacturer, serial number and other key details in places that people will be able to find them, even after the product has been put into use or installed. That way, customers will thank you — or at least blame you a little less — when circumstances require them to look up the info for maintenance or repair.