I used to think that way too but honestly a quarter inch adds up quick across a whole building.

Bet the guy made some good decisions that day, huh? Like trusting the cheap meter to not turn into a firework. I swear those things are designed to fail at the worst possible moment, probably right when you think you've got everything figured out. And honestly, if your meter is giving you wrong voltage readings, you're already playing Russian roulette with your face. The smoke was probably just the manufacturer's final gift to him before it quit. At least now he's got a nice little story to tell while he's buying the real deal.

I mean, idk maybe it's just me but isn't that kind of what you get paid to check first? It's literally the first thing I do before I even boot anything up. Half the time if you wiggle the cable and the monitor flickers you've already found your problem without swapping anything.