ABOUT a year ago my parents bought a DVD recorder and while I was home over Christmas it became apparent that nobody really knew how to use it.

I was no exception and when it came to recording a TV programme I didn't want to miss, it was a case of prodding at buttons and hoping for the best. We didn't have a clue.

Fortunately we're not the only ones. In their recent survey Which? discovered that two thirds of respondents owned gadgets that had functions they didn't understand and never used.

So has electronic gadgetry become too complicated?

"Things have moved on and progressed so they come with more features, says Ian Edwards, 20, sales executive for Holmans, Wimborne.

"For example, mobile phones used to be just phones but now they can be used to take photos and send them via Bluetooth. That's technology, that's life."

And if it wasn't for advances in technology we'd still be living in caves and walking around with spears. What's more, by being so quick to buy the latest gadgetry, we're actually pushing demand for advances in technology further.

"Consumers ask for more from their products, but at the same time they want them to be simpler," says Ian Griffiths, 48, managing director of Purewell Electrical Superstore, Christchurch. "They want a one-button solution."

If we can't blame our appliances for being too clever then, is this not just an operator error?

Would we find that the same proportion of people who struggle with gadgets don't read the instructions?

According to Ian Edwards that wouldn't make too much difference: "One of the main problems is that many of the instruction books are translated from foreign languages so they don't make sense."

Maybe so, however, not all user manuals and instruction books are in Swahili and the reality is that people don't have time to read an essay on a DVD player when they have the box set of Porridge sitting waiting to be watched.

"When they see the instruction book is about the size of the Encyclopaedia Britannica they're already defeated," explains Ian Griffiths.

"To say it is consumer ignorance is unfair. It's about time management. People have better things to do. That's why companies like us exist, to hold customers' hands when they buy the products."

So while we complain that our gadgets confuse us, we also want to be able to record Coronation Street when we're down the pub. And when the instructions for the DVD player are in eligible English, we won't have time to read them, because we'll be too busy.

And that leaves us with two options. Either get an expert to do it or ask an 11-year-old - they always know how to work DVD players!