Interesting replies.

I am a little surprised by those of you who suggested that I caused this problem. Given the location of the headphone plug on these seats, it is inevitable that the headphones will come unplugged inadvertently and often without the passenger even knowing. At that point, it is inevitable that some portion of the cable will get under the seat.

I am also a little surprised by the tone of some of your responses. I asked the question because I was unsure of what to do, not because I strongly felt that United was responsible. From a group that complains about as many petty things as this group does, I would have expected a slightly different reaction.