In article , flips333 wrote:
So I just moved into this new place and I have a problematic outlet.
I have pluged three fans into it and all three are busted. The first
2 I immediately heard a clicking noise and then the fan wouldn't work
at all anymore. Then My fiance called the fix it guy next door and he
came over and they plugged a third fan in. It worked... Then after
the guy left (of course) the same clicking noise happened and the fan
started smoking. Any Idea on what sort of problem with the outlet
could cause this?

PS aparently the people who lived here before me wouldn't plug
anything in there cause it would blow out the lamp.

Sounds like a 120V outlet somehow got 240V supplied to it. You can confirm
this with a voltmeter, if you know how to use one.

thanks to anyone who can give me an Idea as to what to look for when I
bring someone in to fix it... or is it something I can do myself.

Apartment = you don't own it = not yours to fix. Call the landlord. This could
be a simple case of an idiot having wired a 120V outlet to a 240V circuit, or
it could be a complicated issue involving improper connections between two
circuits. A qualified electrician needs to be called in for diagnosis and
repair; this is the landlord's responsibility, not the tenant's.