Daily Idiot Log

Following on from my earlier post about the client who couldn't get his fax working, I have just spent the last hour on the phone to this client trying to get a word in edgeways and to resolve his latest problem. This clien is really beginning to test my patience now!

The client in question shares his office with his business partner. One of the PC setups is what I sold them and the other is from a local competitor. They bought the one from my competitor first, and it's still under warranty from the supplier. I have the contract to provide IT support to the company, but the PC not supplied by me isn't covered for hardware break fixing. The two clients have limited experience of using PC's and they are always messing round with the PC's in place. Every time I go and do my weekly visit there is some new AV, spyware or firewall app installed, and it causes problems.

Anyways, I was on a call out to another firm this morning, and my mobile started ringing. Looking at the number, I knew straight away this was going to fook my morning right up! I answered the call and it was the above mentioned client. Before I could say anything, he started going off on the deep end, saying that the PC's had never been right since they signed up with me. It was full on stuff, so I asked him if I could call him back when I finished at the call out, the client I was with at the time could hear him over the phone, making me look a right tit.

He said no, he wanted the problem sorting there and then. So I asked him what the problem was. He said that he couldn't scan from the multifinction and he was supposed to provide a document to someone yesterday. So I ran through the obvious - was it switched on, had he set scan mode on the multifunction etc etc. All to no avail. I asked him when the last time was that he had used the scanner and had he done anything since. Nope. So I took it right back to basics, and got some verbal abuse for asking 'stupid' questions.

That was until one of the 'stupid' questions found the problem:-

"Can you check the USB lead is plugged into the PC and printer correctly"

"It hasn't got a USB lead, there's just a thin lead here"

Holding my tongue, "right can you make sure it's plugged from the printer to the PC"

"The other end isn't plugged into anywhere"

"So which end is plugged in, the PC or printer?"

"The printer"

"OK find the end of the cable and plug it into a spare USB slot at the back of the PC"

A minute or two of silence, "so what now?"

"try scanning something now"

"Yeah, it works now"

"OK, have a great day!!!!"

I didn't even bother to ask how the lead had become unplugged, as if I had stayed on the phone I would have told him to stick his multifunction right up his arse!:D I honestly believe that everyone should get a chance to use a PC, but this belief is sorely tested at times!
 
I'm going to take the other stand point here, from the consumer perpective :D

I walked into a computer shop the other day, the owner had his head in a computer trying to repair it when he turns to me and says

"Can i help you son?"

Me "yeah i'm thinking about upgrading my PSU"

Owner "Sure how many watts?"

Me "around 800-1000 i want to run CrossFire soon"

Owner "CrossFire never heard of that computer company, it is Chinese? son"

Me holding back a laugh "Umm never mind, thanks for you help"

Me walking out the door :D

This is my own fault as a mate went there the other week and asked for a new GPU something with a bit of kick, the owner points at a 8800GT goes this is one of the newest GPUs out! wont find it anywhere else...

Morons with computers = Bad

Morons selling computers = Crime against nature
 
Hahaha nice stories guys, over the years i've hered some silly comments from people:

Overheard converstion between 2 old guys

"my pc isnt working, it wont switch on"

"what you need to do is buy a new hard drive"

At someones house the other day, someone had tried to re-install windows xp and failed miserably:

"i had my friend up to look at my computer, he tried to put xp on it"

(even though it was already on and working)

"...he knows alot about computers you see...he even has one at home"

I made a sarcastic comment like "really?" but luckily he didn't catch on haha

When people refer to the tower as "the hard drive" does my head in aswell.

Or when people insist on downloading anything and everything onto their computer.
 
I remember a few years back, my dad was called out (he was a semi-retired computer contractor) by a bloke who said his start bar had dissapeared. Within 10 seconds, the start bar had been dragged back up...fortunately, my dad is a nice enough guy not charge him
 
name='Diablo' said:
I remember a few years back, my dad was called out (he was a semi-retired computer contractor) by a bloke who said his start bar had dissapeared. Within 10 seconds, the start bar had been dragged back up...fortunately, my dad is a nice enough guy not charge him
Click to expand...

You have no idea how many times this happens to my computer illiterate friends.

I end up going to two of my friends a week just to fix that. :X
 
As amusing as your posts are, don't forget that your job exists to provide support to people that are not possessed with 'the fountain of knowledge'. Why make fun of people who don't have the ability to deal with situations like yourselves ? Sure, there are people who, regardless of the situation, create problems out of thin air... but hey, that's why we're here. Take a step back, use a bit of tact and remember - patience is the key.
 
For many of us, this is not our job, we simply do it to help people out, from the goodness of our hearts. So forgive us for laughing at people who, after being told how to do something, manage to get it wrong.

In many cases these problems are not due to a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of application of common sense. If we aren't allowed to pour scorn (occasionally) on people who are less skilled than ourselves, what's the point of having a forum dedicated to computing.

Also bear in mind the rest of this site is devoted to helping people out and providing informed opinions and facts, so one thread in a few thousand is hardly a major thing. [/rant]
 
For many of us, this is not our job, we simply do it to help people out, from the goodness of our hearts. So forgive us for laughing at people who, after being told how to do something, manage to get it wrong.

In many cases these problems are not due to a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of application of common sense. If we aren't allowed to pour scorn (occasionally) on people who are less skilled than ourselves, what's the point of having a forum dedicated to computing.

Also bear in mind the rest of this site is devoted to helping people out and providing informed opinions and facts, so one thread in a few thousand is hardly a major thing. [/rant]
 
As the post is meant to be a light-hearted look into what some of us face when dealing with PC users, I don't see the harm. Computer technicians are no different to any other trade when it comes to sharing amusing stories about problems they have had at work. I use patience showed it in my last experience I posted here. I was being verbally abused by a customer and had my skills called into question, then when it turned out to not be my fault, I didn't even get an apology. This is something that can happen pretty frequently to an IT technician. The end user is sometimes never at fault, according to them, and that is what this thread is about.
 
I think you are looking at this thread much too seriously. IT technicians are not the only trade who share amusing stories about what they have to deal with at work. It doesn't mean that we sit there laughing at every customer, or show them contempt. It just means that there is the odd time when we get a private chuckle. That isn't a bad thing and any job would certainly be boring if we couldn't share stories and get a smile out of them.

In my case, I was verbally abused and had my skills called into question by the client I wrote about. When it turned out that the fault was not down to me, I never received an apology or an admission that it wasn't something I caused. That was what my posts were about. I happen to think that I was extremely patient and certainly forgiving. I am also a firm believer that everyone should be given the chance to learn about and use PC's, regardless of their skills, but sometimes there are situations when you can't help but see the funny side.
 
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