For those of us who do tech support

[Arakni Spellweaver]

Hi all,

A friend of mine just sent me this link. It's a UserFriendly comic strip called "Tech Support Caller Warning System".

(I have a user here that I call Mr. Clueless. He tried to tell me once that Internet Explorer and Netscape connected to two different Internets, and that's why he didn't have the same bookmarks in each program. He is definitely in the last category. And yes, he has an advanced degree and has said that I need to "hop to it and synchronize his Internets". When I tried to explain how bookmarks work, he told me that I was in fact incorrect, and how much training did I have again? Oh, the humanity....)

http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20030209

[Lilosh]

Re: For those of us who do tech support

(I have a user here that I call Mr. Clueless. He tried to tell me once that Internet Explorer and Netscape connected to two different Internets, and that's why he didn't have the same bookmarks in each program.

*sigh* I worked for a cable modem provider for 2 months, then a DSL provider for 4 more....

People know about as much about the internet as I do about ..... errrr...... finishing this sentence.

I have been asked how to download the internet to a disk.
Copy the internet.
Delete the internet.

If I had a dollar for everyone wanted something done to "their internet", I would be a rich man.


We had a standard joke around the call center. "No sir, the internet is not broken, I am browsing it just fine!".

And, of course, getting the ever famous "OMG I BROKE THE INTERNET" call was good for a few laughs.

(And darn you for finally making me break down and start reading UF... I finished 1997, and I am almost done with 01/98.)

-Lilosh

[Maevenniia]

ROFL, I love this one

[NeoCatET]

Techsupport

I did tech support for HP DJ printers for two plus years. I've heard it all as well. My favorite is asking what version of windows they're using and getting the response AOL 7.0 roll

[data9724]

A few times i had to be in the hotline at work instead of going around and fixing PCs, and i think that the all time best moron question must be:

[Dumb_user_01]I cant log in, my password must be broken
[me]Have you checked if the Caps Lock key have been pressed?
[Dumb_user_01]Where is the Caps Lock key?
[me]*Bang head into wall* Its at the right side of your keyboard, just above the Shift key.
[Dumb_user_01]Ahh, and how do i see if its been pressed.
[me]You look at the right side of your keyboard, above the number keys theres some lights, see if the one with the labes Caps Lock are glowing.
[Dumb_user_01]It is, what do i do then?
[me]*bang head on wall again* Press the Caps Lock key to make it stop glowing.
[Dumb_user_01]Where was the Caps Lock key again?
[me]*Consider if ill ever trust that doctor enough to get operated by him* Its above the Shift key at the left side of your keyboard.
[Dumb_user_01]Ahh, thanks. Now it works.

And the sad part: This isnt something that just happened once to twice, i had it happen 3 times, and i think my total time on the support line have been 15 hours or so.

[Tavokk Orcbane]

Check out http://www.techcomedy.com/, there's some good stuff on there. I've done support since 1998 so I'd know

[ArrakeenNaedShoj]

me]*Consider if ill ever trust that doctor enough to get operated by him* Its above the Shift key at the left side of your keyboard.

Hehe. That reminds me of a few years ago when I used to work as network/system/deskside support for a hospital. Every morning between the hours of 8 and 10, i would enevitably get at least two calls from someone who was unable to log in. It wasn't that they couldn't remember their password (it being 'password') or even forgetting their caps lock key, it was always that they couldn't remember their user name, or mispelled it. The thing was, everyone had the same username rule; the username was the first initial of their first name, and their last name all as one word (i.e. John Smith would be 'jsmith').

I never could understand that. Men and women that spent as much as 9 years in college, couldn't remember or spell their own dang names.

[Insert-RN]

Thankfully, under most circumstances, I myself fall into the low risk category.

Though I still get a giggle out of Windows 95 - when you do a basic install, it puts a shortcut to IE on the desktop. When you remove it, the text for the confirmation box is: "The Internet cannot be stored in the Recycle Bin..."