I've Never Seen This Fail That Way Before

[billroper]

This is what the tech at the dealership had to say about my car's climate control system and what the tech from Tweeter had to say about my dead Samsung DLP HDTV.

The dealership has ordered a part that may fix the problem. The Tweeter tech has gone back to the warehouse for a part that may fix the problem.

If I didn't write software for a living, I'd probably be less sympathetic.

Comments

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

"If I didn't write software for a living, I'd probably be less sympathetic."

=:o>

Whenever I have to call a support line about a problem with something, there's this little process of epiphany I hear the folks on the line go through. First, they're polite, but brisk and business like. Then, they're polite, but suspicious,and a little nervous... you can hear them thinking "This guy's being too nice. He's about to get really sarky and then explode about some major problem. Help!".

Then comes the bit where they understand what my major problem is (after I've calmly explained it three different ways until I hit on a version whereby they grok it)... and now they're bricking it, because I've benn onthe line four whole minutes, I've just explained to them I've got a really serious problem, and *I haven't started being sarcastic yet*! That means there's something even *bigger* wrong I haven't even got to yet, right? Right?

And finally, if the call lasts long enough, comes the moment of ecstatic revelation: "This guy... isn't blaming me for his problem! He's got a real doozy; he could sue the company for all they're worth for it; he's made it crystal clear he's not happy with the company or the product... but he's *still* being nice to *me*!"

Yep, I used to work on a tech support line. =:o}

My favourite customers were the little old ladies who'd never touched a computer before and were terrified they might have broken it... Because I could brighten their day by not only fixing the problem, but also showing them how much cleverer they were than the computer they were tustling with. And because they were such a nice change from the arseholes who *had* broken something, and assumed that since I worked in IT support, it was *my* fault, and I should therefore give up my Friday evening to magically fix their PC by telepathic remote control, while they tied up the telephone line with unidirectional abuse.

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

When I have this problem with the Third Floor (where all the computergeeks are based in our building) I call it "inventing a new perversion".