Arrrgh... tech support

Are all tech support people purposely stupid and incompetent?

I mean, is it just me or does everybody end up having to write 3 or 4 emails asking the same questions before finally getting an answer.
It doesn't seem to make any difference who I deal with... it's always the same thing.
Write a long involved email explaining exactly what the problem is... only to have some doze write me back either answering a totally different question than what I asked.. or treating me like I'm a total idiot by giving me stupid, idiotic solutions that any 5th grader could have figured out for themselves.

It's like.... "yes, I've already tried that. Yes, I know you're supposed to hit that button... yes.. I have enough brains to figure all that crap out for myself before writing you for help. Why do you think I'd be writing you if I hadn't tried that already?

ok.. I've vented.
Indie911 is really pissing me off right now.

I think its more that all tech support people think everyone is stupid and incompetent.

Originally Posted by: iihollyI think its more that all tech support people think everyone is stupid and incompetent.

Sadly, the majority of people are stupid and/or incompetent... :rolleyes: Those in IT are no different. The guy you're talking to is probably on minimum wage (or close), probably doesn't care, and probably has less idea than you of the problem you're trying to fix.

Once they've said 'reboot it' that's it usually. You need to get through them to the people up the tree who actually know.

I'm very computer literate (used to work with 'em) and I get the same thing... I've got to the stage now of telling people the qualifications I have (or had) so they get the idea that 'is it switched on?' is not a question they need to ask.... they still do it though - perhaps to derive some twisted pleasure from their working day?

I work in tech support (kinda) and trust me when I say customers are OFTEN stupid. It's all about on which side you are lol

You have no idea how many times I had to troubleshoot a computer not being plugged in the wall. Or having to say "no sir, that would be a right mouse click. not a left one".

Your first e-mail will often be replied to has if you were 3 years old. Because they can`t base their answers on the fact that they think anyone is intelligent enough to know how to work an equipment.

That said, 3-4 e-mails later being answer the same way is indeed very stupid of their part.

So what was your original problem??

The funniest thing I ever encountered at work was............

We had a user complaining that their floppy drive was not working properly. I go over to investigate, try to eject the floppy. It wouldn't eject. Took apart the PC and removed the floppy drive only to find that Einstein had jammed two floppy discs into the drive at the same time.

Still makes me laugh and that happened 8 years ago :D

Originally Posted by: Benoit

You have no idea how many times I had to troubleshoot a computer not being plugged in the wall. Or having to say "no sir, that would be a right mouse click. not a left one".

of their part.

Everytime I'm helping my dad with something on the computer, he always asks me if its a right or left click. I just want to smack him in the back of the head and say, "If I wanted you to right click I would say "right click"!"

Computers are weird though.... people actually don't want to understand - they just want it fixed (or for it to have never broken).

PCs have a pretty much unique ability to bring out the blithering idiot in people...

What I used to like was getting a call from someone who said their PC didn't work... I'd turn up and get 'oh, it didn't work a minute ago....' - yeah, like hell it didn't..... what they mean is, they weren't doing it right a minute ago.

The good news is that because people are stupid, they'll pay people to dig them out of this, and pay them well... :D

HA! So true. Best Buy had to put in a Geek Squad to handle the load.

As a 15 year employee of IT covering a myriad of different positions, I can assure you that people are stupid. Sometimes the folks that consider themselves "computer literate" are actually worse than the ones that still think the cd-rom tray is a retractable cup holder. They're the ones that love to get into regedit and make a few "tweaks" that'll make their system scream, and they're the reason why no one at my company has admin rights to their machine.

Unfortunately, America being the land of opportunity, competing technology (read: Servers/Workstations/Printers/Digital Cameras/Network Equipment, etc) companies are forced to bring everyone a complete computer set up with a flat panel monitor, printer, scanner and wireless router for $99. The only way they can possibly support that and still operate is to outsource their helpdesks. It's the most frustrating experience ever, but the reality is that it's because you're paying a reduced rate for the product.

Dell has actually their business/goverment helpdesks back to the states in Austin/OKC. The home user that gets the great deal is stuck talking to Habib... err, 'scuse me, I mean "Bob".

Originally Posted by: schmangeIt's like.... "yes, I've already tried that. Yes, I know you're supposed to hit that button... yes.. I have enough brains to figure all that crap out for myself before writing you for help. Why do you think I'd be writing you if I hadn't tried that already?

Probably because they've already received several dozen calls/emails from people who hadn't tried that already or couldn't figure out how to do it ("I'm tapping the button with my finger and nothing's happening!").

The tech support industry has its fair share of idiots, but their client base is often so packed full of them that intelligent people with legitimate problems get drowned out.

Though to be fair, habib usually has a degree in computer science and half a brain, whereas the home grown (UK anyway) equivolent has left school with no qualifications, and dribbles....

It's a drag that sometimes the command of the english language in these call centres can make life hard, and outsourcing isnt actually any cheaper once you've gone through it all... in the UK anyway we're over run with cretins that have to work somewhere. Better on the 'phone telling you to reboot a computer than flying you trans-atlantic I reckon...

The thing that gets me the most is when you spend an hour typing out a detailed description of a problem. You wait a couple of days for a response then all they do is send you a form letter that doesn't even address any of your questions.
It's like the tech support guy just quickly skimmed through the email, assumed that I was asking something stupid, then picked the closest form letter (usually blaming me) so he could move on to the next one.

This usually happens about 3 times before they finally clue in that I have a legitimate complaint.

Man.. I don't friggin believe it.
I just got another email from Indie911, yet again explaining that I have to enter my password in order to use the site.

Like duh.... I've already explained 3 times that my password doesn't work and the 'retrieve password' button just gives a page of error messages.

Why is this so hard to understand??

Bad tech support is quite annoying.I've called earthlink 4 times so far and they have yet to fix my problem.

Originally Posted by: schmangeIt's like the tech support guy just quickly skimmed through the email, assumed that I was asking something stupid, then picked the closest form letter (usually blaming me) so he could move on to the next one.

It's possible that your email was automatically sorted by keyword and replied to without any actual person seeing it.

nah, I can tell by the snotty attitude that it was a real person.
Form letters are usually overly polite.