ARRRRRRRRRGGGHH!!!!

Somedays the customers just pi$$ me off to no end. From roughly December 20th to some time in March, we are non-stop busy with people bringing their computers in because they don't know how to install scanners, need new video cards for their Pentium 133s since they bought NHL 2001 for Christmas...whaddever.
Right now, I'm working on a 3-4 day turn around minimum. I've got 11 computers sitting waiting to be done...all ranging from stuff like install a new motherboard & CPU to half-assed incoherent notes the customers write in a vain attempt to be helpful.
Then, a customer drags their system in and says, "It doesn't boot one time out of 3, and when it does sometimes it goes into safe mode...blah blah blah" (not a quick & easy fix).
So I tell them, "Sure, no prob. I can get a look at it and see what's going on."
"Great. When can I have it back?"
"MAYBE Tuesday, but quite possibly Wednesday."
"Hmph! Is there no way you can do it earlier?"
"Nope. I've got 11 systems ahead of yours."
"Well, I NEED it for year end. Is there no way you could do it?"
"Nope. Like I said, I've got a 3-4 day turn around right now. Christmas is a really busy time for us."
"Is there anyone in town who could do it for me today?"
(Sure, lemme cut off my own head...) "Not that I know of..." (Actually, we live in a small town, and we are the only game in town) I suggested the next town over may have a store that could. But, I know from experience that all stores are as busy as we are...it goes with retail computer sales...
So, she said that she'd just bring it in on Tuesday. And I just thought to myself, "Well...then it'll be done Friday, or Monday..."

Sigh...Some people just don't get it, and everyone thinks that they're the most important person on the planet.

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***the Beast
- Fate drove me here...then told me to get out of the car...

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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Geneva, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by theBeast:
Sigh...Some people just don't get it, and everyone thinks that they're the most important person on the planet.

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That's it... people are amazing.


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=-iateyourcat-=

Why is it that the cheapest people think they are your only customer and your business will fail without them? Answer: I think there is a lot of inbreeding going on these days.

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Born to Network

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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Geneva, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by iamtheman:
Why is it that the cheapest people think they are your only customer and your business will fail without them? Answer: I think there is a lot of inbreeding going on these days.

</font>

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https://forums.windrivers.com/

Ain't that the truth? We had a customer pi%%ed at us because we installed a battery in his system (which he told us to do), and it cost $20 for the battery, and $15 to install (which we told him it would). He went on ranting that he would NEVER rent our overhead projector from us EVER AGAIN! (Ooo... That's $5 a day less. My goodness!)

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***the Beast
- Fate drove me here...then told me to get out of the car...

I feel every word my friend. I have heard all of it and then some. We are on almost a 5 day wait right now. We have so many computers in the shop that we have no where to put new ones coming in. So many people are calling to have us "install their new burner over the phone" that we don't get a chance to even touch the machines that we are being payed to fix. I am very excited for this summer. We are busy, but not to busy, and most of our work is modem installs from thunderstorm. That is the summer bread and butter. We make good bucks on it, and they are quick easy, and painless. usualy can do them while the customer waits.

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https://forums.windrivers.com/ We may be through with the penguin, but the penguin may not be through with us

Then there's the people who feel to give me their life story. I ask a simple question like, "What are you going to use the internet for?" and I get an explaination of how they don't use the computer much except for word processing, etc, etc etc...
"I'VE GOT COMPUTERS COMING OUT OF MY YIN-YANG! LEAVE ME ALONE!" https://forums.windrivers.com/

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***the Beast
- Fate drove me here...then told me to get out of the car...

Beast...I long for the days that I was a "front line tech" at the computer store where I worked. I'm in a large office now with over 500 users, lots of servers, PC's to play with and endless resourses at my disposal but to be on the front line where you are, it would be cool to be there again. Don't get me wrong...I love it here! https://forums.windrivers.com/ It's just that you get to see the most current stuff and get mass exposure to it which in turn sharpens your tech skills for future oportunities https://forums.windrivers.com/ . Enjoy it now while you can. One day you will move up in the tech world and look back on these days and miss them. By the way...I'm not smoking, I don't do drugs, I have no loaded gun beside me and I'm perfectly sane https://forums.windrivers.com/ , I'm just reflecting a little. Sorry for the long rant!

"They don't call them users for nothing!" https://forums.windrivers.com/

I know what you mean right now we its about 4-5 days wait and if you need a service call and its not an end or the world deal its a 2-3 day wait.

Hehe. Yeah, Stormtech, I'll look back on these days and say, "Remember when I was insane?" Lol
Actually, before I was a "front line" tech, I used to work at a long distance phone company. I was a lowly little billing clerk who processed returned mail. THOSE were fun days! I just laugh at these customers who think that they're so mad at us. They know NOTHING about what I've had to go through. I called between 200 and 300 people a day saying, "I'm calling from Smart Talk Network, and I'd like to confirm your address."
Now, the real fun part of this was... The president of the company was also the president of some door-to-door agency. This agency was a little slimy, and underhanded. They would go through phone books, and forge signatures (an agent would get paid $10/signature they turned in). So, these weiners would come back with skads of fraudlent signatures, and STN would process them as legit. Thus resulting in thousands of customers being slammed into the STN long distance service. It was actually Bell who developed that term for what STN was doing.
I knew that half these people didn't sign up...but, there was nothing I could do about it. I just had to call, and get their address. If they didn't want on our service, I was to give them the main line so they could call and cancel their account. People didn't clue in that I didn't have access to cancelling their account...just their address.
Another great part was STN had a rate for Oriental customers. It was for special calling to Asia. Well, these people were also slammed...and possibly slammed the hardest. You haven't lived until you've had Chang Ng scream Manderin obsenities at you. Lol

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***the Beast
- Fate drove me here...then told me to get out of the car...

I know exactly what you mean. We are on a 2-3 day minimum turn around. People just don't understand it. We put a sign up several months ago that reads:

We understand your computer is very important to you and that you would like to have it repaired as soon as possible. Please understand that the every person who brought there machine in before you and all the ones after you feel the exact same way.

If we put you in front of everybody before you, you will just be shoved to the back when the next person comes in requesting the same thing!

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I have no recollection of any set of words, that when grouped together, form a favorite saying!

If you had done a rush job on their computer, they'd be late picking it up. It seems that every time I'm convinced to do a rush job the customer waits a few days to pick their computer up.

One time a customer gave us a $100 tip if we'd have it ready that afternoon. We did, and called them to pick it up. It took four days for them to get it.

I hate it when managers would bring their computers in and expect free service and expect the techs to do it now. So annoying... https://forums.windrivers.com/

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https://forums.windrivers.com/ https://forums.windrivers.com/ https://forums.windrivers.com/ https://forums.windrivers.com/

It's a dog eat dog world out there and I'm wearing milk bone underwear.

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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Geneva, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by SavagePenguin:
If you had done a rush job on their computer, they'd be late picking it up. It seems that every time I'm convinced to do a rush job the customer waits a few days to pick their computer up.

One time a customer gave us a $100 tip if we'd have it ready that afternoon. We did, and called them to pick it up. It took four days for them to get it.</font>

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I have two machines that were "rush jobs"! One is about to go on the auction block because the customer never came back to get it. Two months. PII Gateway! I might pay the 100 bucks to cover his bill!!

The second is a laptop that a college student "HAD" to have files backed up so he can send it in for service. It has been a month and we have not heard from him to get the floppy so I can load a zip or network card or anything else to back it up. "yeah real important!!"


http://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/dvv/cwmseizure.gif



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You spend your whole life believing that you're on the right track,
only to discover that you're on the wrong train.

Hehe. We had a customer who was all pi$$ed off at the length of time it was taking for his monitor to be repaired. He purchased a KDS monitor, and every KDS we've sold, we've told the customer that "If something happens to your monitor, you call KDS had they will replace it for you."
So, his monitor goes on the blink, and he brings it into the store. We informed him that we don't handle the warranty, but because we're nice guys, we will for him this time.
I call KDS, and tell them that the monitor needs replacing. It was an older VS-550 model monitor, and KDS said that they didn't have any stock on the monitor to do an advanced replacement. "No prob," I said, "We'll just do a repair and return then, since that would be the fastest."
The customer called the next day, and I explained the situation to him. He was hopping mad. "I thought they had next day replacement."
"Well, unfortuantely they didn't have any stock on this monitor, so that couldn't be done."
"Well, when is it going to be done?!"
"Well, it should be in a week or two."
"WHAT?! THAT'S HORRIBLE SERVICE! RANT RANT RANT"
(Keep in mind that when you open the box it says in big bold letters, "DO NOT CONTACT YOUR RESELLER FOR WARRANTY. FOR SERVICE CALL..."
I asked him if he read the warranty in the manual.
"Well, no."
I informed him that we are not responsible for the warranty to the monitor, and that it was shipped out the same day he brought it in. At this point it was out of our hands.
He grumbled and groaned a bit.
Two days later he called back, "Is my monitor back yet? I NEED it. I can't do any work without it."
"Nope, not back yet. We'll call as soon as it comes in the door."
Two days later. "Is my monitor back yet? This dang-blasted-rumble-rumble."
"No. Not yet. The minute I see the courier come in with your monitor, I will call you."
This continued for about a week.
He then came in the store, fuming mad. I told him that I had nothing to do with KDS, but I would call them, and check the status. So I did. They told me that it was pending, and it would be looked at in the next day or two.
He called back two days later, again in a huff. So, I called KDS once again. "It's being looked at today, and should be shipped in the next day or two."
So, I told him that.
Then, the monitor came in. And as soon as I signed for it, I called the customer. "Your monitor is in."
"Grumble grumble. Ok. I'll come and pick it up."
This was two weeks ago...

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***the Beast
- Fate drove me here...then told me to get out of the car...

had a guy come in and drop off his comcrap to get fixed. the motherboard had taken a dive and he was going to need to replace the whole box. he insisted that we not touch anything because he had his bussines on the system and he absolutely had to have it all saved because it was so important. that was 3 months ago, it's goen now. and the great part is i spoke to him the day after he dropped it off, then his phone got disconnected. oh-well. we have now instituted a rush fee which is i think like 50 bucks, for this you get to have yer puter moved to the front of the line. seems to shut people up from whining about repair times.

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It's a Jeep thing you wouldn't understand.

I support approx 250 users. (back office tech work). Mind you EVERYONE always has the WORST problem and I am to drop my WHOLE world and come a running....Even if they do not follow correct procedures and open a trouble report. I REALLY love those that come over when you are in the middle of fixing something else and expect you to listen and tell them how to fix theirs. No thanks, I don't know about the rest of ya'all, but I DON'T want the users trying to fix anything....just makes my job that much worse. Ok, I feel better now. By the way, did I mention that I am now the ONLY tech supporting these........fools, with no help in site? The remote users are even BETTER!!!...thanks, this is a great place to vent....since you all understand!! Thanks for listening.... https://forums.windrivers.com/

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Ever stop to think....and forget to start again?

It's better to underpromise and overdeliver then overpromise and underdeliver... Tell them it'll be 5 days then do it in 2, they'll love you for it. It's better than telling them it'll probably be 2 days and then it ends up taking longer and they are whinging like the fools they are!

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[ i N S A N i T Y 2 0 0 0 ]

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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Geneva, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by SiCkNuT:
It's better to underpromise and overdeliver then overpromise and underdeliver... Tell them it'll be 5 days then do it in 2, they'll love you for it. It's better than telling them it'll probably be 2 days and then it ends up taking longer and they are whinging like the fools they are!

</font>

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Ah, the good ole Scotty trick! https://forums.windrivers.com/ It doesn't always work, though. You tell someone it'll be three days, they scream, you finish it the next day, and they still scream that it took too long. Oh well.
I put in a 93 hour week (I worked a full day on Saturday) to catch up. Phew! I can't wait for this weekend... I'll FINALLY get to relax...

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***the Beast
- Fate drove me here...then told me to get out of the car...

I work for a credit union that has about 200 users on our LAN/WAN. Most are in located in other branches and call our shop for help. What really gets me, is when they call (which is against policy, they should be emailing the help desk!)and leave a message that they need help NOW! Such and such app. is not working correctly or their "puter don't work" and they cant get work done. So I call them back and they are either...

1. Too busy right now to stop what they are doing...

2. Away from their desk and to call back later...

3. "Fixed" the problem themselves... (which usally results in another call back from them that starts the process over again!!)


https://forums.windrivers.com/

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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Geneva, Arial" size="2">
Ah, the good ole Scotty trick!
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lol, my exact thoughts when I read SiCkNuT's post!


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Thank you for calling, how can I hang up on you today?

Right now we've got about a three day wait on service. Our policy is simple, if you want it looked at sooner, you pay extra. And it's an hourly rate. $75 to look at it next business day, $125 within two business hours, or $150 within two hours period. We also mention that thier warranty does NOT cover this extra charge. That either shuts 'em up, or they just grumble quiter. Either way works for me.

Off topic: Ebra, how's GMC doing?

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From the dark of night, comes... WHAT DO YOU MEAN INVALID PAGE FAULT!!