Well, I'm still having connectivity issues with my internet - even though I've switched providers. It started Tuesday night, I believe.
Anyway, I would be working along and suddenly I would be dead in the water, so to speak. So I called the DSL technical support.
Have you ever seen the episode of Friends where Phoebe takes a job as a telemarketer and they sit her down with a manual "for every eventuality" so that she can answer any questions the customer has? Well, I got that guy Tuesday night because every time I asked a question it would take forever for him to get back to me (and I usually had to ask the question multiple times), presumably because he was looking up the answer.
At one point our conversation went like this: (he's taken me to the command prompt)
Him: Type in "ip" (pauses)
Me: Okay.
Him: Type in "config"
Me: Is that all one word or is there a space between them?
Him: (long silence while he looks it up)
Me: Hello?
Him: Yes, I'm here. Type in "ip" (pauses again)
Me: I know what I'm supposed to type, I need to know if it's all one word or not.
Him: Just type in "ip" (pause)
Me: I know. (in an annoyed voice) One word or two?
Him: It's (then he starts spelling it out) i-p (pause) c-o-n-f
Me: (cutting him off) I know what you're saying and how to spell it. What I need to know is if there is a space between them or if it's one word!!!!!
Him: One word.
Me: Thank you!
It is at this point that I type in what he spelled.....ipconf....not what he said. So of course, I get an error message, which I read to him.
Him: Let's try this again. ip (pause) config
Me: (realizing my mistake and typing it right) Okay.
Him: What does it say?
Me: (I read it to him.)
Him: Now type (he gave me some command that I don't recall)
Me: Okay
Him: Now type a backslash.
Me: Ooohh. I'm not good with the backslashes. Which one is that?
Him: (long silence as he looks it up)
Me: Hello?
Him: I'm still here. Type a backslash.
Me: Which one is the backslash?
Him: (silence)
Me: Is it the one over the question mark?
Him: (unconvincingly) Yes.
Me: Okay
Him: Nevermind, you don't have to type the backslash.
Me: What?
Him: Type (gives me the command again)
Me: Okay
Him: Now type www.google.com
Me: Okay
Him: What's it doing?
Me: Nothing. (pause) Oh wait (then I read the error message it gave me)
Him: You must have typed it wrong.
Me: (uh, wrong answer! but I kept that to myself)
Him: (gives me the command - again - spelling it)
Me: Okay
Him: Now type www.google.com (and then spells it - as if I didn't type every single day)
Me: Uh huh. Exactly as I typed it before.
Him: Just do it.
Me: I did. Got the exact same error too.
We go through this exercise a few more times with yahoo before he realizes, there really is a problem, and puts in a ticket.
Him: We're going to send someone outside your house.
Me: You're sending someone to my house?
Him: No. I put in a ticket and someone will come outside your house.
Me: So someone is coming to my house?
Him: No. Someone will come outside your house.
Me: If someone is outside my house, they are AT my house.
Him: No, someone is not coming to your house. They are coming outside your house.
I have no idea if anyone stopped by or not but my connection seems to be working...at least for now.
3 comments:
Good lord! That conversation would have done me in. That kind of thing is SO frustrating.
Glad you're back online! :)
Thanks Ellen.
Yes, the conversation was getting to me. Most of what I was saying in the conversation was through gritted teeth. And when I'd ask what caused this or why he was having me do something, his response was always "I can't say," like maybe it was a trade secret, as opposed to his not having a clue. It was very annoying. LOL
So sorry about your difficulties, Laura, but thanks for the giggle. Mr. Honey actually snorted out loud when I made him read this.
Tech support shouldn't be done by anyone without a) technical skills, and b) people skills. It's just a personal rule that I unfortunately can't enforce around the world, but it'd be nice.
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