"I need to ask a stupid question."

[Knightmare]

Any one have customers say this to you? I get it all the time. And most of the time, the question is NOT stupid.
Yesterday I had a lady that told me that.
Cust: "I need to ask a stupid question."
Me: "Okay, go ahead."
C: "What is the best way to clean this power sprayer?"
Me: "Well, you blah blah blah."

It was not a stupid question; in fact, it's a common question. A stupid question is "Is there lead in this paint?" or "Can I pour this [patio paint] onto the floor and just spread it around?" <===== Actual question.

Painting is not as easy as most people think. You get better with practice, but it can be very daunting for the first time painter.
I don't know everything there is to know about paint. But ask me the question. If I don't know, I'll find out for you. That's why I'm here. Don't be embarrassed if you think it's stupid. I'd rather you know the right way to clean something, or the right technique, etc. than not know and just mess everything up.
Believe it or not, Mr. Customer, I want you to be happy. I want you to come back to me, and I want you to be able to trust me.

[draggar]

Just remember, there are no stupid questions, just smart-ass answers from people like myself.

Can I pour the paint into a bucket and mop it on the floor?

[lordlundar]

I usually stop someone when they say that and say "At no point after being told that, has the question been stupid. At most unusual, but not stupid."

[iradney]

*ahem*
something I used to tell my students back when I was a trainer:

He who asks a question is a fool for a moment
He who does not, is a fool for a lifetime.

Generally, when someone says "can I ask a stupid question?" it's not a stupid question....

[Jester]

I have often said this. Usually, though, I just start with my standard, "Hi. I'm an idiot. Can you help me?" This seems to disarm them and get them on my side, which is good.

That being said, I have had the following conversation more than once, despite what was said above:

CUSTOMER: "I have a stupid question."
JESTER: "There are no stupid questions."
CUSTOMER: (Asks a ridiculously stupid question.)
JESTER: "I was wrong. That WAS a stupid question!"
CUTSOMER: "I know."

Now I just tell people, "There are no stupid questions. Only stupid people."

[Dark Psion]

I have often said this. Usually, though, I just start with my standard, "Hi. I'm an idiot. Can you help me?" This seems to disarm them and get them on my side, which is good.

Especially if you are wearing the jester outfit at the time?

As to the complexity of painting, I tell people you need;

A quality paint
A quality brush
A quality painter

You can get by with two out of three.

[powerboy]

*ahem*
something I used to tell my students back when I was a trainer:

He who asks a question is a fool for a moment
He who does not, is a fool for a lifetime.

.

That is a good way to look at it.

[NightAngel]

Yep. I hear that one all the time. This is how I handle it:

Customer: "I have a stupid question."
Me: *Jokingly and with a smile* "Well, hopefully I can provide a stupid answer."

[TNT]

I've also found that most "I've got a stupid question" questions aren't stupid. I'm far more afraid of "simple" and "quick" questions.

Caller: I just have a quick question. I'm trying to set up a modem at my girlfriend's apartment in such a way that it works off the account at my house. That way, I'll have my internet when I'm at home and when I'm at her place. Do I need to change settings here or is that something you handle on your end?
Me: How far away is it?
Caller: About five miles.
Me: Okay, first step... get a five mile piece of coax cable...
Caller: In other words, you don't know. Perhaps there's someone there who does?

Caller: This is a simple one. A few weeks ago, I had an interesting phone call with my boss. How do I get a recording of that call?
Me: The simple solution would be to invent time travel and go back and relive the call. Any other solution would be considerably more difficult.

[HALFHUMANHALFZOMBIE]

Stupidest question I ever had


Does an X-box 360 game play on an X-box?

[Ringtail Z28]

My usual answer to "I need to ask a stupid question." is simply "I know".

[myswtghst]

I've also found that most "I've got a stupid question" questions aren't stupid. I'm far more afraid of "simple" and "quick" questions.

I'm entirely with you on this. Most of the time, when someone prefaces a call/request with "I've got a small/simple/quick favor to ask..." I get scared. Usually it means they have a very long, detailed question that I'm not qualified to answer.