I can't tell you how long it'll take me to fix until I know whats wrong with it

[Aressel]

This could belong in either unsupportable or here, but I think that it fits better into sucky customers. THe fact that I work in a computer store is just incidental.

Two exchanges, both with the same customer:
SC: More stupid than sucky
Me: Your friendly neighbourhood technomancer

Exchange 1: (Over the phone)
SC: Computer's broken, yada yada yada
Me: Sounds like a hard drive problem, bring it in and I'll run some diagnostics
SC: Okay, Can you tell me if I'll have it back today
Me: Um, no... I can't really tell you until I know whats wrong with it.
SC: Okay, goodbye.

Exchange 2: (At the front counter)
Me: Okay, so if I can just get your contact information, I'll let you know once I know something.
SC: Aren't you going to start on it right away
Me: Of course, but the diagnostics will take at least a half-hour to run.
SC: Alright, I'll come back then.

Why is it so hard for people to understand these three simple facts: I cnat diagnose over the phone, I can't tell you how long its going to take until I've figured out what the problem is, and diagnostics take time to run. I may call myself a technomancer, but I don't actually have magical powers. (Although some people think that we do )

[Pezzle]

Slightly on-topic, I'd like to point out that this drives me f'ing batcrap insane. Like when they call every 15 minutes to see if a computer they dropped off an hour ago is done and they want a full Operating System workover with drivers and programs and data restored. That sort of thing takes hours.

Or when they expect you to halt and drop all fifteen of the computers your working on at once and start on their OMFG IMPORTANT DATA MIGRATION because they need it for their business. If your business was that important, you'd have invested in other perhaps archaic backup methods for your important documents. CD, DVD, External HDD, TAPE DRIVE!?

I don't get it, if someone has assets in their computer WHY, why for the love of WaWa and all that is holy don't they bloody back it up!?

[Mr. Rude]

And I second that...


Mostly because..

A: They're cheap

B: They're dumber than fried sh*t

C: The whole world revolves around them

[Talon]

Why is it so hard for people to understand these three simple facts: I cnat diagnose over the phone, I can't tell you how long its going to take until I've figured out what the problem is, and diagnostics take time to run. I may call myself a technomancer, but I don't actually have magical powers. (Although some people think that we do )

It's really quite simple, they're hoping to make minimal effort and/or not have to pay for diagnosis/repair work. SC's are lazy and cheap, among other flaws.

[aurelemsrealm]

It's really quite simple, they're hoping to make minimal effort and/or not have to pay for diagnosis/repair work. SC's are lazy and cheap, among other flaws.

Boy, that's the truth!!!!!

[Tigress]

Slightly on-topic, I'd like to point out that this drives me f'ing batcrap insane. Like when they call every 15 minutes to see if a computer they dropped off an hour ago is done and they want a full Operating System workover with drivers and programs and data restored. That sort of thing takes hours.

We have that more times than I care to mention. Our diagnostics process takes 2-3 days because we service computers on a first-come, first-serve basis. Some of these yahoos hear 2-3 hours and come back later in the day fully expecting it to be done. Then they claim that it only takes their "IT person" or "Friend That Knows Computers" that long to look at it. That's because the "friend" doesn't have 10 machines ahead of yours still waiting to be looked at, jackhole! Do you not see the machines covering our bench here? That's why we haven't worked on your macine yet!

Or when they expect you to halt and drop all fifteen of the computers your working on at once and start on their OMFG IMPORTANT DATA MIGRATION because they need it for their business. If your business was that important, you'd have invested in other perhaps archaic backup methods for your important documents. CD, DVD, External HDD, TAPE DRIVE!?

I don't get it, if someone has assets in their computer WHY, why for the love of WaWa and all that is holy don't they bloody back it up!?

Because most of these people have a home-based business and/or just started out working for themselves and have not yet learned that backing up data is just as important as saving receipts and keeping hard copies of invoices. Chances are, these yahoos will be out of business within a year, because they are irresponsible and karma works that way. These also tend to be the same people that think "home-based business = slacking off all day + free money" and get a very nasty surprise from Uncle Sam in January when it turns out they didn't pay taxes on any of that income.

Those that do have any business sense will just suck it up and pay for the back-up service. They know they should have backed things up and just didn't do it. Instead of bitching about it, they'll just write it off as a business expense and start looking for a back-up solution.

[XXDarrienX]

Yeah I am somewhat guilty of that today. The north bridge on my board went bad and since it was still under the 1 year warranty from the place I bought it I got a simple exchange. Before I discovered the board was bad, I took it to Best Buy, CompUSA etc and was all told 2-3 days. On my day off without a computer would have annoyed me so I tried other methods as in getting a newer board and just turned in the old one and put the new one in myself like I did before. I might have been annoyed but not sucky to the Techs.

[Shabo]

We had someone bring in a laptop that wouldn't display anything on the monitor, so we brought it over to Hardware. She has called every morning to check on the status. Lady, relax. We don't keep laptop screens in stock. Yes, it sucks. Deal.

[theredbaron47]

Exchange 1: (Over the phone)
SC: Computer's broken, yada yada yada
Me: Sounds like a hard drive problem, bring it in and I'll run some diagnostics
SC: Okay, Can you tell me if I'll have it back today
Me: Um, no... I can't really tell you until I know whats wrong with it.
SC: Okay, goodbye.

Exchange 2: (At the front counter)
Me: Okay, so if I can just get your contact information, I'll let you know once I know something.
SC: Aren't you going to start on it right away
Me: Of course, but the diagnostics will take at least a half-hour to run.
SC: Alright, I'll come back then.

Hey, at least they weren't sucky about it. A lot of customers in that scenario would have been all up in your face, screaming at you about your bad service and whatnot. I consider that stupid instead of sucky as well.

Although the fact that such oblivious people exist does dampen my mood somewhat...

[DesignFox]

hehe. stupid business people abound. I get the same bullshit from people about their cell phones. "I can't wait to get one from the warranty/insurance company. You need to give me one NOW! I need it for BUSINESS!"

Well then, jackass, there's an interesting thing called "call forwarding." Miraculously, it doesn't cost anything....

If your business is so heavily dependent on you having a cell-phone, maybe you should have invested in keeping a back up...

Seriously, how do businesses stay in business, anymore? Since, you know, if any person is without their phone for a day, they lose all this money?

[Pezzle]

Although the fact that such oblivious people exist does dampen my mood somewhat...

Someone once screamed and called me a c*nt for having to pay a flat $60.00 diagnostic fee and for us to find out that the computer needed a new motherboard and a lot of other fried-out components (hello unplug the damn thing during lightning storms). He was enraged that he payed "all this money" and we "couldn't fix it".

Well you know what jackson? Some smaller home-grown tech shops charge $200.00/hr for that, you got a deal.

[SCSlave]

I get crap something like that.

People call in to the kiosk and say "My cell phone doesn't work! What's wrong with it!?" OH wait! Let me get my Amazing Kreskin hat on first...THEN I can tell you exactly what's wrong with it. Simply saying it "doesn't work" doesn't give me any kind of an idea what's up with it. It is most likely turned off---or you haven't charged it in a month. That'll do it.

When I worked in the retail store, I saw TONS of phones that were broken in HALF. Or smashed to bits...they think we can FIX that. When people asked "Can you fix it?" I always said "Sure...let me get the duct tape..."

[SCSlave]

And I'm curious, Pezzle...did you kick him in the nuts for calling you a c**t? He needs to be.

[Pezzle]

No, regrettably I didn't. I was more focused on the fact that I had to pay rent. I did, however, tell him if I ever saw him in the store again I'd run five miles in the opposite direction to avoid ever having to serve him again. I also told him to find another associate, because I don't get paid enough to deal with his crap.

In the end, he apologized, but I didn't take it very well..

[ahanix1989]

"Sir... sir... diagnosing computer problems over the phone is like diagnosing brain cancer with a pointy stick"