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It’s not unusual, in my job, to see parents come in with a broken computer in their arms and a child in tow. It’s NOT a general rule that the kid has done something to damage the computer, but it does happen. Even if the kid hasn’t broken the computer, even if the computer’s not broken and is only in for a check-up or upgrade, Kids tend to be rather cheeky which usually ends up in them getting a clip around the ear, but I have NEVER had this before;
Me
Kid (about 8)
Dad
SG : Security Guard
Dad: Hiya mate. We’ve got a problem with our computer. It’s not in its warranty though. What’s your diagnostic charge?
Me: thirty pounds. What’s the trouble?
Dad: Won’t read CDs. The damn drive won’t even open
Me: does the drive flash went you turn the computer on?
Dad: Oh, yeah. It seems to power up, it just won’t eject and there’s a CD stuck in there. It’s only a CD I made myself so I’m not worried about it
Me: That okay, I can’t guarantee we can get the disc out in one piece anyway (I could pretty much guarantee it, but not absolutely, so I have to cover my own back) I need to charge you the diagnostic upfront though, then I’ll go and check the machine out
Dad: That’s fine *Gets credit card out and puts it in the Chip n’ Pin machine*
Me: *Scans a barcode and presses a few buttons on the screen* Okay, could you type your pin and press enter for me please?
Dad: *does as instructed*
Me: Ok, great. You can take your card out now *Grabs the receipt as it prints and hands it over* Keep that handy. You’ll need it in a second. If I find a fault and you want me to fix it, we refund the diagnostic and just charge for the repair plus parts. Realistically, it’s most likely gonna be a new DVD writer
Dad: Yeah, I’d have thought so.
So I take the computer into the back, pull the cover off, pull the drive out, but leave it connected. I powered the machine up and sure enough, the drive did not want to open. New drive. I grabbed a screwdriver, turned the machine off, disconnected ther drive and started to take it apart to try to get the guys CD out. I pulled the lid off and was not surprised at what I found. A pop-tart. The spindle had come up to read the CD, got skewed the pop tart and just got stuck there. When the drive was told to open, the spindle was still up so it was just ignoring the commands from the open button. I got the CD out and, holding it carefully, went out and told him what I had found
Me: Yeah, it’s a new drive. But I found somthign in there *shows him*
Dad: Whats that?
Me: Pop-tart.
Dad: WHAT?! *Stares daggers at his kid*
I gotta say, at this point I felt real sorry for the kid, but I was in no way prepared for what happened next
Kid: I was eating one around the computer and- *He gets cut off my his dad clouting him around the head so hard I felt it
The kids dad then just launched himself at his son. He was hitting him really hard. I could hear the ‘Thud-thud-thud’ as his fists made contact. I just acted on a reflex. I jumped over the desk and started trying to pull him off the kid, who was in a ball on the floor.
SG: (On Tannoy) Staff announcement; Call one. Tech. thank you
("Call one" is our distress call. if you hear it over the tannoy, you drop what you are doing and you spirint over to wherever called. One guy once said 'Beat shit out of first, ask questions later' Not exactly correct but it's a good way of putting it)
Our security guard came sprinting over, as did several members of staff and a few customers. Collectively we pulled this guy and his screaming kid apart.
One customer, who was a rather large gentleman Pinned the dad down to the floor until myself and a female co-worker took the kid out of there. I picked him up over my shoulder and walked over to the staff kitchen with him.
Ofcourse, the police were called. I asked the kid if his mum was at home and if he knew the phone number. He did and she was. We kept him in the kitchen with a glass of pop, some sweets and, when he had dried his tears and stopped shaking enough to use it, some games on my laptop.
The police took statements of everyone there and arrested the dad for assault of a minor. Why they didn’t arrest him for domestic assult I do not know.
I don’t want that kid to grow up without a Dad, but I’d say it’d be a good thing if he grew up without that particular dad.
The mum was great though. She was cool, calm, collected. She signed for the work on the computer and paied for the drive to be replaced, but more importantly she was SO tender with her son. Once her son was put into the car with someone else (an aunty, I think) she came back in and thanked us all. It would appear it was as much of a shock to her as it was to the rest of us. I’m no family councillor, but I’d say this was a first time.
Eventually when I got back into tech;
Ade: What the fuck was all that bollocks about, Flea?
Me: this computer *Points* the kid put a pop-tart in the CD drive...
Ade: As you do
Me: ...when his dad found out, he just went ballistic. Beat the shit out of his kid
Ade: Nice, Quality parenting there. Fuckwitt should bastard-well rot in prison. The kid ok?
Me: Would you be okay if a person 4 times your size launched themselves at you? Physically, he’s a bit battered, but Okay. I think it’s the mental damage that’s gonna take it’s toal
I should point out that Ade has recently become a dad. His son is 6 months old
Me
Kid (about 8)
Dad
SG : Security Guard
Dad: Hiya mate. We’ve got a problem with our computer. It’s not in its warranty though. What’s your diagnostic charge?
Me: thirty pounds. What’s the trouble?
Dad: Won’t read CDs. The damn drive won’t even open
Me: does the drive flash went you turn the computer on?
Dad: Oh, yeah. It seems to power up, it just won’t eject and there’s a CD stuck in there. It’s only a CD I made myself so I’m not worried about it
Me: That okay, I can’t guarantee we can get the disc out in one piece anyway (I could pretty much guarantee it, but not absolutely, so I have to cover my own back) I need to charge you the diagnostic upfront though, then I’ll go and check the machine out
Dad: That’s fine *Gets credit card out and puts it in the Chip n’ Pin machine*
Me: *Scans a barcode and presses a few buttons on the screen* Okay, could you type your pin and press enter for me please?
Dad: *does as instructed*
Me: Ok, great. You can take your card out now *Grabs the receipt as it prints and hands it over* Keep that handy. You’ll need it in a second. If I find a fault and you want me to fix it, we refund the diagnostic and just charge for the repair plus parts. Realistically, it’s most likely gonna be a new DVD writer
Dad: Yeah, I’d have thought so.
So I take the computer into the back, pull the cover off, pull the drive out, but leave it connected. I powered the machine up and sure enough, the drive did not want to open. New drive. I grabbed a screwdriver, turned the machine off, disconnected ther drive and started to take it apart to try to get the guys CD out. I pulled the lid off and was not surprised at what I found. A pop-tart. The spindle had come up to read the CD, got skewed the pop tart and just got stuck there. When the drive was told to open, the spindle was still up so it was just ignoring the commands from the open button. I got the CD out and, holding it carefully, went out and told him what I had found
Me: Yeah, it’s a new drive. But I found somthign in there *shows him*
Dad: Whats that?
Me: Pop-tart.
Dad: WHAT?! *Stares daggers at his kid*
I gotta say, at this point I felt real sorry for the kid, but I was in no way prepared for what happened next
Kid: I was eating one around the computer and- *He gets cut off my his dad clouting him around the head so hard I felt it
The kids dad then just launched himself at his son. He was hitting him really hard. I could hear the ‘Thud-thud-thud’ as his fists made contact. I just acted on a reflex. I jumped over the desk and started trying to pull him off the kid, who was in a ball on the floor.
SG: (On Tannoy) Staff announcement; Call one. Tech. thank you
("Call one" is our distress call. if you hear it over the tannoy, you drop what you are doing and you spirint over to wherever called. One guy once said 'Beat shit out of first, ask questions later' Not exactly correct but it's a good way of putting it)
Our security guard came sprinting over, as did several members of staff and a few customers. Collectively we pulled this guy and his screaming kid apart.
One customer, who was a rather large gentleman Pinned the dad down to the floor until myself and a female co-worker took the kid out of there. I picked him up over my shoulder and walked over to the staff kitchen with him.
Ofcourse, the police were called. I asked the kid if his mum was at home and if he knew the phone number. He did and she was. We kept him in the kitchen with a glass of pop, some sweets and, when he had dried his tears and stopped shaking enough to use it, some games on my laptop.
The police took statements of everyone there and arrested the dad for assault of a minor. Why they didn’t arrest him for domestic assult I do not know.
I don’t want that kid to grow up without a Dad, but I’d say it’d be a good thing if he grew up without that particular dad.
The mum was great though. She was cool, calm, collected. She signed for the work on the computer and paied for the drive to be replaced, but more importantly she was SO tender with her son. Once her son was put into the car with someone else (an aunty, I think) she came back in and thanked us all. It would appear it was as much of a shock to her as it was to the rest of us. I’m no family councillor, but I’d say this was a first time.
Eventually when I got back into tech;
Ade: What the fuck was all that bollocks about, Flea?
Me: this computer *Points* the kid put a pop-tart in the CD drive...
Ade: As you do
Me: ...when his dad found out, he just went ballistic. Beat the shit out of his kid
Ade: Nice, Quality parenting there. Fuckwitt should bastard-well rot in prison. The kid ok?
Me: Would you be okay if a person 4 times your size launched themselves at you? Physically, he’s a bit battered, but Okay. I think it’s the mental damage that’s gonna take it’s toal
I should point out that Ade has recently become a dad. His son is 6 months old
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