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(This could be Unsupportable I guess, but it's more about the customer than the tech, so I posted it here).
A few days ago I get a call from a customer. The camera they bought the day after Thanksgiving won't work. SHe said that her daughter 'only just opened it.' Funny, if I got a new camera for Christmas, I'd sure as hell be using it ON Christmas. I told her that we normally only have a 14 day return policy on electronics and that was extended until January 10th because of the holiday, but she was outside that time so she had to contact the manufacturer. She got all pissy at me, but we've been told ABSOLUTELY NO returns past the 14 days.
Cut to today. I had the luck of being MOD when half the store got sick. More on this as a PS, back to the story. The lady brings in her camera, already in a huff. She talked to the GM and he said she could bring it back. I usually doubt this, so I was about to call the GM but I decided to check out the camera first.
Her problem was it wouldn't take pictures and then all of a sudden it died and wouldn't retract the lens. Well, I thought I knew what was wrong....
BATTERIES!
She said she plugged the camera into the USB port and tried to charge it. There are a couple of cameras we sell that charge that way, but they usually come with rechargeable batteries. Hers didn't. I popped some regular batteries in there and TADA! It worked! Miracle worker! Mara-friggin-Frankenstein bringing things back from the dead!
I decided to check her manual. Nowhere in there did it say that you could charge batteries by USB. Nowhere did it say it had rechargable batteries. She just ASSUMED that they were rechargeble.
So I explained to her about how cameras can eat batteries and the ones that come with the camera are usually cheap ones. I explained the difference between regular, 'ultra' and rechargable batteries. I finally calm her down and she buys a set of rechargables.
The kicker to the story... as she left, I said "Are you sure you have everything?" because I thought she came in with more than just the camera. She said yes and left.... and left the bag with the batteries with it behind. Unfortunately I didn't notice till after she was gone.
Seriously, does everyone just ASSUME their new, CHEAP camera comes with rechargable batteries? Not only that, but wouldn't the FIRST thing you would try if your camera turns off is FRESH BATTERIES?!? R.T.F.M.!!!
On the PS side of things, this is the short form of what happened today. Quick info, we normally have a manager on duty and a person in each department (Copy Center, Supplies, Machines, Customer service):
- Customer service (CS) girl calls out sick
- Morning CS lady agrees to come back for a couple of hours and close. I cover CS.
- Morning manager comes back from lunch, gets violently ill. I cover MOD, get supplies closer to cover CS.
- Trainee for copy center throws up in office, goes home.
- Copy Center closer throws up repeatedly, goes home. Morning CS lady covers copy center. Supplies guy stays at customer service (thus no one in supplies). Morning manager becomes a big lump, does nothing then goes home, I stay MOD.
- Supplies guy (who's covering CS) gets sick. I make him stay. He becomes a sloth.
- Morning CS lady (who is now covering Copy Center) has to leave by 8pm (we close at 9) or she'll get overtime. She clocks out, sticks around for a little bit off the clock because I have NO clue when it comes to Copy Center.
- Machines guy starts to complain that maybe he's getting sick too.
THAT was the point when the lady came in about the camera.
A few days ago I get a call from a customer. The camera they bought the day after Thanksgiving won't work. SHe said that her daughter 'only just opened it.' Funny, if I got a new camera for Christmas, I'd sure as hell be using it ON Christmas. I told her that we normally only have a 14 day return policy on electronics and that was extended until January 10th because of the holiday, but she was outside that time so she had to contact the manufacturer. She got all pissy at me, but we've been told ABSOLUTELY NO returns past the 14 days.
Cut to today. I had the luck of being MOD when half the store got sick. More on this as a PS, back to the story. The lady brings in her camera, already in a huff. She talked to the GM and he said she could bring it back. I usually doubt this, so I was about to call the GM but I decided to check out the camera first.
Her problem was it wouldn't take pictures and then all of a sudden it died and wouldn't retract the lens. Well, I thought I knew what was wrong....
BATTERIES!
She said she plugged the camera into the USB port and tried to charge it. There are a couple of cameras we sell that charge that way, but they usually come with rechargeable batteries. Hers didn't. I popped some regular batteries in there and TADA! It worked! Miracle worker! Mara-friggin-Frankenstein bringing things back from the dead!
I decided to check her manual. Nowhere in there did it say that you could charge batteries by USB. Nowhere did it say it had rechargable batteries. She just ASSUMED that they were rechargeble.
So I explained to her about how cameras can eat batteries and the ones that come with the camera are usually cheap ones. I explained the difference between regular, 'ultra' and rechargable batteries. I finally calm her down and she buys a set of rechargables.
The kicker to the story... as she left, I said "Are you sure you have everything?" because I thought she came in with more than just the camera. She said yes and left.... and left the bag with the batteries with it behind. Unfortunately I didn't notice till after she was gone.
Seriously, does everyone just ASSUME their new, CHEAP camera comes with rechargable batteries? Not only that, but wouldn't the FIRST thing you would try if your camera turns off is FRESH BATTERIES?!? R.T.F.M.!!!
On the PS side of things, this is the short form of what happened today. Quick info, we normally have a manager on duty and a person in each department (Copy Center, Supplies, Machines, Customer service):
- Customer service (CS) girl calls out sick
- Morning CS lady agrees to come back for a couple of hours and close. I cover CS.
- Morning manager comes back from lunch, gets violently ill. I cover MOD, get supplies closer to cover CS.
- Trainee for copy center throws up in office, goes home.
- Copy Center closer throws up repeatedly, goes home. Morning CS lady covers copy center. Supplies guy stays at customer service (thus no one in supplies). Morning manager becomes a big lump, does nothing then goes home, I stay MOD.
- Supplies guy (who's covering CS) gets sick. I make him stay. He becomes a sloth.
- Morning CS lady (who is now covering Copy Center) has to leave by 8pm (we close at 9) or she'll get overtime. She clocks out, sticks around for a little bit off the clock because I have NO clue when it comes to Copy Center.
- Machines guy starts to complain that maybe he's getting sick too.
THAT was the point when the lady came in about the camera.
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