This is me venting ^_^ (this is not aimed at anyone in particular and doesn't apply to the majority of people in this forum)
I work for a small IT store and while there are a great many that are on the dodgy side I assure you we are not amoung them. WE WILL NOT INSTALL ILLEGAL SOFTWARE FOR YOU. THERE ARE MANY FREE ALTERNATIVES THAT WILL DO JUST AS GOOD IF NOT BETTER. WE ARE NOT A FUCKING LIBRARY. You cannot purchase an item from us destroy the packaging said item comes in and then return it when it does not solve your problem. If you bring your computer in because it is running slow and ask us to fix it. We WILL uninstall the 5 Antiviruses on computer to do so. If you wish to lag your system up again they are all FREELY downloadable from the interwebs. While you come and complain that you would like to get your hands on these idiots who attach viruses to the movie you just downloaded, I would hazard a guess that there is some fatcat producer in Hollywood waiting for the chance to get his hands around your neck for downloading his movie. YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING, if you did I wouldn't be the one fixing your computer. EITHER YOUR FRIEND IS NOT A GOOD FRIEND OR HE/SHE IS NOT SUCH A GOOD TECHNICIAN, once again if this were true I would not be the one fixing your computer. I suggest you listen when I give you advice. I do not charge for advice, I do charge for repairs. If you have no intention of getting your computer fixed why bring it to me? is your life really that boring? and last but not least CONSUMER AFFAIRS IS NOT YOUR PERSONAL LACKY! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO CALL THEM BECAUSE YOU KNOW YOU ARE WRONG. I HAVE TRIED TO BE HELPFUL. I HAVE TRIED TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE PEACEFULLY, SO STOP TELLING ME YOU WILL CALL THEM OR STOP BOTHERING ME AND DO IT ALREADY!
as i'm sure is true in most industries, it holds true for IT in particular that the customer will NOT LISTEN :)
what you say: "Oh my god, this is horrible what's happened here. It looks, like there's a conflict between McAffee and Norton AV that's at fault here."
what they hear: "blah MY blah blah blah blah FAULT." and then commence rage.
haha people hide behind antiviruses like they are some impenetrable shield. I'm sorry to burst everyones bubbles but the people who write the viruses are smarter than the people who write the antiviruses. If you can download more than the cost of a virus removal worth of movies before u get a virus then sweet if not just go buy the movies or at the very least rent and rip lol
Relax! If the goods and services provided were exactly as described, Consumer Affairs won't do shit. Also, the customer has to have made a reasonable attempt to resolve the issue themselves. Blaming the tech for doing as they said they would =/= reasonable attempt.
On another note: I don't know how many times friends/friends of friends have told me that they sent their computer in for repairs and it came back with a new hdd and fresh install with none of their data on it. Sounds like techies need to explain themselves better in this situation as none of these people were aware they were going to lose their data and these were all computers that still booted, i.e. the data was able to be saved/transferred fairly easily. I can see why they do it though. Save time mucking around trying to remove malware etc, make a bit of money off the new (albeit unnecessary) hdd, customer accepts that the loss of their data is worth the performance improvement.
Quote from Brookie23;405635: On another note: I don't know how many times friends/friends of friends have told me that they sent their computer in for repairs and it came back with a new hdd and fresh install with none of their data on it. Sounds like techies need to explain themselves better in this situation as none of these people were aware they were going to lose their data and these were all computers that still booted, i.e. the data was able to be saved/transferred fairly easily. I can see why they do it though. Save time mucking around trying to remove malware etc, make a bit of money off the new (albeit unnecessary) hdd, customer accepts that the loss of their data is worth the performance improvement.
i refer you to exhibit a) http://gamers-underground.com/general-discussion/35630-ahem-consumer-affairs-not-your-personal-lacky.html#post405633
Unfortunately the IT repair business caters to a subset of the community that sits in an unfortunate zone.
People who are too stupid to fix their own things, combined with being too tight to buy new stuff, while still being too stupid to compare economics of repair vs new.
So basically you're going to get a very high percentage of aggressive morons.
Quote from r00t|{it;405634: haha people hide behind antiviruses like they are some impenetrable shield. I'm sorry to burst everyones bubbles but the people who write the viruses are smarter than the people who write the antiviruses.
Quote from Brookie23;405635: Relax! If the goods and services provided were exactly as described, Consumer Affairs won't do shit. Also, the customer has to have made a reasonable attempt to resolve the issue themselves. Blaming the tech for doing as they said they would =/= reasonable attempt.
On another note: I don't know how many times friends/friends of friends have told me that they sent their computer in for repairs and it came back with a new hdd and fresh install with none of their data on it. Sounds like techies need to explain themselves better in this situation as none of these people were aware they were going to lose their data and these were all computers that still booted, i.e. the data was able to be saved/transferred fairly easily. I can see why they do it though. Save time mucking around trying to remove malware etc, make a bit of money off the new (albeit unnecessary) hdd, customer accepts that the loss of their data is worth the performance improvement.
Yeah no stress about them calling Consumer Affairs, Like I said I haven't done anything wrong. I am just sick people saying it as if it's going to suddenly make them right. If they are going to do it I wish they just would and let me get on with it. We have never done a fresh install without consulting the customer first and we also offer Install + Data at an additional cost. What we do is uninstall any recognisably free software that may be inhibiting the performance of the computer. It is also explained before we perform the service that we will remove any existing antivirus software as it conflicts with our process.
Quote from Aegis;405633: as i'm sure is true in most industries, it holds true for IT in particular that the customer will NOT LISTEN :)
what they hear: "blah MY blah blah blah blah FAULT." and then commence rage.
Quote from Brookie23;405635: Relax! If the goods and services provided were exactly as described, Consumer Affairs won't do shit. Also, the customer has to have made a reasonable attempt to resolve the issue themselves. Blaming the tech for doing as they said they would =/= reasonable attempt.
On another note: I don't know how many times friends/friends of friends have told me that they sent their computer in for repairs and it came back with a new hdd and fresh install with none of their data on it. Sounds like techies need to explain themselves better in this situation as none of these people were aware they were going to lose their data and these were all computers that still booted, i.e. the data was able to be saved/transferred fairly easily. I can see why they do it though. Save time mucking around trying to remove malware etc, make a bit of money off the new (albeit unnecessary) hdd, customer accepts that the loss of their data is worth the performance improvement.
Point proven true. End users are stupid.
They hear us say "Herp derpa blah blah derp." Then they nod their head as if they know wtf we're talking about, then they go home and start raging because they didn't understand one word we said.
With hard drives, there's nothing to lose if they had a backup. They had backups right? You can't lose something if it was gone already.
Quote from Brookie23;405641: "ALL your data will be LOST FOREVER if I do this" isn't something easily forgotten/misinterpreted by the customer.
You'd think so but I said that exact thing to a customer when I worked for Computers For You in Nightcliff and he still came back the next morning asking where all of his tax information had gone. This being said I think users really need to understand the importance of backing up.
Quote from r00t|{it;405643: Yeah no stress about them calling Consumer Affairs, Like I said I haven't done anything wrong. I am just sick people saying it as if it's going to suddenly make them right. If they are going to do it I wish they just would and let me get on with it. We have never done a fresh install without consulting the customer first and we also offer Install + Data at an additional cost. What we do is uninstall any recognisably free software that may be inhibiting the performance of the computer. It is also explained before we perform the service that we will remove any existing antivirus software as it conflicts with our process.Yeah it's the same story in the phone industry. People don't understand phones so they blame the phone guy, and if the phone guy doesn't react as expected then they start threatening to go to the TIO. Just say "off you go then!" and politely ask them to leave the store :P
Quote from r00t|{it;405645: he still came back the next morning asking where all of his tax information had gone.Maybe you need to read out a list to them of things they will lose that they probably hadn't thought of? Could start with: Sentimental photos Tax records Music Movies/videos Resumes/job applications and other work related documents School/University work Excel budgets/financial documents iPhone/iPod/iPad backups, iTunes library stuff, as well as the highly likely possibility that their iDevice will be wiped when they try to sync it with the new hdd/fresh install
Quote from Aegis;405647: and yet it happens. a lot. some customers are just devoted to misunderstanding. get a job in tech support sometime to experience the joy firsthand.But my family/friends/coworkers already think I'm their tech support?
Quote from r00t|{it;405631: WE WILL NOT INSTALL ILLEGAL SOFTWARE FOR YOU. THERE ARE MANY FREE ALTERNATIVES THAT WILL DO JUST AS GOOD IF NOT BETTER. WE ARE NOT A FUCKING LIBRARY.
My personal favourite is when customers ask how much a piece of software costs, makes a comment about how expensive it is and then say "Isn't there like a site somewhere you can download it for me for free?"
Quote from Wally;405650: My personal favourite is when customers ask how much a piece of software costs, makes a comment about how expensive it is and then say "Isn't there like a site somewhere you can download it for me for free?"
my favourite response to that used to be: "sure, while we're at it, shall i murder someone for you? start a coke ring? maybe rob a bank too?"
My personal favourite is the expectation from certain customers to stock everything under the sun. Then they haggle over a $5 HDMI Cable which they dont end up buying because they didn't actually need it anyway. (see how the day just gets better ^_^)
My experience over the years has always led me to believe that no matter what you say or how you say it the customer will always try and bag you for something. The expect their PC to return to them in the exact condition they gave it too you except a little bit faster and at minimal cost. Sometime you feel just a minor tweek and give it back will save the heartache. But like all good techs you go through your process of cleaning and optimizing the system within reason. The ones I really like are those that say it's okay, I have cleaned my system and saved everything you can start again.No sooner have you completed the job they say so did you save my emails or where are my favorites...yada yada yada. Honestly I am amazed that IT workers don't go postal........my two cents anyways
Quote from Brookie23;405641: "ALL your data will be LOST FOREVER if I do this" isn't something easily forgotten/misinterpreted by the customer.
Even I, as someone who hasn't worked in the IT industry for ten years now must say, this isn't quiet correct either.
The number of times this played out:
Me "The only real solution is to format and start again" Them "what does that mean?" Me "It basically means deleting everything, the system, your files, all the applications etc... Have you done a backup of your files?" Them "No, I only use it to browse the internet" Me "Would you like me to format and reinstall windows for you with some applications?" Them "Hmm. Okay, yes, if that's the only solution".
Later I get a call after they've returned home and booted up
Them "where are all my files?" Me "I did say they would all be deleted." Them "I didn't agree to that! How am I going to complete my uni assignment?!" Me "I'm sorry, you said you only use it to browse the internet" Them "blah blah blah, your fault!".
Personally my little trick is to remain cool, calm, collected and completely logical and rational. If you get worked up they get the satisfaction and their point becomes justified. If you remain calm the whole time, present the problem and the solution clearly and be firm on where the line is they will eventually realise that yelling at someone who isn't reacting just makes them look like a dick. If they try to make the escalation to a government department bluff, call them out on it. Hand them the phone give them the number and say there you go. As long as you've done your job you won't suffer reprimand.
Quote from morge;405681: Actually called CA for a customer once.
i knew the guy at CA and would refer customers to him, i think he had a standard speech written, "no he does not have to warranty the phone you dropped/wet"
I had a guy come in with his daughter ranting and raving that the screen of his laptop had cracked for no reason. I looked at it and it was obvious that someone had left a pen on the keyboard and closed the lid.
"Did you leave a pen on the keyboard [daughter's name]."
"Yeah."
*dad grabs laptop, apologises and storms out*
Obviously he had never asked her if she had actually broken it. Was a truly bizarre situation. Either that or the daughter fucked up the plan with honesty.
I got alot of little nuggets like that one, as I'm sure most of us do. Would be interesting to read a book with some of the most common and outrageous. :D