why do i bother to help people?

[heinousbitca.livejournal.com]

so friday was busy, always a very bad sign. i ended up being nicer than usual in assisting an end-user who was very new to using our software and had a few problems understanding how Adobe product (in other words, not our stuff) works. i decided, bravely, to offer a few tips.

now, of course, she's pissed to all hell because though i gave her sizing guidelines for our product's output that it "should be smaller." hint: we make scannable fonts. why the sam hell are you trying to make it smaller when it's critical that customers be able to scan it?

apparently she broke down crying on the phone with my cow-orker because she "needs more help." of course i call her back and the question has nothing to do with our software and then she starts whining that she wants to make the scannable item smaller. i said the same thing on friday: you can do it but it's not my dog if they don't scan after reducing the output smaller than suggested. on the bright side she didn't cry, the most nasty, passive-aggressive thing an end-user can do without whining to your boss about what a degenerate horror you are. also she emails things and wants a call back when i could just as easily explain it via email but apparently it's more important to interrupt me 16 times when i call back.

i need to be a bigger bitch, i see.

Comments

[antikythera.livejournal.com]

To be fair, it's actually possible to cry out of frustration, not just for manipulative purposes. But if that's the problem, she needs to hang up the phone and call back when she's cooled off.

[heinousbitca.livejournal.com]

ah yes, but she was crying about Photoshop.

i know it was my mistake for volunteering any information, but realistically if i worked for Adobe, perchance i could see that being appropriate. under the circumstances...

i do understand crying out of frustration, not to be cavalier, but because this job does that to me 2-3 days a week. i just, like, know not to do it in front of my boss. i can get a project sucking, but she was back to dandy when she realized it didn't work on my cow-orker, and i feel guilty because my not playing stupid about Adobe stuff put her in that position.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

i know it was my mistake for volunteering any information,

And now you know why :)

Realistically (and, if things get hairy, legally), the best thing you can do for someone who wants support for a product that ain't yours is to point them to a tech for that product - and part of that is making it clear that you're not the person with that information.

I've been bitten so often with that one that I've developed almost a sixth sense in determining when a caller is about to segue onto asking about some other product, and can go from Mr Total Knowledge to the village idiot in the time it takes to draw breath.

[canray.livejournal.com]

We're good with people for the ones that are truely trying, wanting to get better, but are lost.

I had one that I, luckily, got three times in less than two months. He broke down crying the third time when he got me, "Thank *GOD*! You know, I think you're the only one there with half a brain." was his statement, and damnitall, by the third time *I* got him, I was damn well going to *MAKE* it work.

Wish I could remember the issue...

[merlin-t-wizard.livejournal.com]

And now you see how the saying: "No good deed goes unpunished" applies to IT.

[lady-lae.livejournal.com]

omg! you read mistress matisse!