What do you REALLY want me to do?

[phrogg.livejournal.com]

I spent over half an hour with a customer today trying to get him to restart his modem. Of that time, i spent maybe 5 minutes talking. The rest was spent with him bickering with his wife over what i really wanted him to do.
"He wants me to power-cycle the modem"
"No, what he meant was to restart the computer."
"You think? I was just going to unplug the router..."
"No, you need to turn off the computer!"
"I'm restarting the router, that's what he wanted me to do!"

(breaking in)"Sir? The little box that says "RCA" on the front of it, has about five lights on the front? That's what i need you to turn off."

"What's he saying?"
"He wants me to unplug the box."
"This blue one that says Linksystem on it?"
"No, i think he means the computer."
"That's what i said before, but you said no! You sure he doesn't mean the Linksystems box?"
"Yes, he said the box, this is the box."
*Windows XP shutdown music*
me: *Adds percussion to the Windows shutdown music, mashing my face into the desk*

And neither of the two were right during the entire conversation. Once i finally convinced him to send his wife to another room, and baby-talked him through it, within a minute he was back up and running.

Comments

[donnaidh-sidhe.livejournal.com]

I've only heard a caller say "Linksys" correctly ONCE in a year doing tech support. It's always "Linkskees" or "Linksystem."

[phrogg.livejournal.com]

I got someone referring to their Linksys as their "Linuxski box" once. And a couple variations on "Linksky" or "Linksystem". Sometimes multiple variations in the same conversation. *stabbity*

[mattcaron.livejournal.com]

So, when I describe my layout and say that there is [whatever box the cableco provided, I'd have to go look at it] running to a linksys WRT54G running dd-wrt firmware v.23R2, which then goes to a variety of switches throughout the house... that would be unusual? :-)

[donnaidh-sidhe.livejournal.com]

You would probably not be the kind of person who would need my help beyond confirming that your router's been assigned the static you requested. :P

[mattcaron.livejournal.com]

Well, except if the intertubes are broken, which is why I am calling?

I think it might have to do with the car accident (http://mattcaron.livejournal.com/157530.html)...

(Note - story is hypothetical, and the car was a demo car because we're buying a new extrication tool, so we get to play with them and cut on cars to see how they work).

[phrogg.livejournal.com]

See, if the intertubes are broken, one of the first things we do is have them bypass the router, plug the computer straight into the modem. Because, as we tell them right off the bat, what you have on your end of the modem is your business. Routers are allowed, but are not supported. So for troubleshooting, we eliminate the router from the picture.
You could have a SuSe box running proxy services, then running through high-end Cisco devices for all i really care. Not my problem.

[mattcaron.livejournal.com]

Aha! However, the indicator lights on the modem are not flashing as they should.. The power is on, but all the others are just going though there "can't phone home" cycle...

Remember - EE, CE, and IT are all about making the lights blink!

[phrogg.livejournal.com]

Well, if the lights on the modem aren't blinking as they should, that simplifies matters. As long as, you know, you're able to differentiate your modem from a mountain lion, which was my problem on this post.

[mattcaron.livejournal.com]

Mountain lions are scary.. they saw one about 10 miles from my house. It was watching, through the window, this fellow's grandson who was playing.

[darquethoughts.livejournal.com]

I had a customer argue with me.
"Why do you call in Linksys?"
I replied back with, "Because it's the correct way to pronounce it."
She argued back that the guy at Best Buy called it a Linkskees.

So I made sure to say Linksys as many times as possible in the conversation.

[ptstech.livejournal.com]

I had you sending the wife out of the room before I finished the first paragraph. Good on ya!

[ladycygnet.livejournal.com]

At that point, I would have told him to unplug the router, modem, and computer, shut off the fuses for his house, light a candle, and pray to Jobu before turning everything on again. =p

[phrogg.livejournal.com]

Reminds me of a Dilbert comic. "Okay, i need you to turn off your computer, unplug the refrigerator, turn off your lights, cancel your utilities, and renounce your citizenship."

[ellzie.livejournal.com]

*Windows XP shutdown music*
me: *Adds percussion to the Windows shutdown music, mashing my face into the desk*



... rofl. that amuses me a lot more than it should for some reason.