(no subject)

[demented-pants.livejournal.com]

Standard background: I work in support for a large university that provides free generalized support for all its students, faculty, staff, and a decent number of alums. There are very few programs in the country even close to it; we take more calls in a week than a lot of places do in a month. And, generally speaking, we support just about everything to some degree, so we get a broad variety of calls.

Anyway, so last night I was on a desk shift at the support desk and this blonde girl comes up, visibly freaking out. I'm prepared for the worst, seeing as how she takes her laptop out of a Vera Bradley bag and is generally kind of twitchy.

I spent like an hour with her - she had a borked wireless driver, expired AV software, and a VPN that wouldn't connect (the expired AV was doing it - grumblepersonalfirewallgrumble). Anyway, she was super nice, the first thing she told me was that she didn't know much at all about computers, and she LISTENED to me. I made sure to explain exactly what we were doing, she asked smart questions, and really, an hour wasn't bad for the amount of work we did. It could've lasted three, with some of the users I've had.

But anyway, my shift ended at midnight and I was on my way out to head over to the gentleman friend's place when this woman stops me. Now, I seriously dislike this particular woman, because she is annoying. I have had her multiple times before both at the desk and on the phone (we track by username, and that voice, oi).

The first thing she says? "I know you're off the clock, but--" NO. STOP THERE. DO NOT PASS GO. WE HAVE A 24-HOUR SUPPORT LINE FOR EXACTLY THIS REASON.

But, of course, since I can't say no to people, I help her. She needed Windows Installer 3.1 so she could install office enterprise. "Go find it on Google."

The thing that pisses me off the most is that she just assumed I have nothing better to do than fix her stupid computer problems. This is not true.

I need an RTFM shirt.

Comments

[hotclaws.livejournal.com]

Because you can't say no you really just encourage this behaviour.

[demented-pants.livejournal.com]

I'm aware of that on an intellectual level but to be honest, the way I would have said no last night probably would have led to a complaint to my manager, because in the mood I was in, I probably would have told her to get bent.

I thought just sucking it up was the diplomatic thing to do.

[wxgeek.livejournal.com]

oh my god, your icon! it's brilliant!

[jjjiii]

+1.

[wxgeek.livejournal.com]

"Hi, I'm off the clock, but $name would be happy to help you!"

Notice the clever avoidance of the word 'no'.

[demented-pants.livejournal.com]

Much more diplomatic than, "Get bent."

Thanks! I'll try to remember that in the future.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Yes, I agree with this technique.

Followed up by "I'm sorry, I am no longer at work" if the message does not get through, followed by leaving. Any reasonable manager should support a polite refusal. Not refusing most certainly does encourage abuse of your goodwill.

[thewrabbit.livejournal.com]

"I know you're off the clock, but--"

"Yes I am, but I would be happy to help you at my private consultancy rate of $obscene amount per hour"

[pixilated-serra.livejournal.com]

seconded

[swwinchester.livejournal.com]

I had a "I don't work here" t-shirt.

... oddly, it got stolen. At work.

[bothfeet.livejournal.com]

"I know you're off the clock, but--" thats doesn't matter to me cuz I am a speshul snoflake

[superbus.livejournal.com]

Awwww, but I LIKE "get bent" in situations like that! :(

Alternatively: "Well, I do do work on the side... it costs $35 an hour, two hour minimum, plus parts and software as necessary!". Carl Lewis couldn't catch her, she'd run away so fast. XD

[ximinez]

And if she does bite, double it the next time. Continue doubling until either it finally scares her away, or you can retire to a small Caribbean island.

[sigurther.livejournal.com]

Mentally filing this one away for possible early retirement schemes.

[amynnah.livejournal.com]

I used to work retail... had that "I know you're off the clock, but" line once, during Christmas. While the store was flooded with people. While wearing my coat, hat, gloves, and purse. After 8 hours of standing around helping people just like this particular special snowflake.

She had been waiting by the employee door to ambush someone leaving.

I told her I was just visiting a friend, and didn't work there. /flee!

[mouse-from-marz.livejournal.com]

omg what a bitch! the lady waited outside so she could corner an employee getting off work rather than go fight for attention with all the peons... of course if she'd managed to drag you back inside, you'd have wound up helping a lot more people - if your manage didn't catch you and write you up for working off the clock.

[amynnah.livejournal.com]

Yeah... it happens fairly frequently in retail. People will ambush employees trying to leave, or just getting back on. Unfortunately, we didn't have a back door directly to the outside, or I would've fled that way, instead of using Plan B.

I'm glad I don't have to deal with that anymore... I love my current job (yay Helldesk), even with the occasional bad eggs we get. :)

[diver-boy.livejournal.com]

I work til 7pm.
After 7pm the calls go to the oncall person.
There have been times where the call is going after 7pm and I politely tell them that I have to end this call as I have obligations to take care of and give them the oncall support number.

....sometimes you have to say "no".

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

Used to get this a lot when taking care of desk-visit tickets. It would seem that every person in the building would suddenly and inexplicably develop a computer problem two seconds before I walked past - one that they'd had for six months and had never bothered calling the helpdesk about.

The get-out-of-jail-free phrase in that situation was "I'm working on a ticket right now, but if you would like to call the helpdesk on ######, someone will be with you shortly."

All lies, of course. Desk visits were as rare as we could possibly make them, possibly for just the reasons outlined above.

If I was feeling less pleasant, I'd just use "What's your helpdesk ticket number?" - of course, they never had one.

[japester.livejournal.com]

But, of course, since I can't say no to people,

No sympathy.

Do not encourage this behaviour! It makes you hate yourself and the rest of us too.

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

Did you help her by telling her "go find it on Google"? Or some other way?

[demented-pants.livejournal.com]

I did tell her "go find it on Google," but only because that's how we solve that particular issue rather than being like, "go to microsoft.com/blah/blahblahblahseventhousandletters

I guess with a couple days' worth of objectivity in me it wasn't so bad. Not like if she'd been like, "sit with me while windows formats my hard drive." It did only take a second to answer her.