Please note the "computer" in "Computer Help Desk"

[katealaurel.livejournal.com]

Phone rings.

Me: "Computer User Services, this is Kate..."
Him: "Hi! Ok, I know this is going to sound really bizarre, but hear me out, ok? So I graduated from [our college] a year and a half ago, in art, and I'm actually, uh, calling you from New York-- I'm an artist-- and I used to hang out at the Help Desk all the time--"
Me: "Well, we usually can't support alumni, but... what's the problem?"
Him: "Hear me out, ok? So I've been commissioned to-- you know the giant steel hamster wheel behind the art building?"
Me: "Uh... yes..."
Him: "So I've been commissioned to recreate it here in New York, but the thing is, I'm not positive I've got the measurements exactly right, and steel is so expensive-- commodity prices, you know-- that if I'm, you know, an eighth of an inch off, it could cost me a thousand dollars..."
Me: "Ok. So.. can you repeat the crucial part about what you want us to do?"
Him: "Well, I've been calling the Switchboard and Grounds Crew and the Art Department over and over again, but nobody's around, and I only have a couple of hours left to do this, and I was wondering, I mean, I used to hang out at the Help Desk all the time, and I know it's summer so you probably don't have too much to do.. could you maybe send someone to measure it for me?"

(no subject)

[jethro.livejournal.com]

I work with some stupid people. for example. A user puts in a work order. In the text of the work order he writes he is "havin a keyoard issue, 2 of my keys are not workin. The 2 keys that are not workin are 1. the one left of the H and 2, the one left of the N"

Here is a conversation between 2 techs

Tech 1 ( the moron in our story) Look at this work order
Tech 2: oh yeah I saw that
Tech 1: This guy's an idiot. Why didn't he just tell us which keys are broken? why this "the key to the left of...crap?"
tech 2: ummm...Because those keys are broken?
tech 1: yeah...but still he could have just typed them


Example 2.

Tech 1 in the story above was sent to investigate a broken UPS. Turns out it wasn't broken, just needed to be reset. So he "fixes it" Today it was beeping again so a different tech went out to look at it. He discovered nothing was plugged into the UPS. When he pointed it out to the user the user said "Oh yeah, that's how tech1 said it was supposed to work"

Tech 1 had plugged the UPS into a power strip, plugged the power strip into the wall and plugged the Computer and monitor into the POWER STRIP. And still doesn't understand what the hell is wrong with that picture.

(no subject)

[jjjiii]

Is there a similar LJ community for web/application software developers? Or is it safe to bitch here about dev insanity/stupidity even if it's not strictly speaking support-related?

(no subject)

[jjjiii]

Earlier today...

Dev: OK, I'm done with all the stuff for $newsite that we have to do. There were a few PDF files that $customer wants us to host and put links to on some of the pages, which haven't been created by them yet, so we're waiting on that, but that's OK because we're 3 days ahead of schedule...

IT Supervisor: OK, well until we get the real files, can you make up some blank PDFs and put them up, to give the customer an idea what the site will look like once we have everything? That way, we just have to post the files once we get them.

Dev: Uh, I could, but I could also just put the links up there and wait for the PDFs to come, and let IIS serve a good ole 404 like it's supposed to until the content arrives, and save myself a lot of pointless work.

IT Supervisor: We don't want them thinking that the site's broken. How long would it take you to make the files?

Dev: Not long, but I don't know what they're going to be named yet, so --

IT Supervisor: You come up with the names of the files, and then tell $contributor that you want them named what you come up with.

Dev: I don't see the point, but I'm certainly capable of doing so.

IT Supervisor: Good then.

I think I'm gonna work on other tasks for the next 3 days, and if the PDFs don't come in, then I'll put the dummy files up as requested. I certainly don't need to be punished for getting everything I've been asked to do completed 3 days ahead of schedule by doing pointless, unnecessary work, when I have plenty of other projects to be working on.

(no subject)

[ofstarstuff.livejournal.com]

Call center tech support for $ISP1, owned by Big Bad Wolf Company.

Yesterday was fun. A customer called at 9am, had a malfunction ticket filled by me. All fine and dandy.

Four hours later, I was off my shift and meeting with my boyfriend, who works at Big Bad Company's $ISP2 (same building, different floor, call center tech support as well).

The same customer had called him - she had nothing to do with $ISP2, but apparently she had been misinformed about the number she should call for support.

Cue bitching about the ticket and how Teh Interwebs should be working already, two hours into the report.

Cue boyfriend bristling and trying to keep his calm. "Madam, your previous call was handled by an excellent service and by an excellent operator."

D'aaawww. ♥