Reboot
Technology, from time to time, can gang up on your day, and ruin it! This toon (and the series of toons to follow) are the direct result of my computer malfunction a few weeks back… although it turned out to be a Happy Catastrophe. Art imitating life.
My buddy is a retail manager and I have heard his horror stories of dealing with his company’s tech support department. I work for tech support myself and listening to his tales makes me want to drive to their headquarters with a bat and ::cough:: “retrain” them myself.
Matterhorn is an underrated ride at Disneyland, that and Space Mountain are awesome.
GreyWolf,
I doubt that would help, they’re probably part of the “Redmond” school of public relations — “The Customer is always WRONG!”
One of my own tech services horror stories relates to my trash hauler, part of a national firm. I was having billing problems every cycle, but had to resolve them with the local representatives every time since although I could log on to their site, account access was denied because I wasn’t using Internet Explorer. As a Linux user, IE was not available to me. The locals gave me the phone number for tech support since this was outside their training. All tech was willing to do was give me the phone for the local representative.
“Lola”? Oh no….naming your computer is the first sign that it might be developing sentience.
What could possibly go wrong, HAL?
Wish I could help them out. But my rate is $150/hr. And I’ve a hunch my only “job” would be to officially rule on the cause of death. (Most of the time, it’s Error 17.)
While Mouse is dickering with the PC, looks like Randie and Grace will have to divide up the jobs taking money and giving change, and writing receipts and documenting items sold for inventory updates. Wonder who should get which job.
Wolf & Beetle… Many of my fond memories of retail are dealings with problems, power outages, reaching call centers and the like. Sigh. I’m ever so nice to those who work in retail. I do hope, however, that I never have to be on the other side of the counter again.
Jack… I’m saying! I love the Matterhorn! Apparently, they’ve gotten brand new don’t-get-to-know-your-neighbor cars. No touching. Can’t wait to try them out in June!
Dada… oh, it gets worse.
Pete… I think Mouse could use the help… sooo what’s Error 17? Critical Death-causing error has occurred.
stick… Oh, it gets worse.
I was working retail when we first started using barcodes. Would you believe knowing tenkey was an actual plus for getting the job? We had to key in the barcodes by hand at first, and any time the registers went down, which was constantly. (Power outtages and storms happen a lot in Oklahoma!) Scanners didn’t always work and tech was non-existent at the time.
I got into a screaming fit with our phone company (Century Link, and I never do that on the phone!) just last month because of problems with our internet. They still use IE and we use Firefox only, I absolutely refuse to use IE. It gave my husband’s computer a virus that took him a week to recover from and shut mine down. I am now known as a difficult customer. And yes, I do know quite a bit about what goes on with the little monster, I’m learning by default what to do with it!
I am, among other things, an amateur radio operator. (KK7US.) It is said in our community, that the reality of electronic things, is, that they run on smoke. If, the smoke gets let out, they no longer operate.
It looks like Mouse let the smoke out of the computer.
Ruth… yikes… I was doing Firefox… but it kept crashing my Photoshop. Now I use Safari… and I’m okay with it.
Barcodes, scanners and ten-key… oh my!
Lee A… Actually, there is a little chain-smoking elf that lives in your computer. HE keeps that thing running.
Oh, I name my machines too … sorta. I just can’t say their “names” here until you all made sure the kids are in bed and turn the music up so they can’t hear me. 😀
Error 17: The user is at fault.
It’s not an “official” error, but most techs know the phrase. And most of them use it to add humor to a situation so the user doesn’t feel so bad.
We just call that an ID-10-T error. 😉
Or some use PEBCAK – problem exists between keyboard and chair.
Sorry, an ID-10-T error caused me to misspell PEBKAC. (Freud? Is that you?)