Silly Clients

HangTime · 26 May 2014 at 00:20

Gzero said:
Speaks with app developers: "We are working on that but it's low priority."

Great... I don't get why companies pay for useless software support who try to pass work back.

I do feel for those that get messed around by those passing the buck though when they have an issue that I can't help them with but would know how to fix it if it were me in that position.

Knowing how to fix it is only half the problem - what you described does not sound like a high priority issue to me, i.e. users having to select the printer each time. There is a simple workaround, and (depending on what it is being used for) I imagine not all users are wanting to print stuff all the time. So chances are they have more important items to work on.

I do sympathise with the position of having the knowledge but not the access to fix issues however - all you can do is communicate in both directions as best you can.

Gzero · 28 May 2014 at 01:10

HangTime said:
Knowing how to fix it is only half the problem - what you described does not sound like a high priority issue to me, i.e. users having to select the printer each time. There is a simple workaround, and (depending on what it is being used for) I imagine not all users are wanting to print stuff all the time. So chances are they have more important items to work on.

I do sympathise with the position of having the knowledge but not the access to fix issues however - all you can do is communicate in both directions as best you can.

According to the customer, it's a 'MAJOR' issue. When I shadowed them, it took them a few minutes to enter data into a few fields... yeah that extra click is 'really' slowing them down. But they and the Application support (not the devs) insist that we come up with a workaround/fix.

Fun times

.

Yup I do try to do so whilst remaining professional about it.

It's really unbelievable the requests that some supposedly 'experts' can make, then spit the dummy when questioned about their request, and cc everyone when they don't get what they want (thread should be renamed Clients and Business Partners).

Nate--IRL-- · 28 May 2014 at 02:29

Oh yeah, that last click because the default printer is not "Right".

Christ, the amount of calls I get about that.

EDIT:- the default printer is pulled from the local desktop, not what is set in RDP. No really, it's cool, I've only said this to you 20 times.

Nate

wordy · 28 May 2014 at 07:59

This is a story my sister told me about 1 time when she phoned her works IT dept...bearing in mind she's a solicitor for a quite well repected law firm.

Sis: We've had a load of laptops delivered!
IT: ok...
Sis: Whoever's delivered them has left them on a desk next to a window
IT: ok...
Sis: Well the windows open!
IT: ok, could you....close the window?
Sis: Oh yeah.

oldbag · 28 May 2014 at 08:10

Caged said:
"I can't stress how vital our IT is to our operation here - we need these services to be available all the time. But I'm afraid we just don't have any money to spend right now."

Some problems tend to just solve themselves.

Lol that's a classic.

Yep I'll improve the system with no budget, by leaving.....

xGBHxPegasus · 28 May 2014 at 08:49

Best one I've had lately..

(User is Slightly irate and storms over to my desk)
User: The Mouse in Meeting Room 2 isnt working!!!! We had to use the keyboard and arrow keys to navigate...
Me: Emm ok, Ill go check it out (No idea why they didn't grab me when they started the meeting)
Me: *Walks into meeting room, Flips mouse over, Switches power button from OFF to ON, moves mouse around, Walks out of meeting room*
Me: Bangs head against wall.

:rolleyes:

porushinobu · 28 May 2014 at 10:22

xGBHxPegasus said:
Best one I've had lately..

(User is Slightly irate and storms over to my desk)
User: The Mouse in Meeting Room 2 isnt working!!!! We had to use the keyboard and arrow keys to navigate...
Me: Emm ok, Ill go check it out (No idea why they didn't grab me when they started the meeting)
Me: *Walks into meeting room, Flips mouse over, Switches power button from OFF to ON, moves mouse around, Walks out of meeting room*
Me: Bangs head against wall.

I perfer those kinds of calls/ issues and laugh out loud when i fix them

Soupy · 28 May 2014 at 12:10

From many years ago when I did a lot of digital photo editing and restoration.
Client has photos of her beloved pet dog she wants tidied up etc etc ... simple enough task you'd think.

Client: Shows me photo of her pet pooch sitting on a table infront of the living room window with the blinds closed, the flash has over exposed the white blinds, easy fix.

Me: No problem, I can adjust the levels make it balanced.

Client: Ah no, I don't like the blinds in the photo, I don't want them, can you remove them?

Me: Well yes, I can clone them out entirely or change the background if you like.

Client: That's great, please remove the blinds only showing the garden.

Me: ? what ?

Client: Seeing the garden would be better, I shouldn't have taken the photo with the blinds closed.

Me: But ... you can't see your garden, the blinds are closed !

Client: That's ok, just remove them, the garden is right behind that window.

Me: ....................... what ?

Client: Just remove the blinds completely so that my dog is on the table with the garden behind through the window.

At this point I try to explain the limiting nature of digital photographs and how they can only capture what they see and then I think of an excellent solution.

Me: Could you take a photo of your garden, send it to me and I can clone it into the photo.

Client: I don't live there anymore, that's why I want to see it in that photo ... can you not just remove the blinds?

The conversation degrades further but eventually she finally understands the meaning of impossible

As dazed as I was in that conversation I look back on it fondly ... techology is a tough master for some.

porushinobu · 28 May 2014 at 12:14

Soupy said:
From many years ago when I did a lot of digital photo editing and restoration.
Client has photos of her beloved pet dog she wants tidied up etc etc ... simple enough task you'd think.

Client: Shows me photo of her pet pooch sitting on a table infront of the living room window with the blinds closed, the flash has over exposed the white blinds, easy fix.

Me: No problem, I can adjust the levels make it balanced.

Client: Ah no, I don't like the blinds in the photo, I don't want them, can you remove them?

Me: Well yes, I can clone them out entirely or change the background if you like.

Client: That's great, please remove the blinds only showing the garden.

Me: ? what ?

Client: Seeing the garden would be better, I shouldn't have taken the photo with the blinds closed.

Me: But ... you can't see your garden, the blinds are closed !

Client: That's ok, just remove them, the garden is right behind that window.

Me: ....................... what ?

Client: Just remove the blinds completely so that my dog is on the table with the garden behind through the window.

At this point I try to explain the limiting nature of digital photographs and how they can only capture what they see and then I think of an excellent solution.

Me: Could you take a photo of your garden, send it to me and I can clone it into the photo.

Client: I don't live there anymore, that's why I want to see it in that photo ... can you not just remove the blinds?

The conversation degrades further but eventually she finally understands the meaning of impossible

As dazed as I was in that conversation I look back on it fondly ... techology is a tough master for some.

some people just make you chuckle.

benjii · 28 May 2014 at 12:38

That's a great one! Some people eh?

M3G4UK · 28 May 2014 at 14:10

craptakular said:
I think you guys in IT really need to understand the bigger picture; all helpdesk staff are basically scum, you are there to do the crap IT jobs that people who actually make money for the company shouldn't have to do. As they need to be making money and not fixing computers.

You lot are only one better than a cleaner...

(blah blah blah)

While the Disservice Desk faffs around I do other activities which means I am making money for the company.

LOL. Considered a job in stand up comedy?

No howlers to report thankfully. Most of the clients seem to be quite well clued up, and come out with problems that are actually a real challenge.

porushinobu · 28 May 2014 at 14:15

craptakular said:
I think you guys in IT really need to understand the bigger picture; all helpdesk staff are basically scum, you are there to do the crap IT jobs that people who actually make money for the company shouldn't have to do. As they need to be making money and not fixing computers.

You lot are only one better than a cleaner...

Server/system guys are a notch higher.

I always phone the helpdesk with stupid stuff, my mobile dont work = phone the Disservice Desk, my laptop screen doesn't work = phone the Disservice Desk, my program won't load = phone the Disservice Desk.

While the Disservice Desk faffs around I do other activities which means I am making money for the company.

Well I am glad I am a step above the disservice desk. im in remote fail support

dan958 · 28 May 2014 at 16:15

Pestilence said:
Absolutely.

Without more concerted effort on the SEO front, including building steady and legitimate backlinks, it's going to be a loooong time before it reaches the first page of Google. If it ever does.

That time will, at present, also be time that he's without the payment owed.

It's not the service that was offered. I'd be telling him to quit playing around, pay what he owes, and if he wants a fully guaranteed SEO service then we can draw up a contract for that... at a much more inflated sum.

For our company, the client needs to sign off on the design before it goes live. They get a temporary URL and access to the CMS system before hand - they then use the website for a bit to make sure there are no issues.
They then 'sign off' - pay for it, and then we make the site live.

theukmoog · 28 May 2014 at 20:40

Soupy said:
From many years ago when I did a lot of digital photo editing and restoration.
Client has photos of her beloved pet dog she wants tidied up etc etc ... simple enough task you'd think.

Client: Shows me photo of her pet pooch sitting on a table infront of the living room window with the blinds closed, the flash has over exposed the white blinds, easy fix.

<snip>

Surely that's begging for some GD photoshopping!
I'm sure your client would appreciate the results

M3G4UK · 29 May 2014 at 13:00

theukmoog said:
Surely that's begging for some GD photoshopping!
I'm sure your client would appreciate the results

EGuitarStar · 6 Aug 2016 at 15:09

One from a few days ago, I've just put in a new router sent by the ISP for a client and all is well until a few days later, he calls...

Client: I cannot send myself emails from my iPhone, what did you do the other day? It has stopped my phone from sending emails come back and fix it now.
Me: I'm going to send you a test email now, let me know if it appears on your iPhone.
Client: Got it.
Me: Great, hit reply and send me an email back, if I receive your email your phone is fine.
Client: Sent.
Me: Received.
Client: Well new router is blocking my emails.
Me: No, it is not. Forward me the email you tried to send along with the NDR.
Client: Doing now.
Me: You are typing your own email address incorrectly.
Client: Oh, Umm, let me check and I'll call you back.

Of course I didn't hear back.....

murah · 7 Aug 2016 at 04:53

Worked in IT support for a big charity phone company.

Get called into the new phone rooms just hours after they were opened for use
My Boss:
The internet is really slow and under-performing in the new room can you take a look at it?

So I takes a look, Our wonderful Gigabit switches in the new rooms are wired with ancient 10Mb/s cables most of which are falling apart.

To make matters worse the floor plan which I spent two weeks going over to re-wire the entire buildings cabinets (my boss made a huge point about how it will help with future issues you know when Room 2 Computer 1 isn't Room 3 Computer 3) got ignored because "it was cheaper to do it this way". It cost £10k to pull cables out of the walls, floors and ceilings and replace them LOL.

=XDC=FluphyBunny · 7 Aug 2016 at 10:48

One of the better ones recently working at Vehicle hire company:

customer: Hi I have a hire booked and have come to pick it up

me: no problem have a seat can I have your drivers licence please.

customer: oh, no I don't have that I had to send it off. I did bring proof of address.

me: Ok, lets see what I can do as we might have enough info. to check the details I need online. Can I see your I.D. please?

customer: yes its a letter hope that's okay.

me: This is a court letter stating a £820 fine for a driving offence. When you sent your licence off were you banned from driving?

customer: yes for 6 months. Is that a problem?

This was a 50+ year old woman!

Another odd one. Teacher hires a van and she parks it in a disabled only space (council run). Returns van and asks what she should do with the parking ticket. I have a look, hand it back to her, and suggest she phones the number on the ticket and pay the fine :confused:

The next generation clearly in safe hands

RetiredGreyFox · 7 Aug 2016 at 12:05

Four of my recent favourites -

1)
Solicitor - Can you send me replacement discs (CD-Rs) please?
Me - (Looks at when I sent them) I sent these over 2 years ago
Solicitor - Yes I know but when I opened the envelope the discs fell out and smashed into pieces on the floor

I spent most of that day using a CD-R as a Frisbee to see if I could get a mark in it.

2)
Solicitor - I have a problem with the discs, the password/software doesn't work
Me - What password have you got?
Solicitor - Po#!Tu%mn
Me - That's correct, what is happening?
Solicitor - When I type I only see stars where the password goes

3)
Solicitor - I have a problem with the discs, the password/software doesn't work
Me - What password have you got?
Solicitor - Po#!Tu%mn
Me - That's correct, what is happening?
Solicitor - It says it is wrong
Me - Have you used the proper case on the letters?
Solicitor - How stupid, you have to do that? I'll be sending a letter of complaint.

It never came.

4)
Solicitor - I have a problem with the discs, the password/software doesn't work
Me - What password have you got?
Solicitor - Po#!Tu%mn
Me - That's correct, what is happening?
Solicitor - It asks me for the passphrase but doesn't ask me for the password

I have changed the instructions.