how do you deal with tech calls from your ultra computer illiterate parents?

[troytime]

i love my mom, no disrespect meant here

but g-damn, she's been online playing cards for over a year
yet when i try to help her fix simple problems its like i'm talking to a 4 year old or a monkey

how can you not now what the flippin start button is!?

 

[Baked]

I hang up the phone.

 

[dug777]

I threaten to sue them if they don't stop calling.

 

[skyking]

ultravnc, or remote assistance. It is quite helpful to see exactly what they are not doing but say they are doing

 

[ThaGrandCow]

I tell them the truth: the problems they have are simple and can be fixed by the local teenager in their neighborhood in 10 minutes for about $20, as opposed to struggling through 2-3 hours on the phone with them. I was lucky and they found a computer literate teen in their development that could take care of them.

 

[adairusmc]

I made them buy a mac. Havent had a call since.

 

[imported_Trippin315]

Same here. She loves the thing. I want a new macbook now.

 

[shortylickens]

Originally posted by: adairusmc
I made them buy a mac. Havent had a call since.

Which seems weird to me.
I know if I got my mom a Mac she would call me even more, only I probably wouldnt have the answers.

As is, she just has to learn. I tell her I cant fix it without being right there.
She became self-reliant. Just like I did with life.

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: adairusmc
I made them buy a mac. Havent had a call since.

QFT

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: AlienCraft

Originally posted by: adairusmc
I made them buy a mac. Havent had a call since.

QFT

I should do that =).

The other day I spent 53 minutes teaching my parents how to *cough*replace*cough*legitcontroll.dll*cough*and*cough*2*cough*other files*Cough*in the Windows directory.

Whew. Need to see a doctor.

 

[troytime]

interesting

maybe i'll get my mom a mac for christmas, with a cinema display for her poor eyesight

as far as remote assistance, right now my mom can't find a start button to send the invite

 

[Fenixgoon]

i just take it in stride... adds a lot of stress

 

[skyking]

Originally posted by: troytime
interesting

maybe i'll get my mom a mac for christmas, with a cinema display for her poor eyesight

as far as remote assistance, right now my mom can't find a start button to send the invite

Set up ultravnc next time you are there. you can log in and watch her, take the mouse or not as you watch. Unlike remote assistance, you can easily send three finger salutes as needed

 

[ThaGrandCow]

more like one finger salutes

 

[daveymark]

Originally posted by: adairusmc
I made them buy a mac. Havent had a call since.

ayup. I just had this epiphany about 6 months ago. got mom an imac and never looked back. now, when I see mom's number on the caller ID, I no longer break out in a cold sweat

 

[HomeAppraiser]

I guess I should be glad my folks refuse to have a computer.

 

[JM Aggie08]

sit and contemplate on how much of a noob they are

 

[BillyBatson]

i try and keep my cool cuz my dad does a LOT for me and him annoyign me and getting me frustraited for 30 mins on the phone is more than worth it so i try and think of that
plus my dad is very intelligent but he grew up in a diff time and so he does not know a lot about the modern world but there are things about business, stocks, etc that he understands foar better than me and i big him questions about that so lol

 

[Xyclone]

Shizzle, my mom's a senior software architect, I go to her for help with professional programs and Windows software (she has an MSDN sub). She comes to me for help with hardware questions and ebay. :Q

 

[burr4392]

Usually I try something easy - lets face it going too indepth is just a huge waste of time and since I am on the otherside of the world.....Not worth my time.

Of course this happened to me last night on IM:

Mom: Help! I can't see everything on my desktop!
Me: uhhh... ok. Right click on the desktop to go properties then settings and increase the resolution to max.
Mom: No. I mean there is too much stuff on my desk! I can't find anything! Its falling on to the floor!
:laugh:

 

[Blazin Trav]

Say you have a client on the other line.

 

[skyking]

Mom is in her eighties, and does OK:thumbsup:
Her recent difficulty was opening forwarded emails that got sent as attachments by some totally noobish family members. She did not undertstand that she had to tunnel in there and get the attached message out. ( farvcking forwarded #@!#$@!^@% crap!)
My solution? Explain to the senders about etiquette, and quit sending forwarded crap. If it is worth sending, copy and paste to a fresh message without the headers from around the globe

 

[judasmachine]

[deep sigh] ..................................i'll be right over............................. [click]