RANT: Why cant Tech Support people be more understanding ?

[mobobuff]

Originally posted by: JackBurton
Let me tell you what happens when I call HP:

Me: I'm calling in to report a problem with one of our laptops.
HP: What seems to be the problem?
Me: It looks like the system board needs to be replaced.
HP: Ok, what is the serial number on the laptop?
Me: blah,blah,blah.
HP: And will you be the contact on this case?
Me: Yes.
HP: Asks for contact information. Ok, the part will be ordered and we'll have a tech out tomorrow to repair the machine.
Me: Thanks.

Done. Fvcking 5 minutes.

Same thing with IBM tech support.

 

[ScottFern]

Originally posted by: eelw
Just shut up. It's his job to 1st ensure that there is a problem before performing a RMA. He shouldn't just take the word of the customer that there is a problem. They have to confirm it, not you. Who cares if you have a Gold customer support contract. Follow their instructions if you want a quick support call.

/thread

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: gsethi

Originally posted by: DaiShan

This is exactly why he had you test in multiple programs while he was on the phone, they can't just take your word for it because of the reasons I listed before. You are mad at him basically because he wanted to give you the best service possible and ensure that you won't have to call back. Arguing with you about this is pointless, it's clear that you'll continue to call up and browbeat tech support then rant on ATOT about how incompetent they are for correctly diagnosing your problem. Where is that script that notfred made, I think I need to make a modification to it heh.

I could have lied and just played along and wasted his time (and company $$$). Ofcourse, I had already tested the keyboard in different programs and different OSes before.

Its not like I had the problem just today. I had been having this problem for the past 1 week or so and took time to diagnoze the problem. I only call up tech support when it is absolutely necessary (I have never called them up regarding any software issue so far)

Explaing you about this is pointless. And its not that I am mad at him, i am just a little annoyed.

oh btw, explain me as to how "netstat /b" will help him diagnoze the keyboard problem ? Can I safely say that he was way out of his league there ? He was acting as if I was lying about the keyboard problem.

The software is malfunctioning, you have a virus plenty of reasons, and the fact that you can't understand this means that you are not as qualified to make diagnoses as you think you are.

I would love to see the same software malfunctioning in both linux and windows and causing a hardware to malfunction b/c of software/driver issues. (with the exception of BIOS issues)

a good tech person should immediately rule out the software issue when the problem is there in both Linux and Windows. But maybe they (and you) are not qualified enough to understand that simple logic.

A simple way to rule out a software issue is to test the hardware in two different OS and see if the same problem persists. I did this before even calling the tech support but some people just think that they are too smart and fail to acknowledge that there can be others smarter than them and actually know what they are doing.

It's the fvcking keyboard. I don't think this is a really hard problem to diagnose. Jesus Christ. And yes, netstat /b? Yeah, he's a moron. :roll:

 

[AStar617]

Best way to end-around Dell's tech support: Instead of Gold Level Support, spend that money on taking the tests to become a Dell Warranty Technician yourself. Call the support line, provide your Tech ID and PIN, and give them a part number. No questions asked.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: gsethi

Originally posted by: Vinfinite

still doesn't change the fact that most of the time they are right

I agree that most of the calls that they get are useless but when a Customer knows what he is talking about, they should be more understanding.

Do you know how many times they hear that a day? :laugh:

 

[gsethi]

sry, double post.

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: JackBurton
Let me tell you a little something about Dell, their support fvcking sucks ass! We have the super duper platinum elite corporate support (whatever the highest corporate level is), and the morons at Dell insist on playing 20 questions with me every freakin' time I call. And every time, after wasting 20-30 minutes of my time, they give me the part I asked for AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CALL. They know they are talking to an IT guy on the other end but they insist on playing this bullsh!t game. Let me tell you what happens when I call HP:

Me: I'm calling in to report a problem with one of our laptops.
HP: What seems to be the problem?
Me: It looks like the system board needs to be replaced.
HP: Ok, what is the serial number on the laptop?
Me: blah,blah,blah.
HP: And will you be the contact on this case?
Me: Yes.
HP: Asks for contact information. Ok, the part will be ordered and we'll have a tech out tomorrow to repair the machine.
Me: Thanks.

Done. Fvcking 5 minutes. That is the MAIN reason we don't order Dells. Their support is AWFUL! I don't have time to d!ck around with a script reader at the other end of the line. I've got sh!t to do, and I don't need to be wasting my time with this moron on the other end of the line. If this is the kind of crap I get from a corporate level support, I'd hate to see what regular consumers get.

exactly what I wanted to say. (you took the words out of my heart ) but apparently, some people still think that all tech support is great and whatever they do is always right.

in my case, I knew exactly what was wrong but he still insisted on going thru all the checks including "netstat /b"

I love HP tech support. You call them, tell them the problem, tell them what you did to diagnoze and if you did everything right, they will send you a replacement (no script readers or billion questions to answer).
Years ago, had some problem with my computer speakers that came with HP desktop. Tested the speakers on a portable cd-player and same result. Called HP tech support, explained them the problem, explained that same problem occurs when speakers plugged into my cd-player and 1 min later, they were sending me new speakers. (If this was Dell, I am sure they would have me go through their diagnoze software and claim it to be a software problem)

Originally posted by: AStar617
Best way to end-around Dell's tech support: Instead of Gold Level Support, spend that money on taking the tests to become a Dell Warranty Technician yourself. Call the support line, provide your Tech ID and PIN, and give them a part number. No questions asked.

The Winner Can you PM me your tech id and pin so that I dont have to go through this hassle again ?

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: gsethi

Originally posted by: Vinfinite

still doesn't change the fact that most of the time they are right

I agree that most of the calls that they get are useless but when a Customer knows what he is talking about, they should be more understanding.

Do you know how many times they hear that a day? :laugh:

Yep, thats why he made me go thru "netstat /b" to diagnoze a keyboard problem. At this point, I just wanted to hang up on him and try a different tech support guy but didnt want to call again and explain the whole problem to them.

 

[ElFenix]

most of the time when a customer insists they know what they're talking about they really don't and are just some random asshole.


you should have told him you hooked up a USB keyboard

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: gsethi

Originally posted by: WhiteKnight

Most of the time they act like as if the caller is a complete idiot

Most of the time, they're right.

Well, I told him that I know what I am doing. I have been working with computers for the past 7+ yrs (building my own PCs).

Can someone tell me on how a software issue can make certain keys respond and other keys not respond properly ??

I recently had a problem where MS Office got stuck in some sort of mode that made some of the keys not work properly. I even posted about it here.

Also, older versions of Windows had a known bug that occurred when two specific keys were pressed simultaneously. From that point on (until the two keys were again pressed), the keyboard would act pretty crazy.

So don't assume you know everything when these guys deal with this sort of stuff day in and day out.

 

[Reckoner]

Another quick way you could've ended that conversation is telling the guy you swapped out that keyboard with another one, and the keys work fine now. But you wan't a replacement for the defective keyboard.

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: gsethi

Originally posted by: WhiteKnight

Most of the time they act like as if the caller is a complete idiot

Most of the time, they're right.

Well, I told him that I know what I am doing. I have been working with computers for the past 7+ yrs (building my own PCs).

LOL as if that's assurance enough for him that you know what you're doing. I can tell you from personal experiences, it's the idiots that claim they know what they're doing... they're the ones that claim they've got MCSE, got A+, or been working with computers for 10 years. Well, if you really knew what you were doing, you would have fixed the problem yourself.

 

[Ornery]

Just give up, I do. I play along and act stupid, but anticipate and answer their questions as quickly as possible to get it over with. They're usually reading from a tick list that has to be in order before they process your issue. I just settle back in preparation for a long ordeal, and jump through all the hoops. I always get what I want in the end, so I just accept it as part of "the issue".

 

[Evadman]

as a corporate customer I never had that problem. I say send me a new <whatever> and they do. there isn't any 'lets joyously follow your phone script together' time wasting.

As to your first comment, most people calling tech support have no f'ing clue, so the people who do know what they are talking about have to deal with it.

 

[eelw]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Just give up, I do. I play along and act stupid, but anticipate and answer their questions as quickly as possible to get it over with. They're usually reading from a tick list that has to be in order before they process your issue. I just settle back in preparation for a long ordeal, and jump through all the hoops. I always get what I want in the end, so I just accept it as part of "the issue".

This is the best recommendation when calling support. Let the CSA go through their checklist. It's a lot faster than attempting to argue with them.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

most callers ARE idiots, if they were smart they would fix themselves.

of course there are really hard problems that even smart users cant fix, but tech support isnt that smart either, and if they could fix those problems they probably wouldnt be doing tech support...

 

[HardcoreRobot]

nvm

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
most of the time when a customer insists they know what they're talking about they really don't and are just some random asshole.

you should have told him you hooked up a USB keyboard

I did tell him that my external keyboard hooked up with the port replicator works fine but he still insisted that it is a software issue.

Originally posted by: Looney

Originally posted by: gsethi

Originally posted by: WhiteKnight

Most of the time they act like as if the caller is a complete idiot

Most of the time, they're right.

Well, I told him that I know what I am doing. I have been working with computers for the past 7+ yrs (building my own PCs).

LOL as if that's assurance enough for him that you know what you're doing. I can tell you from personal experiences, it's the idiots that claim they know what they're doing... they're the ones that claim they've got MCSE, got A+, or been working with computers for 10 years. Well, if you really knew what you were doing, you would have fixed the problem yourself.

How can I fix the problem myself with a defective keyboard (I need a new keyboard, right) ? I requested him to send me a new replacement keyboard (that I can install myself) and he didnt want to do that. The only other way to fix the problem myself would have been to go purchase a new keyboard. If that was the case, Dell shouldnt offer warranty on their systems.

Originally posted by: Evadman
as a corporate customer I never had that problem. I say send me a new <whatever> and they do. there isn't any 'lets joyously follow your phone script together' time wasting.

As to your first comment, most people calling tech support have no f'ing clue, so the people who do know what they are talking about have to deal with it.

Even I am a corporate customer. I guess it was just bad luck that I called on a Saturday evening and perhaps, the guy thought I was a home user. I clearly told him that all i want him is to send me a new keyboard for me to replace myself but he still insisted on going through all the checks (wasting my time).

This is what I did to figure out that it was a defective keyboard - hardware problem:
1) Tested the keyboard in different apps in XP.
2) Tested the keyboard in different OS: XP and Linux
3) Plugged an external keyboard to my laptop which worked fine.

as for all who are saying that they had similar problems with software conflicts, this DOES not apply to me as I tested the keyboard in 2 different OSes.

Now, can one of you tell me as to how "netstat /b" will fix a keyboard problem (if you all think that the Tech support guy was right and really knew what he was doing).

 

[Steve]

Originally posted by: mobobuff
I feel for you, but if you truly knew what you were doing, you would've skipped the entire customer service step and dialed their parts department directly (1-800-357-3355 Extension 724-7278), gave them your information and the FRU# of the keyboard, and had yourself a new keyboard in 3 days hassle free.

Going to try and get my dad's keyboard replaced, thanks.

 

[RichardE]

Originally posted by: gsethi

Originally posted by: WhiteKnight

Most of the time they act like as if the caller is a complete idiot

Most of the time, they're right.

Well, I told him that I know what I am doing. I have been working with computers for the past 7+ yrs (building my own PCs).

Can someone tell me on how a software issue can make certain keys respond and other keys not respond properly ??

Most of our customers say that, than they don't know how to get into safe mode. Just have to bite the bullet and play along.

 

[RichardE]

Originally posted by: JackBurton
Let me tell you a little something about Dell, their support fvcking sucks ass! We have the super duper platinum elite corporate support (whatever the highest corporate level is), and the morons at Dell insist on playing 20 questions with me every freakin' time I call. And every time, after wasting 20-30 minutes of my time, they give me the part I asked for AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CALL. They know they are talking to an IT guy on the other end but they insist on playing this bullsh!t game. Let me tell you what happens when I call HP:

Me: I'm calling in to report a problem with one of our laptops.
HP: What seems to be the problem?
Me: It looks like the system board needs to be replaced.
HP: Ok, what is the serial number on the laptop?
Me: blah,blah,blah.
HP: And will you be the contact on this case?
Me: Yes.
HP: Asks for contact information. Ok, the part will be ordered and we'll have a tech out tomorrow to repair the machine.
Me: Thanks.

Done. Fvcking 5 minutes. That is the MAIN reason we don't order Dells. Their support is AWFUL! I don't have time to d!ck around with a script reader at the other end of the line. I've got sh!t to do, and I don't need to be wasting my time with this moron on the other end of the line. If this is the kind of crap I get from a corporate level support, I'd hate to see what regular consumers get.

I work in HP tech... I think we have alot more leeway with replacing parts ect than Dell does.

 

[Steve]

Originally posted by: RichardE

Originally posted by: JackBurton
Let me tell you a little something about Dell, their support fvcking sucks ass! We have the super duper platinum elite corporate support (whatever the highest corporate level is), and the morons at Dell insist on playing 20 questions with me every freakin' time I call. And every time, after wasting 20-30 minutes of my time, they give me the part I asked for AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CALL. They know they are talking to an IT guy on the other end but they insist on playing this bullsh!t game. Let me tell you what happens when I call HP:

Me: I'm calling in to report a problem with one of our laptops.
HP: What seems to be the problem?
Me: It looks like the system board needs to be replaced.
HP: Ok, what is the serial number on the laptop?
Me: blah,blah,blah.
HP: And will you be the contact on this case?
Me: Yes.
HP: Asks for contact information. Ok, the part will be ordered and we'll have a tech out tomorrow to repair the machine.
Me: Thanks.

Done. Fvcking 5 minutes. That is the MAIN reason we don't order Dells. Their support is AWFUL! I don't have time to d!ck around with a script reader at the other end of the line. I've got sh!t to do, and I don't need to be wasting my time with this moron on the other end of the line. If this is the kind of crap I get from a corporate level support, I'd hate to see what regular consumers get.

I work in HP tech... I think we have alot more leeway with replacing parts ect than Dell does.

Yeah right. I'm trying to get a different part replaced every week with HP. India still wants me to do the same GD troubleshooting steps every f-ing time. Do they have no sense of pattern recognition? The same symptoms from the same corporate customer. Let me sum it up:

1) The Toshiba 40GB HDDs in the nc6000s are dropping like flies.
2) The keyboards on the same model tend to crap out too.
3) The combo drives in the d530 SFF are starting to die.

So, next time I call (again), please spare me the wasted time of asking me if I've done every stupid troubleshooting step you (not you RichardE) read off your script. It's the same issue from last week, and the week before that, and before that. New part needed, please just send it already. Thank you.

 

[smack Down]

Got some news for you tech support is designed to prevent people from getting the warrenty serivce they need.

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: WhiteKnight

Most of the time they act like as if the caller is a complete idiot

Most of the time, they're right.

Bingo. Except that actually *stating* that the problem exists between the keyboard and the chair will probably cost you your job

Nate

 

[Ornery]

Yeah, at the low end consumer level, HP is just as bad as Dell. They dicked me around for close to an hour, just to get a DVD burner replaced. I knew going in, that it would take a while, but DAMN!

 

[RichardE]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Yeah, at the low end consumer level, HP is just as bad as Dell. They dicked me around for close to an hour, just to get a DVD burner replaced. I knew going in, that it would take a while, but DAMN!

Ah maybe, I work in the Corporate tech, so don't deal with residential customers. Hear some of the horror stories. I would say for every 1 person who calls in who knows there shi%, 30 people call in pretending too.