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SBC DSL "Tech Support"

D

DurocShark

Lifer
My mom recently got SBC DSL. I set her up on her rather nice PC running XP. Went smoothly enough, considering the crappy install package it comes with (made for morons apparently...)

It's been running fine, but my mom had a problem getting to an oldies station she listens to online. Turns out said station switched from RealMedia to some propreitary crap requiring their software (read "spyware") to be installed.

Well, she didn't understand why she couldn't hear her music anymore, and not wanting to bother me called SBC Tech Support.

SBC: Let's check your settings. Open Network Connections
... and lots of similar crap.

SBC: Well, it sounds like you need to reinstall your browser. Please get your SBC Install Disc..
Mom: But everything else works!
SBC: But you called to say it doesn't work.
Mom: Just this radio station.
SBC: Ok, sooooo PLEASE get your SBC Install Disc...
Mom: Excuse me, there's no reason to be rude. I've got my disc.
SBC: I wasn't rude. Insert it into your CD Rom drive and let me know when the splash screen comes up...

<enter me walking in the door>

Mom tells me what's going on, I tell her to tell the tech nevermind.

Mom: Nevermind, my son's here and he'll figure it out.
SBC: Oh, like HE knows anything!
Mom: Tell me how much it's going to cost me to cancel this contract. Your service is horrid.
SBC: Sure, just call 800-whatever and we'll get right on that! <click>

WTF?

I convinced my mom to calm down. Yes, the guy was an ass. But he's just an $8 an hour idiot reading off a script. He's probably heard 50 people yell at him today.

I installed the software and she's happy again. Sigh...
 
you should've gotten the guys name, asked for a manager and complained. they take these sort of complaints really seriously.
 
Originally posted by: zimu
you should've gotten the guys name, asked for a manager and complained. they take these sort of complaints really seriously.
Click to expand...

She did get the guy's name and said she'd write a letter after she calmed down, in a day or so. Most of the companies I've dealt with really didn't seem to care so I don't hold out much hope for anything happening.

But it's absolutely worth the effort, just in case. 😀
 
Just because a tech is getting paid next-to-nothing and is rude doesn't make him an idiot. @Home used to have some really kickass utilities on one of their disks. The tech didn't sound like he was a moron, just sounded like he was sick of people calling for help and contradicting him trying to help. The tech didn't do or say anything, according to the OP, that was ignorant. Just very rude. Do you think ISPs are run by idiots? Do you think just any old idiot can do tech support? In many cases, yes. But you'll know it when you hear something stupid like the Linksys tech in India tell me that I have to have the Windows XP firewall enabled in order for the built-in firewall in my WRT54G to function. Disgruntled techs are very very common. In fact, so many techs get so disgruntled that they often do a few easy tasks and give up to pass the buck because they don't want to have to waste the time it takes to get the customer to acually DO the technical tasks without the customer fvcking it up or asking "why" every time they say something or telling the tech they're wrong because they're "a network admin, ya know." :roll:

Grr...

Sorry... flashback of bad times in a call center for an ISP for two years. However, there is something slightly satisfying about telling a customer that there's no higher level of support and that if I can't get it fixed, no one can --and actually be telling the truth. 🙂
 
I don't know why you're so down on this tech guy. Admittly his response was incorrect, his actual response should have been, I'm sorry, but SBC does not provide tech support for such such and that should have been the end of it. You can't expect SBC to support the entire internet right?
 
Originally posted by: FishTaco
I don't know why you're so down on this tech guy. Admittly his response was incorrect, his actual response should have been, I'm sorry, but SBC does not provide tech support for such such and that should have been the end of it. You can't expect SBC to support the entire internet right?
Click to expand...

Just because it's on the internet doesn't mean that you can discount it. If there's something wrong with the browser that SBC supplies (if they do? IE skin?) then it's their job to support it. If the ISP brands any products on the PC, like @Home did with IE, then the ISP has to support that product.
 
No, the tech's response was NOT correct. Reinstalling the SBC Yahoo browser would NOT have corrected the problem. As FishTaco said, the tech should have just said "contact the owner of the website".

I do tech support for a living (internally for our company), and can relate with how bad the job can suck when everybody's yelling at you for something you have absolutely no control over.

But there's no reason to be rude.

I explained to my mom that the only time she should call them is when NOTHING about the internet works. Otherwise, call me. No point in waiting on hold just to get someone rude.

(Though, I totally understand the guy getting pissed when she said her son was going to fix it. LoL!!! He's figuring the son is going to just screw it up worse. I know I would have assumed it was some 12 year old messing with things... 😉 Too bad I left 12 behind a loooooong time ago..)
 
Your story reminded me of this tech support classic from years ago, ripped from techtales.com ...

I worked with a major ISP about a year ago that had a slew of attacks to some of our customers via Trojan horse programs. Despite copious warnings to *NOT DOWNLOAD ANYTHING FROM SOMEONE YOU DON'T KNOW*, people cheerfully downloaded "free programs" that bragged being screen savers, hacker tools, and porno files. One version of this TH would take your password and login keystrokes, and send them to someone on the Internet when you logged on. One of our developers found a way to detect this TH, and soon, an automated process started where the customer's account would be shut down, a ticket would be generated, and an experienced tech rep would call the member at home to make them aware, and have it removed off the system. This was hard because the TH would be in your registry, have dozens of hidden files labelled genuine-sounding names like "win386.exe" and modify your system tray. So a tech rep had a job akin to doing skilled surgery over the phone to a person who barely knew how to run "Explorer.exe". On top of that, we had to make sure we weren't calling one of the hackers, because we didn't have proper security in place yet in case they retaliated.

Most people were gratified of this service. But when the service first started, I was monitoring a call that turned ugly rather unexpectedly.

Tech: Hello, this is [Bob] from [ISP], is this [Customer name]?
Kid: No, that's my mom. She's not here.
Tech: When will she be back, this is very important.
Kid: Uh... is this about why I can't get on the web?
Tech: Yes, but I must speak with the person who set up the account--
Kid: Uh, I'll handle it! M-my mother doesn't know how to fix computers, see and --

[Then the tech heard the sound of mom asking, "Who's that on the phone, dear?", and then the call was cut off. The tech called back, and this time the mother answered]

Tech: [after explaining who we were, what happened, etc]... so you see, we will need to go through your system and remove this.
Cust: Oh, dear, I don't know. I'm taking a course at college, so I guess so. What do I need to do?

[The tech talked her through it. Luckily, she did everything we asked, and removed the files off her system, despite her son constantly whining and nagging her not to fool with it. "This computer doesn't have a virus! Don't listen to this guy!" the kid kept saying. His whining became rather intense when we got to the last part.]

Tech: Okay, now that we have rebooted, and we know the Trojan Horse is not on the system, we have to find the original executable. Look in your download directory and tell me if you see any files in there.
Cust: In the download directory to look at files? Okay.
Kid: Noooooooo! Stop mom, you don't know what you are doing! Nooooo!
Tech: Look for any of the following files... [list of files]
Cust: There's one! There porno4u.exe one. Hey, wait, porno?
Kid: Noooo!
Tech: Yes, DO NOT DOUBLE CLICK it. Click it once, and hit the delete key.
Cust: Okay... empty the recycle bin?
Tech: Yes, now the Trojan horse is off your--
Cust: Wait, home come it got on the computer in the first place?
Kid: Hang up on him, it doesn't matter, noooo!
Tech: Uh, well, the fact is, someone downloaded it. That file comes attached to a piece of mail promising... uh...
Cust: Free nookie?
Tech: In a manner of speaking.
Cust: Well... since my ten-year-old son has the only e-mail account on this computer, it would seem that he downloaded a file that promised free nookie, is that correct?
Tech: Uh, well, some of our users did end up on a hacker's mailing list--
Kid: Don't listen to him, he's lying, I never would--OW!
Cust: [off phone] Joshua Herschel Epstien [fake name], you are going to get the beating of your life when I get off this phone!!!
Kid: Nooooo! [smack]
Cust: Don't you DARE run away from me! I am giving this computer to your sister at Vanderbilt for sure now! [smack smack]
Kid: Let go of my ear! Ow!
Cust: [surprisingly calm and polite to tech] Thank you dearie, for all your help. You are a sweet boy. Unlike some children who will be grounded for a MONTH! [smack]
 
Originally posted by: zimu
you should've gotten the guys name, asked for a manager and complained. they take these sort of complaints really seriously.
Click to expand...

hahahahahaahahha

no we don't!

A manager doesn't even take the call a 'senior tech' does. They are just agents who have been there a while and when needed they walk around to answer agents questions and take sup calls etc. All it is is an inconvenince to them and they just say whatever's needed to get you off the phone.
 
Originally posted by: Nik
Originally posted by: FishTaco
I don't know why you're so down on this tech guy. Admittly his response was incorrect, his actual response should have been, I'm sorry, but SBC does not provide tech support for such such and that should have been the end of it. You can't expect SBC to support the entire internet right?
Click to expand...

Just because it's on the internet doesn't mean that you can discount it. If there's something wrong with the browser that SBC supplies (if they do? IE skin?) then it's their job to support it. If the ISP brands any products on the PC, like @Home did with IE, then the ISP has to support that product.
Click to expand...

We don't support your radio stations. If it doesn't work, too bad. Just because it can be accessed through the SBC browser doesn't mean we have to support it. You're lucky he even tried to help. He probably thought it was the shoutcast radio which comes from the SBC Yahoo site which reinstalling the browser would have probably fixed.
 
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