Things users say that piss you off

[Lotheron]

Very true!

Me: So what's on the screen?
User: Nothing.
Me: So the screen is completely black with nothing else at all?
User: No, there is an error message.

Ad infinitum.

Me: So what did the error message say?
User: I don't know, I closed it.
Me: Well in order to know what went wrong, I need to know that error message.
User: Oh, I didn't know that.
Me(Silently): FFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

 

[MotionMan]

I don't expect users to know anything about computers but, what really annoys me is the total inability to describe what they see on the screen in front of them.

This.

Also, when you tell them to click and they ask:

"Left-click or right-click?"

(This is especially true after just telling them that "click" = "left-click" and "right-click" = "right-click".)

MotionMan

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Hey, help desk guys... If you really want to piss yourself off even more, make sure to ask them if they read the manual. Nine times out of 10, you'll either get an answer that sounds like "No, I haven't had time", or "There's a manual???".

So, let me get this straight, Mr. or Ms. Customer... you had time to wait on hold for 10 minutes or write an e-mail telling me about your problem, but you didn't have 5 minutes to look the answer in the manual we provided you?? WTF!

I work in a small company, so I also get the write the documentation as well take the help desk calls. It's nice to see that all of the time I spent writing, proofreading, and rewriting those documents was a total waste.

I hear your pain. Unfortunately, we've all been trained by large corporations with manuals written by Indians in Sanskrit, redacted by the Japanese and, translated to English by a Russian exchange students, to throw away manuals and pray you get someone who speaks English on the phone.

There are many people who seem only able to absorb instructions by seeing them done or, pushing a random button to see what it does. I yearn for the days of yore when software was accompanied by a two inch bound manual of several hundred pages.

 

[disappoint]

You know there are people in this world that don't have to put up with
all this shit? Like that guy that invented the pet rock. You see, that's what you have to do. You have to use your mind, come up with some really great idea like that, and you can make millions, never have to work again!

There's a USB pet rock too. It plugs into your USB port. Guess what it does?

 

[HeXen]

like computers? know a lot about them?...well then welcome to the real world where everyone else doesnt give a fuck about them and is why they come to you in the first place.
idiots. other pro's deal with similar like auto mechanics..etc. you have to beable to tolerate people who do not care to know anything about the stuff that you do know about.

 

[her209]

How about: My computer at home is having problems. Can you fix it for me?

 

[disappoint]

Things dumb people say that piss me off:

How much amperage we got there?
Should be: How much current is that device drawing?

We should of stopped posting eons ago.
Should be: We should have stopped posting eons ago.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

How about: My computer at home is having problems. Can you fix it for me?

I love that question! It opens up a whole world of bartering. I get visions of beer, cookies and, sexual favors.

 

[MotionMan]

like computers? know a lot about them?...well then welcome to the real world where everyone else doesnt give a fuck about them and is why they come to you in the first place.
idiots. other pro's deal with similar like auto mechanics..etc. you have to beable to tolerate people who do not care to know anything about the stuff that you do know about.

On the dashboard, it reads "Low Oil", so she calls the mechanic and says, "There is something wrong with my car."

The mechanic asks, "Does the dashboard say anything?"

She says, "Yeah, but I am not in the car right now. It said something in red."

M: "Can you remember anything about what it said?"

S: "It said something about oil or gas. I don't know, I do not know anything about cars."

M: "Can you get to the car?"

S: "You mean, now?"

M: "Yes."

S: "Sigh. Can't you just tell me how to fix it? I don't have time for this."

...

S: "OK, I am in the car. The dashboard does not say anything now."

M: "Nothing? No lights at all?"

S: "Nothing."

M: "Is it on?"

S: "Does it need to be on?"

...

S: "OK, so it says 'Low Oil'. What should I do?"

M: "Did you try putting oil in the car."

S: "Can't you do that from there? I do not know anything about cars."


That is not any more tolerable than the typical call to IT.

MotionMan

 

[HeXen]

That is not any more tolerable than the typical call to IT.

MotionMan

if your a pro, your suppose to tolerate it. Its not their job to know anything about the car, computer, fridge or whatever. So naturally anyone who knows nothing about something, their gonna ask what seems to be stupid questions.
consider it job security.

 

[MotionMan]

if your a pro, your suppose to tolerate it. Its not their job to know anything about the car, computer, fridge or whatever. So naturally anyone who knows nothing about something, their gonna ask what seems to be stupid questions.
consider it job security.

They should not suddenly lose the ability to read English words on the screen when they otherwise have no issues with English.

That is intolerable. No one should have to put up with that.

MotionMan

 

[DrPizza]

There's an XKCD comic about tech support - the steps that tech support goes through to help someone with a software problem. I printed it out for our tech support guys, and they ended up hanging it on the outside of their door. (i.e. go through the menus looking for something that sounded like what the user wanted to do, using the help within the software to find it that way, using google to find the answer, etc.) I believe that for the most part, a lot of problems are generational - the older crowd needing to be taught step by step what to do, with a younger crowd more willing to "play with it" to figure it out.

 

[MotionMan]

There's an XKCD comic about tech support - the steps that tech support goes through to help someone with a software problem. I printed it out for our tech support guys, and they ended up hanging it on the outside of their door. (i.e. go through the menus looking for something that sounded like what the user wanted to do, using the help within the software to find it that way, using google to find the answer, etc.) I believe that for the most part, a lot of problems are generational - the older crowd needing to be taught step by step what to do, with a younger crowd more willing to "play with it" to figure it out.

I have not found that to be true. Over a number of years I have found that many of my parents' friends are better than many of my friends when it comes to such things.

MotionMan

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

There's an XKCD comic about tech support - the steps that tech support goes through to help someone with a software problem. I printed it out for our tech support guys, and they ended up hanging it on the outside of their door. (i.e. go through the menus looking for something that sounded like what the user wanted to do, using the help within the software to find it that way, using google to find the answer, etc.) I believe that for the most part, a lot of problems are generational - the older crowd needing to be taught step by step what to do, with a younger crowd more willing to "play with it" to figure it out.

There absolutely nothing wrong with experimentation to aid learning. The problem is when that becomes your ONLY way of learning. I dread helping the "button pushers." Not only are they unable to describe what is on the screen before them, they are constitutionally unable to follow instructions and happily go off randomly clicking on things while you are trying to help them.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Things dumb people say that piss me off:

How much amperage we got there?
Should be: How much current is that device drawing?

We should of stopped posting eons ago.
Should be: We should have stopped posting eons ago.

Are you sure you are not confusing that with 'should've'?

 

[child of wonder]

I'm a consultant. I don't deal with users anymore and

I LOVE IT.

 

[bfdd]

we get requests and specs, developer develops, i test, we deploy, 2 days later we're pulled in asking why this doesn't do that or this doesn't work. we look at the specs and what they gave us is always different so it goes back to development, then testing. This happens at least 2 to 3 times for every project we get.

 

[Raduque]

I have this conversation all the damn time with my mom.

"It's not working"

What's not working?

"This thing, on my computer"

Well, what's it doing?

"Not working!"

/headdesk

 

[PlasmaBomb]

I have not found that to be true. Over a number of years I have found that many of my parents' friends are better than many of my friends when it comes to such things.

MotionMan

Older people are more willing to listen and follow instructions.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Me: Did you reboot?
Them: No.

^^unacceptable response. don't talk to me then.

 

[MotionMan]

Older people are more willing to listen and follow instructions.

I have not found that to be true, either.

MotionMan

 

[MotionMan]

I have this conversation all the damn time with my mom.

"It's not working"

What's not working?

"This thing, on my computer"

Well, what's it doing?

"Not working!"

/headdesk

There is one on Clientcopia that actually happened to me, too:

"It won't print" turned out to be "The mouse is broken".

MotionMan

 

[mrblotto]

Customer: I'm having a lot of problems w/my computer

<After PD and troubleshooting>

IT: Looks like you need to bring the machine in for service

Customer: I can't do that, I need to work!

IT: But you only live 15 mins away, and I cannot resolve your issue remotely

Customer: No, I cannot bring it in

IT: OK. I understand. I have many other customers I can help. That is part of my job. And my Manager knows this.

You, however, CANNOT do your job, so I'm going to guess that YOUR Mgr is going to notice you NOT doing your job. Do you want this to happen?

Customer: I'll be there in 1/2 hour

*click*

/facepalm

 

[Red Squirrel]

I hate when people want it fixed, yet they don't want you to fix it because they need it. Well, which one do you want then?

 

[PlasmaBomb]

I have not found that to be true, either.

MotionMan

I suppose it depends on the people, I can't think of a generalisation as to why the situation is as you described, except some people are lazy and want things done for them...