Rantage!
You are probably aware of the stupidity of the random person, you've probably seen a number of examples. You're probably aware that a tech-support job is a marvelous way to funnel all the stupid people into one job, but you really cannot appreciate how fucking retarded people are until you've tried to talk them through the simplest of tasks and...failed.
One that is burned rather violently into my memory is something that would make anyone who is capable of reading this want to cry. While trying to explain how to turn on a computer (which this customer at the time believed to be broken), she managed to turn on a FUCKING STEREO! I managed to end the call by referring her to Dell because her keyboard was not working on a different computer (I believe this to be user error). I'll leave out the entire part about how she was concerned that the internet connection may not have been working because the other computer was off.
And how hard is it to read the command prompt? I mean, christ, you type shit in, you hit enter, and it tells you SOMETHING. There is some text that appeared that wasn't there seconds before, all you have to do is identify the part that says, "IP ADDRESS: 192.168.1.100", because I don't give a shit about the part that says, "C:\Documents and Settings\Arnold>" nor do I give a shit about your concern for the location of the flashing "_". If you're really nice, you'll read me something that says, "Error renewing adapter Local Area Connection: an operation was attempted on something that is not a socket."
Then something that does not happen quite as often, but is far more depressing...
What part of "Click on the start button down on the bottom left of your screen," is difficult to follow?
I'll let you slide with not knowing the difference between Classic and Category view, but when I ask if the Control Panel says "Pick a Category" at the top and you see the words, "Pick a Category" in 20 pt. font at the top of the window, I expect you to look at the top of the window and identify this simple fucking fact.
I won't think less of you because you don't know that your username isn't the same thing as your entire email address, but when I ask, "Do you ONLY have magnum357 written there, or is it magnum357@cableone.net?" I expect you to answer this simple t/f question WITH THE TRUTH!
It's cool to me if you don't know what a router is, but when I ask if your computer is connected directly to the cable modem and you have no damn clue because your kid setup your home network, I don't want to hear anything remotely resembling a "yes" slipping out of your lips just because you see wires. The icing on the cake is when I find out your computer is getting a router's IP, and I tell you what that means, I get to hear, "Oh, you mean that thing that says linskies? Yeah, it says 'wireless broadband router."
I think may be done for now. Grr.
One that is burned rather violently into my memory is something that would make anyone who is capable of reading this want to cry. While trying to explain how to turn on a computer (which this customer at the time believed to be broken), she managed to turn on a FUCKING STEREO! I managed to end the call by referring her to Dell because her keyboard was not working on a different computer (I believe this to be user error). I'll leave out the entire part about how she was concerned that the internet connection may not have been working because the other computer was off.
And how hard is it to read the command prompt? I mean, christ, you type shit in, you hit enter, and it tells you SOMETHING. There is some text that appeared that wasn't there seconds before, all you have to do is identify the part that says, "IP ADDRESS: 192.168.1.100", because I don't give a shit about the part that says, "C:\Documents and Settings\Arnold>" nor do I give a shit about your concern for the location of the flashing "_". If you're really nice, you'll read me something that says, "Error renewing adapter Local Area Connection: an operation was attempted on something that is not a socket."
Then something that does not happen quite as often, but is far more depressing...
What part of "Click on the start button down on the bottom left of your screen," is difficult to follow?
I'll let you slide with not knowing the difference between Classic and Category view, but when I ask if the Control Panel says "Pick a Category" at the top and you see the words, "Pick a Category" in 20 pt. font at the top of the window, I expect you to look at the top of the window and identify this simple fucking fact.
I won't think less of you because you don't know that your username isn't the same thing as your entire email address, but when I ask, "Do you ONLY have magnum357 written there, or is it magnum357@cableone.net?" I expect you to answer this simple t/f question WITH THE TRUTH!
It's cool to me if you don't know what a router is, but when I ask if your computer is connected directly to the cable modem and you have no damn clue because your kid setup your home network, I don't want to hear anything remotely resembling a "yes" slipping out of your lips just because you see wires. The icing on the cake is when I find out your computer is getting a router's IP, and I tell you what that means, I get to hear, "Oh, you mean that thing that says linskies? Yeah, it says 'wireless broadband router."
I think may be done for now. Grr.