Real computer tech support transcripts (allegedly...)
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Tech Support: "I need you to right-click on the Open Desktop."
Customer: "Ok." Tech Support: "Did you get a pop-up menu?" Customer: "No."
Tech Support: "Ok. Right click again. Do you see a pop-up menu?" Customer:
"No." Tech Support: "Ok, sir. Can you tell me what you have done up until
this point?" Customer: "Sure, you told me to write 'click' and I wrote
'click'." (At this point I had to put the caller on hold to tell the rest of
the tech support staff what had happened. I couldn't, however, stop from
giggling when I got back to the call.) Tech Support: "Ok, did you type
'click' with the keyboard?" Customer: "I have done something dumb, right?"
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One woman called Dell's toll-free line to ask how to install the batteries
in her laptop. When told that the directions were on the first page of the
manual the woman replied angrily "I just paid $2,000 for this damn thing and
I'm not going to read any friggin book."
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Customer: "I received the software update you sent, but I am still getting
the same error message." Tech Support: "Did you install the update?"
Customer: "No. Oh, am I supposed to install it to get it to work?"
--
Customer: "I'm having trouble installing Microsoft Word." Tech Support:
"Tell me what you've done." Customer: "I typed 'A:SETUP'." Tech Support:
"Ma'am, remove the disk and tell me what it says." Customer: "It says '[PC
manufacturer] Restore and Recovery disk'." Tech Support: "Insert the MS Word
setup disk." Customer: "What?" Tech Support: "Did you buy MS word?" Customer
"No..."
--
Tech Support: "Ok, in the bottom left hand side of the screen, can you see
the 'OK' button displayed?" Customer: "Wow. How can you see my screen from
there?"
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Customer: "Uhh...I need help unpacking my new PC." Tech Support: "What
exactly is the problem?" Customer: "I can't open the box." Tech Support:
"Well, I'd remove the tape holding the box closed and go from there."
Customer: "Uhhhh...ok, thanks...."
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Customer: "I'm having a problem installing your software. I've got a fairly
old computer, and when I type 'INSTALL', all it says is 'Bad command or file
name'." Tech Support: "Ok, check the directory of the A: drive - go to A:/
and type 'dir'." Customer: reads off a list of file names, including
'INSTALL.EXE'. Tech Support: "All right, the correct file is there. Type
'INSTALL' again." Customer: "Ok." (pause) "Still says 'Bad command or file
name'." Tech Support: "Hmmm. The file's there in the correct place - it
can't help but do something. Are you sure you're typing I-N-S-T-A-L-L and
hitting the Enter key?" Customer: "Yes, let me try it again." (pause) "Nope,
still 'Bad command or file name'." Tech Support: (now really confused) "Are
you sure you're typing I-N-S-T-A-L-L and hitting the key that says 'Enter'?"
Customer: "Well, yeah. Although my 'N' key is stuck, so I'm using the 'M'
key... does that matter?"
--
At our company we have asset numbers on the front of everything. They give
the location, name and everything else just by scanning the computer's asset
barcode or using the number beneath the bars. Customer: "Hello. I can't get
on the network." Tech Support: "Ok. Just read me your asset number so we can
open an outage." Customer: "What is that?" Tech Support: "That little
barcode on the front of your computer." Customer: "Ok. Big bar, little bar,
big bar, big bar ..."
--
Customer: "I got this problem. You people sent me this install disk, and now
my A: drive won't work." Tech Support: "Your A: drive won't work?" Customer:
"That's what I said. You sent me a bad disk, it got stuck in my drive, now
it won't work at all." Tech Support: "Did it not install properly? What kind
of error messages did you get?" Customer: "I didn't get any error message.
The disk got stuck in the drive and wouldn't come out. So I got these pliers
and tried to get it out. That didn't work either." Tech Support: "You did
what sir?" Customer: "I got these pliers and tried to get the disk out, but
it wouldn't budge. I just ended up cracking the plastic stuff a bit." Tech
Support: "I don't understand sir, did you push the eject button?" Customer:
"No, so then I got a stick of butter and melted it and used a turkey baster
and put the butter in the drive, around the disk and that got it loose. Then
I used the pliers and it came out fine. I can't believe you would send me a
disk that was broken and defective." Tech Support: "Let me get this clear.
You put melted butter in your A:drive and used pliers to pull the disk out?"
At this point, I put the call on the speaker phone and motioned at the other
techs to listen in. Tech Support: "Just so I am absolutely clear on this,
can you repeat what you just said?" Customer: "I said I put butter in my A:
drive to get your crappy disk out, then I had to use pliers to pull it out."
Tech Support: "Did you push that little button that was sticking out when
the disk was in the drive, you know, the thing called the disk eject
button?" Silence. Tech Support: "Sir?" Customer: "Yes." Tech Support: "Sir,
did you push the eject button?" Customer: "No, but you people are going to
fix my computer, or I am going to sue you for breaking my computer?" Tech
Support: "Let me get this straight. You are going to sue our company because
you put the disk in the A: drive, didn't follow the instructions we sent
you, didn't actually seek professional advice, didn't consult your user's
manual on how to use your computer properly, instead proceeding to pour
butter into the drive and physically rip the disk out?" Customer: "Ummmm."
Tech Support: "Do you really think you stand a chance, since we do record
every call and have it on tape?" Customer: (now rather humbled) "But you're
supposed to help!" Tech Support: "I am sorry sir, but there is nothing we
can do for you. Have a nice day."