My first phone call this morning was from a woman who obviously had no idea whatsoever about computers. I doubt she is even able to tell the front from the back on a standard desktop tower. Now, I'd like to make it very clear that I have absolutely nothing against that. Ignorance is not a crime, nor is it morally wrong in any way. She knows nothing about computers, and that's fine. Without people like her I wouldn't have a job. So this far into the story, we are all good and fine and dandy.
However, as the story goes on, it is revealed that she purchased my company's product, a memory upgrade (two modules, in fact), and attempted to install them, without quite realizing the full scope of her ignorance.
She installed them backwards.
I have yet to figure out how on Earth anyone can manage to install memory backwards, given that it is intentionally designed to prevent that, but somehow, this woman managed. So she installed her memory upgrade, and she plugged her system back in, and she pressed the power button, and she smelled something burning.
The simple experiment of installing the computer's original memory and attempting to boot confirmed my suspicions: Her motherboard was fried, toast, dead, and finito. That's what happens when you install memory backwards, it shortens out the slot it is installed in and kills the motherboard while it's at it. That's why it is designed so it can only be installed facing the right way, as I mentioned earlier.
I had to spend the rest of the phone call explaining to my customer that it was her own fault that she had killed her computer, and that none of this was covered under the warranty of either motherboard or memory.
We took her memory back for a full refund anyway, because we are a nice company, but the moral of this story still stands: If you know absolutely nothing about how the hardware in your computer works, don't try to improvise or play around with it. Seriously, don't. Because while we are refunding what she paid for the memory, we sure aren't paying for the new motherboard.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Link of the day:
The Sith Lords Restoration Project is all about finishing what could have been one of the greatest games ever produced for the PC, if Obsidian had not been too spineless to demand more time to work on it. In this particular case "work on it" means "finish it"... Yes, I expect anyone who has played through the entire game to know what I mean.Team Gizka has been working tirelessly at their project for over two years now, and I cannot wait to see the finished product. If you own the game, go check this out. You can thank me later.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Another day without TV
A few days ago, I mentioned in passing how sad it made me that the beautiful big TV stopped working. I also mentioned that Samsung's response was a nice change from Microsoft's excuse for customer service, and that the TV most likely was going to be repaired by this weekend.
If Samsung had not sent out a defective replacement part, it might have been. Actually, if they had sent out one defective replacement part, it might have been. But both the parts that have been sent to the Local Authorized Service Center have had the same kind of defect: A crucially important lens is too scratched to function properly. The repair person that came to install the part is not at all happy about this kind of behavior from Samsung, and has made a third attempt to order a functioning part from them. It will arrive Monday, we are told, and we hope it will be scratch-free. For now, we have to settle for watching NBA playoff previews and highlights online, and visit our friends to be able to watch the actual games.
I want to make it very clear that the repair person that has been coming to our house twice now has been very pleasant and professional, and I would be happy to recommend the company to anyone who needs a TV repaired. Samsung, on the other hand, I now cannot get far enough away from. I am only hoping that at the third attempt they will finally manage to send out a working part.
If Samsung had not sent out a defective replacement part, it might have been. Actually, if they had sent out one defective replacement part, it might have been. But both the parts that have been sent to the Local Authorized Service Center have had the same kind of defect: A crucially important lens is too scratched to function properly. The repair person that came to install the part is not at all happy about this kind of behavior from Samsung, and has made a third attempt to order a functioning part from them. It will arrive Monday, we are told, and we hope it will be scratch-free. For now, we have to settle for watching NBA playoff previews and highlights online, and visit our friends to be able to watch the actual games.
I want to make it very clear that the repair person that has been coming to our house twice now has been very pleasant and professional, and I would be happy to recommend the company to anyone who needs a TV repaired. Samsung, on the other hand, I now cannot get far enough away from. I am only hoping that at the third attempt they will finally manage to send out a working part.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Today's very short post:
The comments come in pop-up windows now. Karin suggested it in a comment below, and it looks better that way. So pop-ups it is.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
My Five
In a futile effort to be rebellious and go against the time-honored tradition of Customer Service Workers Complaining About Their Customers, I am putting together a short list of things that customers can do to make the phone call to customer service or tech support more enjoyable for both parties. I feel this is a more constructive approach, and above all I hope that it will pay off better than the complaining did.
1. Don't be nasty. Seriously. I have power to make your life a lot easier and solve your problem. All you have to do to convince me to go that extra mile for you is make me like you and feel sorry for you. Being nasty only makes me want to be nasty back.
2. Don't be in the bathroom. Listening to you do "No. 2" (also known as "take a dump"), while I am trying to figure out what that second charge on your credit card is coming from, is not pleasant. It should be noted that this suggestion is aimed exclusively at male customers.
3. Don't be stupid. I have nothing against ignorance, or ignorant customers. It can be cured, and it does not interfere with learning in any way. Not to mention, the ones who don't know anything about computer hardware are more than willing to take my advice or follow my instructions. With the stupid ones, I am lucky if they understand the instructions.
4. Listen to me. I need to give you this information, because it's important. If you install memory backwards it will shorten out and fry your motherboard. I don't want that to happen to it, mainly because when it does you will call back and scream that it was our fault, and that we owe you a motherboard. I'd hate to be the one getting that call.
5. Have your stuff ready. If you call to ask about an order, have the order receipt, or the confirmation email handy to reference. If you want to return or exchange a part, have it there, for reference. If you want to ask about what will work best in your computer, be at your computer, for reference.
Common sense and courtesy, all of it. It's easy, really. Give it a try!
1. Don't be nasty. Seriously. I have power to make your life a lot easier and solve your problem. All you have to do to convince me to go that extra mile for you is make me like you and feel sorry for you. Being nasty only makes me want to be nasty back.
2. Don't be in the bathroom. Listening to you do "No. 2" (also known as "take a dump"), while I am trying to figure out what that second charge on your credit card is coming from, is not pleasant. It should be noted that this suggestion is aimed exclusively at male customers.
3. Don't be stupid. I have nothing against ignorance, or ignorant customers. It can be cured, and it does not interfere with learning in any way. Not to mention, the ones who don't know anything about computer hardware are more than willing to take my advice or follow my instructions. With the stupid ones, I am lucky if they understand the instructions.
4. Listen to me. I need to give you this information, because it's important. If you install memory backwards it will shorten out and fry your motherboard. I don't want that to happen to it, mainly because when it does you will call back and scream that it was our fault, and that we owe you a motherboard. I'd hate to be the one getting that call.
5. Have your stuff ready. If you call to ask about an order, have the order receipt, or the confirmation email handy to reference. If you want to return or exchange a part, have it there, for reference. If you want to ask about what will work best in your computer, be at your computer, for reference.
Common sense and courtesy, all of it. It's easy, really. Give it a try!
A sad, sad day is finally behind me...
The HD-DVD add-on for our Xbox 360 broke down last night. It has been flaky for some time, but last night it finally gave up. It freezes, in the middle of a movie, and after keeping the image frozen for a few seconds, it crashes to the 360 dashboard, and after that the only thing to do is take out the DVD, close the tray, turn off the console, and reboot it. Put the DVD back in, and hope and pray the movie will play all the way through. It rarely does.
Last night we finally had enough, and called Microsoft to see if they could help us. After all, when the 360 broke down they replaced it for us without arguing, a response we still remembered fondly.
Not so much anymore, not after last night's conversation with Microsoft Tech Support. It seems the HD-DVD add-on is out of warranty since a month, which means we cannot even get it repaired for a fee. This would be fine and understandable, if we didn't buy it on December 17 of 2006. To rephrase slightly, we are stuck with a $200 piece of hardware that failed after four months of playing three or four movies per week.
I will spare you my deep contempt for the insult and bad joke a three-month warranty is. I'd have more respect for a company that would be honest enough to print "we know this product is crap, and we're over-charging you for it anyway" on the first page of the manual.
Given Microsoft's past history of unfinished products, cheap and malfunctioning hardware, not to mention their complete disregard for their customers, it really shouldn't surprise us that they're not going to lift a finger to replace the $200 paperweight with a functioning HD-DVD add-on. That doesn't mean it isn't making us angry though.
So this is what being ripped off feels like. I've been wondering.
Add to the above that the 61-inch 1080p Samsung TV failed this morning, and that the Lakers were being absolutely destroyed in Phoenix tonight, and that my afternoon at work today consisted of being lectured by morons, with shrill voices, on The Proper Way To Run A Company, and tomorrow (or rather the rest of today) cannot come soon enough.
Today's single saving grace was Samsung's response to our phone call: "Well, there's obviously something wrong with the TV, so we'll get that repaired for you."
A repair person from the Local Authorized Service Center showed up in the afternoon, and will order the spare parts and take care of this for us, and then bill Samsung, since the one-year warranty is still in effect. The TV is most likely going to be fixed well before this weekend.
Microsoft, take notes.
Last night we finally had enough, and called Microsoft to see if they could help us. After all, when the 360 broke down they replaced it for us without arguing, a response we still remembered fondly.
Not so much anymore, not after last night's conversation with Microsoft Tech Support. It seems the HD-DVD add-on is out of warranty since a month, which means we cannot even get it repaired for a fee. This would be fine and understandable, if we didn't buy it on December 17 of 2006. To rephrase slightly, we are stuck with a $200 piece of hardware that failed after four months of playing three or four movies per week.
I will spare you my deep contempt for the insult and bad joke a three-month warranty is. I'd have more respect for a company that would be honest enough to print "we know this product is crap, and we're over-charging you for it anyway" on the first page of the manual.
Given Microsoft's past history of unfinished products, cheap and malfunctioning hardware, not to mention their complete disregard for their customers, it really shouldn't surprise us that they're not going to lift a finger to replace the $200 paperweight with a functioning HD-DVD add-on. That doesn't mean it isn't making us angry though.
So this is what being ripped off feels like. I've been wondering.
Add to the above that the 61-inch 1080p Samsung TV failed this morning, and that the Lakers were being absolutely destroyed in Phoenix tonight, and that my afternoon at work today consisted of being lectured by morons, with shrill voices, on The Proper Way To Run A Company, and tomorrow (or rather the rest of today) cannot come soon enough.
Today's single saving grace was Samsung's response to our phone call: "Well, there's obviously something wrong with the TV, so we'll get that repaired for you."
A repair person from the Local Authorized Service Center showed up in the afternoon, and will order the spare parts and take care of this for us, and then bill Samsung, since the one-year warranty is still in effect. The TV is most likely going to be fixed well before this weekend.
Microsoft, take notes.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Mornings
It's Monday morning, and for some reason, this seems to be the most hated time of the week. I doubt Garfield started it, and Office Space really only affirmed and verified it: No one likes Monday mornings.
I'm not entirely sure why. I just don't like any mornings, period. I have a very comfortable bed, with a warm blanket, nice pillow, and an even warmer man that sleeps in the bed with me, and the bedroom is usually cold. Staying in the bed is always preferable to leaving it, be it Monday, weekend, or anywhere in between.
In fact, getting up is easiest at the beginning of the week, before I've become too tired. At least on Monday, some of the weekend energy carries over.
It's still morning though, and I don't like mornings.
I'm not entirely sure why. I just don't like any mornings, period. I have a very comfortable bed, with a warm blanket, nice pillow, and an even warmer man that sleeps in the bed with me, and the bedroom is usually cold. Staying in the bed is always preferable to leaving it, be it Monday, weekend, or anywhere in between.
In fact, getting up is easiest at the beginning of the week, before I've become too tired. At least on Monday, some of the weekend energy carries over.
It's still morning though, and I don't like mornings.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Medieval Tech Support, a.k.a Introducing the Book
Spoken Norwegian, but it has English subtitles, not to mention a beautiful sense of humor. This is clever, imaginative, and hilarious. Well worth a look.
It's not a diet; it's a life style
It is over! The weightloss is done! I can finally relax! I can eat more!
I can eat more!
I can eat brownies, candy, cake, beer, wine, I can... wait, what? I only get 300 calories more per day now?
What the f...!? I'm supposed to get by on these tiny amounts for the rest of my life? I can't have treats again? I have to watch my habits every single day until I drop dead? That's not what I had in mind when I set "drop dead gorgeous" as my goal!
Okay. Fine. I guess going back to my old eating habits will get me back to my old weight. I suppose I will have to accept that. But just in case you're listening, metabolism, THIS IS NO FUN!
I kind of like being fit and healthy and look good though. It's nice. It's fun. It's worth it. It's time consuming. Who am I kidding here?
Yeah, I have a new lifestyle alright. And it seems to consist of working out for a couple of hours every evening and counting everything I eat for the remainder my days.
And smile gratefully and try so hard not to hurt people who tell me that I don't have to watch what I eat, because I don't need to lose weight. I should hope not, as hard as I'm working to avoid ever having to do that again! Now understand that I don't need to gain either, so I'll pass on the 500+ calorie dessert, thanks.
I am maintaining. I am at a steady weight.
Hang on, I'm not. It fluctuates! Why does it fluctuate by 2-3 pounds almost every week? What's going on here?
Oh. It's supposed to do that? Well, how was I supposed to know that the best I can do is stay at a weight range, not one single steady number? And if I'm going to gain three pounds next week anyway why can't I have that brownie and wine?
Someone needs to tell me these things ahead of time!
But at least I'm not gaining weight, right? Right... Hooray. Go me. Go away treats. I'm counting calories. I'm winning.
Why didn't anyone tell me it was so hard to maintain once I had lost the weight? At least when I was losing I could see progress. "Hooray nothing happened today either!" sounds a bit hollow compared to dropping two inches off my waist line in a week.
I am maintaining my weight. I am enjoying the glorious end result of months and months of hard work: Harder work.
I can eat more!
I can eat brownies, candy, cake, beer, wine, I can... wait, what? I only get 300 calories more per day now?
What the f...!? I'm supposed to get by on these tiny amounts for the rest of my life? I can't have treats again? I have to watch my habits every single day until I drop dead? That's not what I had in mind when I set "drop dead gorgeous" as my goal!
Okay. Fine. I guess going back to my old eating habits will get me back to my old weight. I suppose I will have to accept that. But just in case you're listening, metabolism, THIS IS NO FUN!
I kind of like being fit and healthy and look good though. It's nice. It's fun. It's worth it. It's time consuming. Who am I kidding here?
Yeah, I have a new lifestyle alright. And it seems to consist of working out for a couple of hours every evening and counting everything I eat for the remainder my days.
And smile gratefully and try so hard not to hurt people who tell me that I don't have to watch what I eat, because I don't need to lose weight. I should hope not, as hard as I'm working to avoid ever having to do that again! Now understand that I don't need to gain either, so I'll pass on the 500+ calorie dessert, thanks.
I am maintaining. I am at a steady weight.
Hang on, I'm not. It fluctuates! Why does it fluctuate by 2-3 pounds almost every week? What's going on here?
Oh. It's supposed to do that? Well, how was I supposed to know that the best I can do is stay at a weight range, not one single steady number? And if I'm going to gain three pounds next week anyway why can't I have that brownie and wine?
Someone needs to tell me these things ahead of time!
But at least I'm not gaining weight, right? Right... Hooray. Go me. Go away treats. I'm counting calories. I'm winning.
Why didn't anyone tell me it was so hard to maintain once I had lost the weight? At least when I was losing I could see progress. "Hooray nothing happened today either!" sounds a bit hollow compared to dropping two inches off my waist line in a week.
I am maintaining my weight. I am enjoying the glorious end result of months and months of hard work: Harder work.
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