Why do tech support people assume you're an idiot?!??!

@reinydawn (11643)
United States
February 15, 2008 6:33am CST
I was soooo mad last night I could spit! Sorry, there's no "Reader's Digest" version for this, it's a long one... I have FIOS internet/TV/phone. My 2 computers are connected wirelessly and I also have a printer/fax/copier, an Xbox and a VIOP phone hard-wired into the router. A couple weeks ago, my son said his Xbox wasn't working. Well, that wasn't really a priority for me, so I didn't pay attention. This was shortly after I had upgraded the memory in my computer, but I knew they weren't related. Last week I realized my all-in-one wasn't working. That's happened before and I've had to reinstall the software and it works. Well, it didn't, but again, not a huge priority, so I was just casually looking into it. Then Tuesday we realized our VIOP phone was not working. It's a business line and we thought it unusual that we hadn't gotten any calls, but that happens so we hadn't been concerned. Until we went to call someone and got dead silence on the line. Now, THAT was a priority - I called the voicemail and retrieved our messages that we weren't getting (YEAH! we have business!!!) and then got with tech support for the phone to see what the heck was wrong. Oh, I should mention that I don't call tech support until I've done EVERYTHING I can find on the web/manuals for troubleshooting. They tried all kinds of things (that I've already tried) and the guy was really stumped, then it hit me that everything that's hard-wired into the router is not working. It's not the phone service or my phone, it's the router! I tried to fix it myself using the ISP's support page, but go nowhere. So, last night I call my ISP to tell them the router is broken. After I talk to that stupid machine lady that has to ask a million times "Do you mean '_____'?" I got to a real live person. I was better off with the machine lady!!!! I first explain that my wireless connection is working fine, but the 3 things I have hard-wired into the router are not communicating with anything else. Mr. Tech Support is very quick to say "Sorry, we don't support anything but computers connecting to the Internet, you're going to have to call tech support for the companies of the 3 things that are not working." um... WRONG ANSWER! So I tell him, if I hard-wire a computer into the router can you fix it then? "Oh, sure, we can do that." So I move a wire around and plug in a computer. He hooks into my computer to check the settings and try to talk to the router. Well, I have this "bridge" thing that's part of the VIOP phone (not through my ISP) and guess what??? "Oh, we don't support bridge connections, you're going to have to call a computer networking person." um... WRONG ANSWER! I told him that I'll hook it up to ANOTHER computer so he can see that the router is broken and they need to send me a new one. He goes, "Ma'am, I seriously doubt there's a problem with the router." And I ask him again if I plug it into another computer that doesn't have this bridge thing can he continue to try to hook up to my router. He finally agrees, I move this wire all over the place - fortunately the computers/router are in the same room and this cable is VERY long. So, I plug in the other computer, he tries to see the router and can't - and he was shocked! He asks if I've reset the password and I tell him that I did reset the router like the on-line support site told me to. He asks if I hit the reset button on the back? um... Isn't that "resetting" the router??? I was NOT happy by this point. So he says, hit the reset button for about 30 seconds. I count out loud to 30 while I've got a pen jabbed into the back of the router. When I'm done he says - is the green power light back on. When I tell him it never went out, nothing all all happened differently, he asks if I pushed the thing all they way in. I pushed it as far as it would go, I guess that's all the way in - I told him that exactly to. So, Mr. Super-Intelligent Tech Support goes "Oh, your router must be broken, we'll send you a new one since it's under warranty. It'll be there Monday." Really? My router is broken??? Who'da thunk it??? WOW, I had a genius in the making on the line! So (no, this story is far from over), we figure we're going to deal with it a couple more days, at least we know what's going on now. We're getting back to normal and my husband sits down at his computer and sees that there's a survey that comes up when you're done with tech support. OOOHHH, this is gonna be fun!!! My husband starts to click all the Satisfactory buttons and I about rip his head off! I am NOT putting satisfactory - except one thing, the technology used to help solve the computer problem, that was ok. But, my mom always said "If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all" and although I should have reported that I had a bad experience so they can improve it, I would have been very mean and I just wasn't in the mood for that, so I closed the browser window. Next thing we know - and this is like 10 minutes later, we have no internet connection. The lights on my router are off - except 2 for the things that are hard-wired (they've always been on but not working). I have no power light, no internet light, no wireless light. If I had called tech support last night, I'm sure they would have cancelled my service, so I called them this morning. By this time the power light is RED and the internet light is orange. The tech support guy this morning says "Wow, it really did short-circuit on you." Then he tells me the replacement has already been ordered, but I can get back on the internet by plugging the wire from the wall directly into the computer. It probably wont reach, so it's plugged into my way old router (I mean like 10 years old) and then I've got the other long wire coming into my husbands computer. So, at least I have 1 computer hooked up to the internet - it's the slower one, but it's better than nothing! I would have been much happier if that first moron had listened to me and just shipped the darn thing out from the get-go. Now, I realize that not everyone has built their own computers, taken many computer programming classes and all that, but why do they have to treat you like you know absolutely NOTHING about computers when you've already expressed to them that you have? I mean, when the first guy tried to get to the router, he could see that I'd already typed the IP address into the web browser. Does that reek of "stupid lady that has no clue about computers?" ARGH!!! Thanks for letting me vent!!!
2 people like this
5 responses
• United States
17 Feb 08
I think no matter what you mom taught you you should have been truthful and put bad marks on IT survery. How do they change if they do not know there is a problem? I worked as a supervisor in a Sleep Lab I worked days and we ran 24 hours a day. If I did not get feed back from patients about my night shift how would I know what was going on? How would I get anything changed? I took it as a learning opertunity for all. I do not know all that you where talking about with the computer and the router. I do know it is furstrating when you talk to someone on the phone that does not listen to you or they treat you like a fool. I hope your router does come on Monday. Good luck with your computer wowes.
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
18 Feb 08
I know there's no way for them to improve if you don't let them know when they're doing bad (or good) and I will find a way to get it reported. I was just so frustrated that I knew it would have been worse than it should have been. Especially because the internet would have gone totally out before I finished the survey. I am so looking forward to tomorrow!!! I haven't been able to print easily. I have to put it on a disk, then go to my other computer and print it out. Sometimes I feel so pathetic because I rely so heavily on the computer.
• United States
15 Feb 08
Because they're Indian. PRAISE ALLAH!!! *insert gurgling here*
1 person likes this
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
16 Feb 08
Beleive it or not, that wasn't this case - this time. When that happens I just say "thanks" and call back during the day. The outsourcing is usually only at night.
@GardenGerty (157027)
• United States
15 Feb 08
Reiney, I will not go into details other than to say it happens in every field. I have had it with mechanics and shops. I have even had people shocked that I know how to open my own hood when they could not do it. It is still the same feeling. "We do not believer you have an intelligent bone in your body, you are a woman and that is all it takes to become stupid." Hope things get better soon.
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
16 Feb 08
You know what's so funny? I thought about the whole I'm a woman so I must not know where the on button is thing... If I had given the phone to my husband to call, he would not have even been able to tell them what the problem was in the first place and we'd be calling the "other manufacturers" to see why their stuff isn't working. My husband has absolutely NO CLUE about computers and can barely turn his on and off.
@terri0824 (4991)
• United States
15 Feb 08
I have had these types of experiences before. One thing you didn't mention was that usually tech support are from India, that have a hard time communicating in English. My DVD/CD player hasn't worked on my PC for 3-4 months, and I have put it off calling, because I haven't had the time to be on the phone line like that to get it figured out.
1 person likes this
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
16 Feb 08
One of my co-workers had mentioned this too and that was SO not an issue (this time). There was absolutely no language barrier - I didn't even detect a southern drawl. This guy coulda been living right next door. Nope, this was just another condescending American.
• Ireland
15 Feb 08
I'm not gonna read all of that..I don't think many people will but from your title alone i can relate to you in a way..some tech people with great technical prowess are very vain in their own technical way..they are cocky fools who laugh at any techno suggestion you make and merely dismiss your opinons.. They are using their technical prowess to substitute for their lack of romance...these geeks are so worried and afraid of how they can't obtain a woman..they use to their technical prowess to help them forget it and make them feel better about them selves.....Err..
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
16 Feb 08
hmmm.... so I must fall in that category of "lots of friends and great romance life" because when I help my clients out with their issues I actually "help" them instead of impressing them with what I know??? Interesting concept... All day yesterday I was playing the tech support role with my clients who were having issues and with one of them I had to try 3 different approaches before we got what they needed. If I had told any of them - sorry, ya gotta call someone else because I just do taxes - we'd be short a few clients this year!