What Is The Dumbest Thing You Have Heard From A Professional Trying To Help You?

LOL! That is a good one, too. I think that people just can't comprehend that some people do not have access to the Internet, for whatever reason, because to them it would be like not having a television (which, by the way, also doesn't work when the power is out - lol!).

If I called for computer help and someone asked me if my computer was plugged in ... well, let us just say it would be a good thing I was on the phone and not within arms reach of the person. Then again, I could say "no" and have it be a legitimate answer, since I am now on a laptop. I think that scripted help is stupid, First, if you can't hire someone competent enough to be able to assess the situation and figure out what questions to ask, then maybe you should increase the salary you are paying to attract more competent workers. Second, not every situation is the same, so you can't possibly stick to a script but rather you need to be able to listen to the problem and answers and go from there. Third, there is no one "fix all" answer to every problem, so you need to be able to think for yourself. Fourth, refer back to my first point.

@DaddyEvil Wow, that must have been quite an experience! I think I would have been in panic mode if I had FBI agents at my door! They probably would have arrested me thinking me guilty of something just because I would have been so nervous that I would have seemed either guilt or a complete dolt.

@purplealabaster You have some very valid points there, PA! (I am not saying I condone those companies for setting up a script for their people to walk customers through, but the script actually can help with many problems encountered by the customers in question.) When I am trying to help someone with a computer or phone problem, I do have a list of questions I ask each person so I can "tune in" to the problems they are experiencing with replies I use most of the time to elicit more specific information. If none of the standard replies work, then I will start looking into the odd nooks and crannies trying to find something that will work. The one time I did call Microsoft for assistance with a problem I experienced, I was new to the tech world and ended up with a response from the tech that was definitely NOT what I was expecting! That happened shortly after 9-11. The tech listened to my problem, ask me to insert a disk that had language translations on it and then his supervisor told me to shut down my pc and wait for the help they were sending to me. The next day I came home from work and found two FBI agents on my front porch. They removed the hard drives from my pc and Pretty's pc, replace them with new hard drives and showed me how to set up protections on our pcs. That was an experience to remember! LOL! It started me on the road to understanding new tech that I am still following today! (If I haven't told you that story before and you'd like to hear it, just tell me. It was very interesting!)

You might be right about them having a "script" that they go through, since it is a large company with a huge consumer base. I know that this isn't the case with all Helpdesk personnel, though, because I answered Helpdesk questions for a while. The agency that I worked for was small, so we all had to preform numerous duties. I actually helped develop the software and worked with the data that the consumers were returning. Therefore, I knew what I was talking about when I answered Helpdesk questions. I guess I just expected the same level of support from a major corporation.

Why couldn't his girlfriend leave with all his money if he was old? I think that the daughter eloping would actually be more traumatic if he (and his daughter) was young.

@vandana7 Awww shucks. You are great, too, Vandy! If the guy is retired, he could still have a lot of money. Rich people do retire, you know, and some even retire younger to enjoy their money. On the other hand, there are some people who work into their seventies and eighties and possibly even nineties, so maybe he is not retired but rather out looking for a new girlfriend, which made the current one mad and that is the reason she left him and took all his money.

@purplealabaster .. Well, that is a probability. But then he would be retired...right? Now...why didn't I think of second possibility...SMH.. PA you are great...

Alright, so now modems have a learning curve and need to adjust to a new environment. It sounds like he was talking about a toddler rather than a modem ... maybe he was a babysitter at his other job and got the two jobs confused.

@Bluedoll It sounds like that guy needed the Artificial Intelligence more than the electronic devices do. Yes, it can take time for a new device to boot-up and "find" the right connection, etc., but making them sound human is a little much.

@purplealabaster ha ha ha maybe. lol That guy was way off the mark but I found out later there is some truth to it in some devices if they collect data for processing. Do they learn? That might be stretching the truth. It might also be the new buzz word to use to get rid of the customer for the lazy service worker.