Be cautious of tech support
Oct 13, 2021 13:33:48 #
StevenG wrote:
Turned it off, then on, double checked all settings and pressed print, and lo and behold, it worked!
You must have watched the IT Crowd on Netflix to know to do that.
Oct 13, 2021 13:49:26 #
StevenG wrote:
But the point is, at least for now, the tech was very wrong. Be cautious of tech support!
"Very wrong" is a bit harsh judgement I think. The support technician can only go by the information that you are giving over the phone. The technician is unable to open up the printer and examine the components. Nor can he ask the caller to start disassembling the printer to look inside and describe what's going on. If the standard tech support steps fail to fix the problem, then the tech support person has no other choice than to recommend either bringing the printer to a service center, or simply buying a new printer. Or do you see any another option? I think you are expecting too much from an over-the-phone diagnosis of what may be a mechanical, electrical or software issue. In the end, you still don't know why it didn't work or if it will happen again.
Oct 13, 2021 13:56:08 #
Schoee
Loc: Europe
Thomas902 wrote:
"... the tech was very wrong..." Really?... (show quote)
I always read your comments because they are invariably intelligent and relevant. Thank you for your considered input on a regular basis.
Oct 13, 2021 14:29:14 #
My experience with tech support, HP, Microsoft, Adobe, is that I'm better off googling the problem or searching for it on youtube, and fixing it myself. It seemed to me most of the people in tech support are just following a script and have very little experience with hardware and software trouble shooting anything complicated.
Not all, but many customer service reps I have encountered are also just following a script and have very little latitude to actually diagnose or understand any sort of complicated problem. So you ask to speak to a supervisor, or get transferred to a more experienced person, who, if you are lucky, by your third or fourth or fifth attempt, and lots of minutes on musical hold, will actually help you.
Not all, but many customer service reps I have encountered are also just following a script and have very little latitude to actually diagnose or understand any sort of complicated problem. So you ask to speak to a supervisor, or get transferred to a more experienced person, who, if you are lucky, by your third or fourth or fifth attempt, and lots of minutes on musical hold, will actually help you.
Oct 13, 2021 14:30:00 #
burkphoto wrote:
IT jargon - PEBKAC - Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair!Nailed it.
I have some funny stories about tech support. Unfortunately, most of them resulted in embarrassing **user education.**
I have some funny stories about tech support. Unfortunately, most of them resulted in embarrassing **user education.**
Oct 13, 2021 15:19:26 #
BBurns wrote:
IT jargon - PEBKAC - Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair!
Yep. It never ceases to amaze me... Folks will spend $5K or more on a camera and lenses, computer and software, and toss the manuals. AS IF, "You press the button, we do the rest," applies to sophisticated, computerized optical equipment.
I had a friend in college (1975) who bought a Nikon FTn like mine. He kept coming to me with each roll of processed slides, wondering what he did wrong. He was getting only a couple or three "happy accidents" per roll of K64. I must have spent days showing the guy how to meter, focus, compose, and explaining how and why to manipulate the variables. He was a sharp guy... until it came to technology. There, he was mostly clueless. I think by the Fall of 1976, he had sold the kit to someone in his hometown.
Oct 13, 2021 15:25:08 #
burkphoto wrote:
Yep. It never ceases to amaze me... Folks will spe... (show quote)
I had the same problem as your friend. Got tired of paying hundreds of dollars for film and processing to get two or three good pics per roll. I gave up photography for years until digital came around. Now I'm happy with two or three good shots for a session because none of the shots cost me anything.
Oct 13, 2021 16:10:28 #
Oct 13, 2021 17:29:52 #
pand1011
Loc: Oklahoma
I have a problem with apple 1. every time you call in with the same problem they send you to a bottom line tech every time. I called Sunday because for about 6 months my iMac 27 5k would not recognize the backup hard drive 8Tb. The tech stayed on the phone for 2 hours telling me to try the same things that the other techs had told me. Being a visually impaired veteran I thanked her and hung up. So later on I brought up finder then presences and then I had a family member come in and see if the box for external drives was checked. They put a check mark in the box and now the computer see's my external hard drive.
pand101
pand101
Oct 13, 2021 20:36:40 #
pand1011 wrote:
I have a problem with apple 1. every time you call... (show quote)
I’m an advanced Mac user. When I call Apple, I have a really tough issue. I just ask nicely for the next level support if I don’t get an immediate solution. It usually works…
The last time I called, I opened a support ticket and called back three times on that same ticket number. Third time, I got a manager who immediately knew what to ask me, and located the solution in five minutes.
Oct 13, 2021 21:19:24 #
StevenG
Loc: Long Island, NY
burkphoto wrote:
Is it plugged into a WORKING outlet that is not on a switch?
Is it turned on?
Did you power it down completely, wait a minute, then restart it?
Are all *peripheral devices* connected and powered on? Did you “power cycle” them? (See above.)
Did you check all cables, connectors, and connections?
You would be shocked at the percentages of support calls resolved by these questions…
Is it turned on?
Did you power it down completely, wait a minute, then restart it?
Are all *peripheral devices* connected and powered on? Did you “power cycle” them? (See above.)
Did you check all cables, connectors, and connections?
You would be shocked at the percentages of support calls resolved by these questions…
Yep!
Oct 13, 2021 21:48:49 #
dwmoar
Loc: Oregon, Willamette Valley
Bobspez wrote:
I had the same problem as your friend. Got tired of paying hundreds of dollars for film and processing to get two or three good pics per roll. I gave up photography for years until digital came around. Now I'm happy with two or three good shots for a session because none of the shots cost me anything.
[rant]
Why is it that everyone says "it cost me nothing" Of course it costs something, you bought the camera, the lens, batteries, memory card didn't you? Sure it might not cost the same as buying the film and having it developed and printed, to shoot the images, but it still cost you something. And how about all the time you waste shooting images for the two or three you happen to claim your happy with.
If you said it cost me less then, that is one thing, but to claim it cost nothing is a flat out lie at best.
[/rant]
Oct 13, 2021 21:57:55 #
Oct 13, 2021 22:14:08 #
dwmoar wrote:
rant br Why is it that everyone says i b "... (show quote)
I was just counting the cost of film and processing because I count the cost of equipment as a wash. I've got two 35mm film cameras and a medium format film camera sitting unused in my closet for years. To me the greatest cost besides money was waiting days for results, just to be disappointed over and over again. With digital I just keep shooting until I get some keepers.
I've recently bought a thin, gold plated, 17 jewel Swiss, pre WWII wind up wristwatch on ebay that I love. I think it's better than any modern watch I could buy. I've got several 1950's Leitz microscopes that I think are superior to any modern microscopes I could buy. But my vintage film bodies are pretty much useless to me, although I do use the old film lenses, such as the Nikkor 50mm f1.4, which I think are still exceptionally good on my digital cameras.
Oct 14, 2021 15:27:18 #
StevenG wrote:
Hopefully the techs know what questions to ask. Unfortunately, they usually work from a script and don’t deviate.
Also, hopefully the techs have sufficient command of the English language, being that parent companies are fond of outsourcing their customer service to somewhere near the far end of the world. . . .
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