I do not have the right temperment for tech support

[odditycollector]

 
"I've been using Yahoo since I got my first computer. And I like Yahoo, it seems to go everywhere, but now my son is talking about this new thing. He says it's better. It's called something like... Firefox? So what do you like better, Firefox or Yahoo?"

HOW DO YOU EVEN ANSWER THAT QUESTION YOU GUYS.

 
(For the record, I went with,
*stammering explanation of why my face has just twisted into a funny expression*
*silence*
"You know, I think if you can get on the internet now, you are obviously doing something right and should keep on doing *exactly that same thing*!"

Comments

[brownbetty]

You've been talking to my Grandma!

My dead Grandma, actually, so whatever you're doing, it could be very lucrative!

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

Man. Ghosts in the tech support lines. There is a concept that should fill me with more surprise than it does...

[brownbetty]

Actually, if, as does not seem entirely unlikely, I die while on hold with tech support, the most likely outcome seems to me that I will then haunt their call center attempting to discover why I cannot get the wireless router to work.

[vagabondsal.livejournal.com]

Poooooooossibly she means the Yahoo! browser that comes with the service installation bundle? Umm. Still. That's...special, that is.

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

I gathered it was IE with Yahoo as the homepage? But my brain was expecting "Google" at the end of his trying to remember what it was called, and I totally did the mental equivalent of missing the last step and faceplanting into the carpet.

How am I going to explain the mental carpetburn on my nose?!

[marag.livejournal.com]

That sounds like my FIL, actually. ::headdesk:: I have tried to answer similar questions many times and I've generally found "DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING" with lots of flaily hands to be the best answer. Change is bad. Change leads to more stupid questions. Trust me.

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

I trust you totally!

Although, depending on who asks, you can get years of amusement out of some of the stupid questions. *thinks back fondly* Yeah. Probably not worth it.

[estara.livejournal.com]

Change is bad is very true, but sometimes the pc breaks down and then you have to get a new one with a new OS, like say... Windows XP instead of Windows 98 - and then there is lots of confusion to be had...

*had to do that for her parents*

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

Yeah. My relations have to go *through* me to get Windows Vista.

[estara.livejournal.com]

I'm never going to use Vista, definitely. And in any case since I'm the only one in the family available to actually do crisis management on my parents's pc their OS better be the one I actually know how to use.

[dine.livejournal.com]

that caller was *totally* channeling my mother! or possibly was my mother - either way, I pity you

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

Well, it was actually just relations. I would totally suck at doing tech support for reals! The patience, it is not strong with this one.

[badgerbag.livejournal.com]

Wait, you know my in-laws too????!

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

Wow, hey then. I think we are in fact *related*! :o

[jkarabella.livejournal.com]

Well that does top the guy who downloaded the software at my old work six times before I explained you have to double click on the file to run it... but it still doesn't top the guy who came in to live chat with:

"Please help me!
I need to connect to the Internet.
I don't know how."

Unfortunately, it's a universal phenomena (http://apina.biz/8813.jpg).

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

Hee. I think this where I break out my "I'm done typing on this line now. I want to start typing on a new line. Can you do that in a word processor?" story.

And I have never even BEEN in tech support!

[thegameiam.livejournal.com]

That was exactly the right answer. Just throw in a "series of tubes" and you're set!

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

I don't know about these "tubes". My internet runs on magic. And ritualistic swearing.

[thegameiam.livejournal.com]

Do you have the Internet which goes "ping!"?

[count-fenring.livejournal.com]

Start railing about how "It was better before you had to choose between the DOS and the Windows."

All while slowly edging for the door.

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

I was boxed in. There was no escaping!