Unrealistic expectations

[An Haddock]

I hate customers like this.


Older (60s or so) guy brings in a Dell desktop - good cosmetic condition, Windows 7. About 4 years old so probably worth fixing. Sounds like his HD is going bad.

"Can I get this back today?"
"I doubt it... it takes a couple of hours to test a hard drive."
"Can you make that go any faster?"
(Dude - really?)
"No - it's the software we use to test hard drives. There's no way to increase how fast it runs. It depends on the size of the hard drive how long it takes."

So fortunately for this guy it sounds like his data is backed up with an online Norton utility. However:

"Does that include the programs?"
"I doubt it. You can't copy software like that. Technically they could back up the files but if you downloaded it back to your computer it wouldn't work."

Finally get that through his head. Guy leaves, start testing the HD. Five minutes later the big red screen of death comes up - definitely a bad drive.


Of course, the guy has such a hard-on to get his computer back quickly (why, I really don't know - I didn't bother to ask) so he calls me before I have a chance to call him.

Tell him the cost for getting the drive replaced.

"Can you give me a $20 discount?"
"Um... why?"
"I was there before to get the power supply replaced."
(he was - a year and a half ago)
"You've only been here once before. If you were a steady customer and you came in regularly for maintenance maybe."

He sort of mutters a bit about cost
"Can I get ten dollars off?"

I mention that we're about half the price of the Geek Squad, which is true, and encourage him to take it somewhere else if he wants to price out the cost of drive replacement.

"How do I get my data back from Norton?"
"When you get the computer back you sign into your Norton account and that should let you download your software and restore your data. They should be able to help you with that if you have questions."
"And I can't download my programs?"
(cue broken record mode)
"No... like I said, I doubt Norton would back up program files and even if it did, the software wouldn't work once you downloaded it again. You'll have to find any disks you have to reload the software."

I definitely don't want this guy to expect we're going to do it for him... and if we are we're charging him for it. It already sounds like he's too cheap for that route. Let Norton's techs deal with his horseshit.


I was pretty much all but saying "Please take it somewhere else." but the guy finally gave us the go-ahead. I told him hopefully tomorrow afternoon to get the system done.

He said he'd call us tomorrow. I held my tongue, but I really wanted to say "Don't bother. We'll call you."

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

This problem is an absolute PLAGUE in the wireless industry.

I get customers all the time who think:

1) They should get 5 bar LTE even in a valley in the middle of freaking nowhere.

2) Cell phones should never drop calls. EVER.

3) Our network is NEVER fast enough because God forbid it take 30 seconds to load a youtube video (yes, this was an actual complaint I got once).

4) Smartphones are apparently supposed to have the greatest batteries EVER that can go NINE days without a charge! I had a guy awhile back wanting a free phone because he had to charge his once a week.

5) NO, all your data can't be backed up to a SIM card.

6) NO, merely activating a new phone does not automatically transfer over all your stuff from the previous phone.

7) NO, your contacts and other data don't automatically back themselves up unless you set it up that way.

8) NO, just because a phone has GPS I can't tell you PRECISELY where it is at that moment.

9) NO, having four dropped calls in a month does not constitute a "major network outage" that you deserve compensation for.

10) NO, your iphone can't do everything your Android device did. Get over it.

11) NO, I don't have super fast shipping available that can get you a phone in three hours.

12) NO, five minutes is NOT too long to spend troubleshooting an issue.

13) All phones and tablets are NOT free and if they ARE free, they come with strings attached. We're not just going to give you a $600+ device for Free and I don't care what "the guy at the store" said.

14) Bluetooth doesn't always work. DEAL WITH IT.

15) I am NOT your internet provider. Threatening to punch, kick, choke or otherwise inflict physical harm on me when all the other crap on your phone is working and wi-fi isn't will get you absolutely NOWHERE. Wifi has NOTHING to do with <Red Checkmark>, you need to take it up with your ISP or your phone manufacturer.

[Catwoman2965]

This problem is an absolute PLAGUE in the wireless industry.

I get customers all the time who think:



13) All phones and tablets are NOT free and if they ARE free, they come with strings attached. We're not just going to give you a $600+ device for Free and I don't care what "the guy at the store" said.

This one makes me laugh. I recently came back to your company, albeit, grudgingly. I've had issues which is why I left. That being said, the new plans that were rolled out work better for me, cost-wise. Esp since I am not the type to get a new phone every time one comes out, so while I have to pay full price for it, I'll keep it until it dies, which, given the little I actually use it, could be a long time! And once i pay it off, my monthly bill will be about what I paid for my former, prepaid, no contract smartphone.

What makes me laugh is the number of people who were on the old plans, where the phone was subsidized, but actually paid more in service plan costs, and don't get that that is the reason why the phone was so cheap. I'd much rather pay full price for my phone, disclosed, and less per month, than the other way. As you said, nothing is free, and if it IS, then there are strings.

[An Haddock]

Ugh. I can sympathize.

Most people don't have the audacity to ask for a discount. If they do, it usually means they infrequent customers that we could afford to lose.

I don't know why they think we can just wave a magic wand and fix their computer. When I tell them the Geek Squad usually takes about two weeks to fix a computer it blows their minds.

[ML2000]

Backing up programs.... That makes me cringe. We have a policy to tell the customer when doing ANY kind of data backup/transfer or a reimage that programs cant be transferred. Most give you a blank look and start asking "What bout word, I only need word?", etc.

The shear number of times I've had someone call back in saying they cant open their documents and don't know where their Office CD is is astounding.

[EvilEmpryss]

If the guy wants it done immediately, he can always learn to do it himself. The internet is full very good instructions for one to follow.

And when he screws it up, you can charge even more for salvaging his mess.

[otakuneko]

Well if they used drive-imaging backup (such as Acronis True Image, Clonezilla, Macrium Reflect, etc) it wouldn't be such a problem. Some even support restoring a disk image to different hardware. I have never tried that, though.

For me, though... two words: portable apps. Hearkening back to the good ol' days, these buggers keep all data within the program's folder, making it easy* to fling them around willy-nilly and still have them run properly. My reliance on these has meant I could resume almost where I left off if I switch computers.

*albeit slow, as many, especially browsers and email clients, create dozens and dozens of small files which most file transfer protocols are terribly slow at handling.

[RealUnimportant]

Back when I still used a PC, my backups always included a snapshot of any related registry keys so that I could just copy everything back where it needed to be, then add the required keys rather than sit through a whole cycle of installing & reupdating everything. Took a bit more time to create, but saved me so much time in the long run!

[An Haddock]

The shear number of times I've had someone call back in saying they cant open their documents and don't know where their Office CD is is astounding.

Happened to me more times than I can count. I also love the people who put their laptops through the ringer to the point that their Windows keycode is rubbed off the COA label. At least Dell got smart and started putting it under their batteries where it wouldn't get as much wear and tear. It's one thing to replace a hard drive, but when someone has to spend another hundred bucks on a new keycode because of their own ignorance, they don't usually want to spend the extra money.

I guess it's irrelevent now... Windows 8 and 10 computers don't usually come with COA labels, although that opens up a whole new can of beans if you have to replace a motherboard.

If the guy wants it done immediately, he can always learn to do it himself. The internet is full very good instructions for one to follow.

And when he screws it up, you can charge even more for salvaging his mess.

We do actually have a "rush" charge we can add on for top-priority service (some businesses or work-at-home people will take us up on it) but this guy was way too cheap to pay for anything extra.

Well if they used drive-imaging backup (such as Acronis True Image, Clonezilla, Macrium Reflect, etc) it wouldn't be such a problem. Some even support restoring a disk image to different hardware. I have never tried that, though.

A lot of people just don't understand the concept or the value of doing that. When I build a new computer for myself, after installing the OS, updates and my programs, I do a Clonezilla image of my drive and keep the spare hard drive in our safe. Most people don't want to invest $150 for a backup hard drive that's all ready to go. I guess I can understand if they're casual users (i.e. Facebook and email only) but we have a few businesses or clients who use a lot of programs that took us up on it.

[Gilhelmi]

10) NO, your iphone can't do everything your Android device did. Get over it.

HAHAHAHA*sniff* BUHAHHAHAHAHAHAAH. OK, caught my breath. HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH.

must *chuckle* stop *chuckle* laughing. Breath in, OK

Sorry, but I do find that hilarious. I have meet too many Iphone users who swear to me their glorious piece of technology is superior to all others. I of course know better, but even holding proof in my hands, I can not convince them that water is wet.

[ComputerNecromancer]

Me, I take photos of the Windows key sticker (or if it's on a sufficiently light and portable part of the computer, I scan it in the scanner.

Then I make sure the image is legible. After that I type it into a plain text file that has the computer name, the windows version and the key.

For all the stuff that can be installed from something other than a CD, I have the install files (and any required registration keys) saved into a folder on a NAs drive.

More specificly:
[drive]/software/windows/[type of software]/[program name]/

And that drive is backed up frequently to another drive and occasionally to a third one.

I keep the CDs for stuff that won't (or won't easily) install from there in a safe place and make copies (I bought a CD duplicator a *long* time ago, It's very useful). DVDs are a bit more hassle to duplicate, but not that bad.

I also have a main system and several older ones with most of the stuff I really need one them. And both the main system and the secondary one have a removable drive rack withe a drive identical to the main drive that stuff gets backed up to.

Last time a system died, I pulled the backup drive, stuck it in the secondary box, and copied all the data that I needed over. The few programs that weren't installed in that box didn't take that long to install. And I was back up running again in a few hours.

All the computers that aren't normally running get fired up once a month to get MS's updates.

The three that are on all the time (primary, secondary, and a media server box) get updates when they come out (well, when the update notification shows up on the screen, I don't *ever* let something update without my input. Had a few really bad experiences with that)

[wolfie]

I get customers all the time who think:

1) They should get 5 bar LTE even in a valley in the middle of freaking nowhere.the Wireless Free Zone in West Virginia

Fixed that for you. Yes, there's a place in the U.S. where there are no cellphone towers not because there aren't enough customers to support them, but because radio transmitters of all kinds are forbidden in order to prevent interference with a radio telescope.

[HawaiianShirts]

Most give you a blank look and start asking "What bout word, I only need word?"

Which, if my experience is accurate, actually means, "I need Windows."

While I can understand the confusion, it got really tiring having to explain over and over again the difference between an operating system and a productivity suite, mostly because hardly any of my customers understood it with fewer than three explanation attempts. Windows is not Office!

[EricKei]

I guess it's irrelevent now... Windows 8 and 10 computers don't usually come with COA labels, although that opens up a whole new can of beans if you have to replace a motherboard.

Ayyyup -- especially on 10 (via the free upgrade from 7/8), I would presume. When you 'reserve' your copy via the system tray applet, it takes a "snapshot" of your system config and motherboard info. When you later upgrade -- and this includes a clean install -- it just phones home to make sure the hardware is a match; if it is, it will simply auto-activate Win10 and it should never ask you for a keycode at all.

[An Haddock]

Which, if my experience is accurate, actually means, "I need Windows."

While I can understand the confusion, it got really tiring having to explain over and over again the difference between an operating system and a productivity suite, mostly because hardly any of my customers understood it with fewer than three explanation attempts. Windows is not Office!

Had that conversation more times than I care to remember.

Also:
"My computer came with Office! If you replace my hard drive I'll have Office again, right?"

"Do you have the installation software?"

"A who to the what now?"

"*EPIC SIGH*"