"Reset my wifi password!"

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Now you might be a little confused by the title. After all it's not an uncommon request...for a computer tech support person.

In phone land though, it's a whole different beast....

Password Punishment

Me: Thank you for calling <red checkmark>, how can I help you?
SC: I forgot my wifi password and I need you to reset it! I can't play my games!
Me: Was this a password you chose or one we set?
SC: Huh?
Me: <facepalm> Is this a password we gave you or one you picked yourself?
SC: I don't know!
Me: (Help me...) Ok, well wifi passwords are related to the router. The only way to reset one is by accessing the router.
SC: Fine, go ahead, do whatever you gotta do.
Me: I think you misunderstand, I can't access your router.
SC: Huh?
Me: I have no way to access your router, I only work with phones here.
SC: Well, you people did it for me before!
(at this point a light bulb goes on in my head. She might have <red checkmark>internet service, which if true would mean we might have actually done this for her before)
Me: Do you have <red checkmark> internet service?
SC: No, Charter! I got Charter!
Me: In that case, you will have to talk to Charter to get your password reset.
SC: But it's not working on my phone, you're the phone people!
Me: Yes we are, but the source of the problem is not your phone, it's the wireless router attached to your computer. We have no way to reset it from here.
SC: But you did it before!
Me: We can do several different types of password resets here but that is not one of them.
SC: Why is this so hard? Just reset my password!
Me: I would be happy to but I have no way to do it, we are not your internet company.
SC: But you did it before!
Me: I'm not sure what exactly we did for you before but it was not reset your wifi password. We here at <red checkmark> have no access to Charter's systems, which is what would be needed to reset your password.
SC: So you won't help me?
Me: I would if I could, but I am not your internet company. You need to contact them.
SC: Fine, I'll just call back later and maybe talk to someone who knows what they're doing. *click*

Who does this?

I start in on a call, and while I am asking the initial questions I distinctly hear "on hold" prompts from a well known car rental company. I assume someone else in the room with my customer is trying to contact them. I just finish up with the initial questions and barely get out my "I'll be able to help with that" when suddenly I hear a rep from the car rental company replace the hold music I was hearing and then...

SC: Oh, you know what? I have to take this, I'll have to call back later. Sorry. *click*

Seriously?

Who calls two companies AT ONCE like that??

[CyberLurch]

I know the strategy. You call one company, you're placed in a queue. The assumption by the caller is that it might be a long time, so make another call..... theoretically, you're getting more done while you're waiting on hold. Still kinda of diskish, though.

[MoonCat]

That's when it's GUARANTEED that you will get through to one of the companies' reps while the other one is still on the phone with you.

[emax4]

That's when you hang up from the theory that you can only waste one person's time.

[IvorTangrean]

You know what, the company I work for has small stores and big stores in my city. I work for a big one and I hate calling the little ones as they never seem to pick up a call once it goes to the hold music so often when I have to call them I use two phones, one to stay on hold and one to keep redialing.

[Ghel]

The first call reminds me of something that happened to me about a week ago.

[BG] My hubby and I run a small wifi support company for 2 local hotels. It runs well, so we only get a handful of calls a month. [/BG]

The phone rings. I pick it up.

Me: Wifi Support, this is Ghel. How can I help you?
Caller: My laptop isn't connecting to the wifi.
Me: Ok. Which hotel are you staying at?
Caller: I'm not at a hotel. I'm at home.
Me: I'm sorry, I can't help you.
Caller: But this is the number they gave me.
Me: We only support 2 hotels in <city>. If you're not staying at one of them, I can't help you.
Caller: Oh. I'll have to call <ISP>, then.
Me: Good luck. Bye!

The only way the caller could have gotten our number is from the front desk or table tents at one of the 2 hotels. I don't even want to think about the thought process that led her to call us for help with her wifi at home.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

The only way the caller could have gotten our number is from the front desk or table tents at one of the 2 hotels. I don't even want to think about the thought process that led her to call us for help with her wifi at home.

That sounds like the same people who call the cable company if they lose electric b/c they don't have any tv.

[vikingchyk]

The only way the caller could have gotten our number is from the front desk or table tents at one of the 2 hotels. I don't even want to think about the thought process that led her to call us for help with her wifi at home.

On the way to the airport on Monday, we started to run into a bit of traffic. My father-in-law told my MiL that she should look up the traffic on her iPad.
MiL : "I can't, it only has wifi"
FiL : "So use the hotel's WiFi"

We're in a car.

We are now nearly 80 miles from the hotel.

The next part of the conversation went on painfully long

In his defense, he's 77 and has had a couple of minor strokes. Of course, this just makes him more positive that anything he thinks of is right, and that the rest of the world is spouting nonsense.

[Hermione]

That sounds like the same people who call the cable company if they lose electric b/c they don't have any tv.

I used to work for Dish and no lie....people did a variation of this.

They'd hook it up to a generator (post storm/hurricane) and call if it didn't work....we could troubleshoot but had to tell them we couldn't guarantee that would work and had to refuse to set up service calls until they had their actual electricity restored.

Saddest part was they had to remind agents to make sure customers had electricity back before they set up service calls.

:\

[mhkohne]

Saddest part was they had to remind agents to make sure customers had electricity back before they set up service calls.

I'm going to give the agents a pass on this one - it would never occur to me, and I would certainly keep forgetting that the customers would be stupid enough to call in when they didn't have electric. Because I'd never do such a dumb thing, I'd never get it into my head that they would...