"Is *large cable/internet company* having problems?"

[Aressel]

This one came in about 5 minutes ago, and I know its common, but still...

Me: Me
CU: Clueless user

Me: Good Morning, *Computer Shop*
CU: Hi, do you know if *large cable/internet company* is down?
Me: Its working here, but they might be doing work in your area. Your best bet is to call their support number at 310-****.
CU: Okay. Just one thing, It says "No Signal" on the screen, and the computer has shut off.
Me: What happens if you try to turn it back on?
CU: Nothing.
Me: Sounds like your power supply is dead. Bring it in and I can replace it.
CU: I'll do that.

I don't get it. How does "The computer has shut off and will not turn back on again" translate into an internet problem? How many people think that when their TV won't turn on, its a cable/satellite problem? Wait, don't answer that.

[Kilamon]

Because the word Internet can be used in place of anything.

lUser: hello? I think my internet is broken. I put the CD in and it won't play Bejeweled.

or

Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK): The internet is a series of tubes! It's not a big truck!

or

lUser: I sent an internet to my nephew about an interweb site and he says he didn't get it. FIX IT!

BTW, yes, the above are all true.

[BravoOrig]

I think its the whole "No Signal" thing which they somehow correspond to their cable service. Though they never make this correlation when their modem actually can't get online and it is a signal issue! And Kilamon is right, if anything happens related to technology, the internet must be down.

[Boozy]

I think people contribute all computer problems to their ISPs because they're the only ones who send them a bill every month.

For example, if my printer were to blow up right now for whatever reason, I'd know that my ISP has nothing to do with it, and I had better just go buy a new printer.

But if I were an idiot, I would say to myself, "I have a computer-related problem. The only computer-related bill I get every month is from [ISP]. I will call them to fix my computer problem." Because Hewlett-Packard has likely had no contact with them since they bought the printer, they've completely forgotten about them. Their ISP is now in charge of everything in their minds.

Every idiot knows they're with AOL. But they never know who made their computer or what OS they're running.

[TNT]

There's a depressingly large segment of the population that's utterly convinced the cable company controls everything that happens in the world. I've been through video, internet and telephony, and it's always the same thing...

Said by a person who had limited basic: "What are you guys doing to my TV? It keeps shutting itself off."

Said by a person using a universal remote control they bought at Wal-Mart: "My remote doesn't work any more. Do you guys need to send a signal to reprogram it?"

"ObscureWebsite says 'temporarily down for maintenance.' You got any idea when you'll have it fixed? And do you have to do these things during the day?"

"My printer suddenly quit working. Is there a problem on your end?"

"The phone I've been using doesn't work any more. Every other phone I plug in works fine. Can you send a tech out to figure out why?" (Sir... the clue phone's ringing... but not on your broken phone.)

"My girlfriend hasn't called in two days. Are you guys blocking her number from getting through?" (No... she found out you're scum. Get over it.)

And on and on and on.

[Aressel]

I guess the no signal thing makes sense in its own sort of way. It must be because I'm reasonably skilled in the way of computers and AV equipment (I can even program my own VCR) that I didn't immediately see the link. That and the majority of the customers that we get around here usually have a grasp on the basics... most of the time. Thats the nice thing about working in a small shop.

Incidentally, it was the power supply. Something must have happened around here, because in the last two weeks, we've had to replace many more than usual.

[tollbaby]

I don't get it. How does "The computer has shut off and will not turn back on again" translate into an internet problem? How many people think that when their TV won't turn on, its a cable/satellite problem? Wait, don't answer that.

Well, you know Bell users aren't the brightest bunch anyway Maybe that's why tech support always just assumes I'm a moron when I phone in....?

[Naaman]

Incidentally, it was the power supply. Something must have happened around here, because in the last two weeks, we've had to replace many more than usual.

You had a lot of storms in the area recently?

[Andara Bledin]

Did your power company upgrade (or downgrade) something recently?

If there's a lot of old wiring around, and they've recently upgraded something at the plant, it could be sending uneven dips and spikes out. And if you don't have a decent UPS or at least a good power strip, that could do it.

^-.-^

[sld72382]

Incidentally, it was the power supply. Something must have happened around here, because in the last two weeks, we've had to replace many more than usual.

Storms/spikes/surges + most OEM computers coming with cheap POS power supplies
+ people thinking a $10 surge protector will actually do good = lots of power supply replacing fun.

[technical.angel]

:: mentally hugs her super industrial 14 minutes of power on blackout battery backup ::

[DannyboyO1]

I've had a variant on this when working for a cellphone company. The phones are sophisticated enough to crash. Sometimes, they break. Heck, it's got speaker magnets and a hinge, I'm stunned they don't have more memory issues.

But I would get people calling with technical issues and asking if their bill payment went through ok. The phone won't turn *off* and they think that's something we've done.

Of course, (digressing here) my favorite fix is always rebooting the phone. "When was the last time you turned the phone all the way off?" You have to specify all the way, or you have to repeat yourself with the ones who thing CLOSING the phone turns it off.

And explaining why the phone needs that little reboot every week or so. "Well, when a company is building a phone... it's designing a computer for normal use. Even extreme use. But in order to test the stability... each step of testing this would take a few days longer than the last. Just to create a phone that you didn't have to turn off and back on every few days. It can't possibly be worthwhile to delay production that many months to eke out another week between reboots."