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Vaguely Vague Vagueness (short)

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  • Vaguely Vague Vagueness (short)

    This is an email I received today, in its entirety.

    *** *** ***
    HawaiianShirts,

    We need to fix a couple things in <Program>. Please tell us how.

    - User
    *** *** ***

    So I picked one of the 47 modules of <Program> at random, sent them an email with instructions for how to edit records contained in it, and hoped for the best.
    I suspect that... inside every adult (sometimes not very far inside) is a bratty kid who wants everything his own way.
    - Bill Watterson

    My co-workers: They're there when they need me.
    - IPF

  • #2
    and I wonder sometimes how I survived over-the-phone tech support as long as I did......
    Last edited by MadMike; 12-08-2014, 01:39 AM. Reason: Please don't quote the entire post. We've already read it.
    I'm lost without a paddle and headed up SH*T creek.
    -- Life Sucks Then You Die.


    "I'll believe corp. are people when Texas executes one."

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    • #3
      Quoth HawaiianShirts View Post
      So I picked one of the 47 modules of <Program> at random, sent them an email with instructions for how to edit records contained in it, and hoped for the best.
      Well played, sir, well played!

      Comment


      • #4
        I know the feeling. I have a user I support in my job that will send me emails directly, instead of the help desk, with the subject lines:

        1. Come to my office
        2. I need you (my wife might have a problem with that)
        3. Need help

        All with the EXACT same text in the body: Absoflippinlutely nothing.

        Comment


        • #5
          We had a problem ticket hit my QA department with the sum total of the description being "Application Fixed."

          Not which application (I QA about two dozen), not what specifically was fixed, not what even was broken. Just "Application Fixed."

          I sent back to the developer along with my Fail notification, "Great. At least we won't have any stray applications running around anymore."

          That dev earned the button he was given: "Do you practice being vague?"
          "If your day is filled with firefighting, you need to start taking the matches away from the toddlers…” - HM

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          • #6
            Quoth Crossbow View Post
            We had a problem ticket hit my QA department with the sum total of the description being "Application Fixed."

            Not which application (I QA about two dozen), not what specifically was fixed, not what even was broken. Just "Application Fixed."

            I sent back to the developer along with my Fail notification, "Great. At least we won't have any stray applications running around anymore."

            That dev earned the button he was given: "Do you practice being vague?"
            This sort of thing infuriates me at the ITSD here at The Client. It's especially bad when I'm having to reopen a ticket one of my colleagues closed, and all they've put on the ticket is something like that. "Application fixed." No indication of what steps they tried or even any details on what the issue actually was.

            That means I have to start the process over, since I can't verify what was actually tried, and that irritates both me and the user I'm talking to, since I have to do the same steps over again.

            Fortunately, ITSD Management is cracking down on this and crafting more detailed metrics to nip this in the bud.
            PWNADE(TM) - Serve up a glass today! | PWNZER - An act of pwnage so awesome, it's like the victim got hit by a tank.

            There are only Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse because I choose to walk!

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            • #7
              Quoth Jay 2K Winger View Post
              Fortunately, ITSD Management is cracking down on this and crafting more detailed metrics to nip this in the bud.
              Yeah, same here. We're finally getting the upper management support to bounce any code changes that don't have full descriptions and test notes with "Insufficient information to test" as the reason.

              I'm honestly not surprised if I get a change that mimics the classic "Something Broken-something fixed." Of course, I'd send it back with "something tested, something failed."
              "If your day is filled with firefighting, you need to start taking the matches away from the toddlers…” - HM

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              • #8
                Any updates? I'm wondering if they got any clearer.

                Comment


                • #9
                  I have to deal with that too. I install phone lines and dsl, and I can't even count how many times an outside field tech doing his part of the install will tell me that a phone line or whatever "isn't working" *sigh* Isn't working HOW? No dial tone? Can't call in? feature not working? WHAAAAATTT????
                  https://www.youtube.com/user/HedgeTV
                  Great YouTube channel check it out!

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                  • #10
                    Quoth TheSHAD0W View Post
                    Any updates?
                    Not a word from that particular user. I'm guessing they figured out what they needed to do.

                    That, or my one-in-47 guess was exactly what they needed. Which would be either frightening or a good excuse to buy a lottery ticket.
                    I suspect that... inside every adult (sometimes not very far inside) is a bratty kid who wants everything his own way.
                    - Bill Watterson

                    My co-workers: They're there when they need me.
                    - IPF

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                    • #11
                      Go buy one! You never know.
                      My Guide to Oblivion

                      "I resent the implication that I've gone mad, Sprocket."

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Quoth Ted_The_IT_Guy View Post
                        ...subject lines:

                        1. Come to my office
                        2. I need you (my wife might have a problem with that)
                        3. Need help

                        All with the EXACT same text in the body: Absoflippinlutely nothing.
                        While the user who sent the email that started this whole thread hasn't bothered me recently, a few others have. The program I support has 47 modules for the main group of users and three more modules for users in other branches of my office. All told, I support about 35 organizations and approximately 1,500 active users. Each organization has at least one system admin, so most of the help requests get filtered to me through them, which isn't so bad.

                        My current complaint is email subject lines. In the last three working days, I've gotten 14 support requests via email (not including replies) with only "[Program Name]" in the subject line. I've had to develop other ways of tracking the requests so they don't all get jumbled up.

                        I know you're emailing me about [Program]. It's the only thing you ever email me about! How about some clue as to what it's doing or not doing that's troubling you or what part of it you have a question about?

                        Grrr.
                        I suspect that... inside every adult (sometimes not very far inside) is a bratty kid who wants everything his own way.
                        - Bill Watterson

                        My co-workers: They're there when they need me.
                        - IPF

                        Comment

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