NPI

[PossJB]

I (actually the corporation I work for) was the customer on this one.

Where I work, we have five office computers, one computer in cash office, and 17 cash register computers. Needless to say, we have the occassional tech issue.

On Friday, one register froze up for a couple of minutes. Afterwards, the flat scanner quit working and the cursor would randomly move around the screen, so we called our tech support. Tech comes out, and the wire that connects the scanner to the computer is loose and needs to be tightened (think of the ones that connect monitors to computers), and that's it. It doesn't repeat the monitor shenanigans, and the scanner works. A really good use of the techs time and the company's budget.

These cash register computer have been sitting in enclosed spaces for almost two years, running constantly (with the exception of the odd power outage). We aren't even allowed to open the up to spray dust out. The poor things are having issues left and right, but that's corporate life for you.

Note: I apologize for any typos. I'm only three dark beers in, but I'm a lightweight.

[Ree]

It's the same where I work. Computers are vital to running the store but nobody maintains them, and if anyone tries, they get crap for wasting time or causing a disruption by moving out all the equipment and wires to do a good cleanout.

They put in cabinets in all the departments that were supposed to be designed to hold the computers behind a door, while the monitors sat on top of the counter.
We had only been up and running a couple of days when they realized the importance of ventilation. The computers were all overheating.

In the office at the old store, I was the only one who ever took the time to clean the printer head and blow out the dust and paper fragments, or clean the keyboard and dust from the back of the computer and monitor.

[Spiffy McMoron]

A really good use of the techs time and the company's budget.

We have quite the tech problem at work. It's not that we hire bad tech guys, it's just that upper management looks for ways to cut corners--by buying the cheapest phone system out there (the phone company went bankrupt just after our purchase), not paying licenses on anti-virus programs...which usually means that we can't do our jobs due to buggy computers and phones that will randomly drop calls.

People will then call the tech guy, scream at him, he'll get stressed, he'll quit. Lather, rinse, repeat.