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happythoughts

helpdesk fun

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My son works on a help desk. He had a call last night that went like this.

Caller: When I click to dial, I am getting "no dial tone". I know my phone is working.
HD: Do you have a modem?
Caller: Yes
HD: Is the phone line plugged into it?
Caller: Yes
HD: Well...the computer thinks that you are not connected to a telephone line. Is there another jack that you could plug it into?
Caller: Yes
HD: Maybe your current line jack selection does not have dial tone. Why not try the other one?
Caller: OK

HD: Dammit. Not the one we're talking on...
:D

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I manage the help desk as part of my responsibilities...this is an actual call I rec'd one day:

caller: I was cleaning my desk so I unplugged my keyboard and my mouse. I'm done now and they don't work now. Can you help?

Me: Did you plug them back in?

caller: No. Do I need to?
-----
~~~Michael

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I manage the help desk as part of my responsibilities...this is an actual call I rec'd one day:

caller: I was cleaning my desk so I unplugged my keyboard and my mouse. I'm done now and they don't work now. Can you help?

Me: Did you plug them back in?

caller: No. Do I need to?



Then you know what a NPI error is. For the non-techies, it is Not-Plugged-In.
"My printer isn't working."
"Try this...try this...try this...wait a minute...Is the little red power light on?...ok, glad I could help."

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Some people were put on this earth ONLY to test our professionalism!



When I worked at a hospital with 3 mainframes in the basement, we had a temp controlled room with a raised floor. At the end was "the apple", a red button recessed into the wall with a plastic flip-cover. The button is the emergency power shutdown for the room with a fire-control halon release. The maintenance guy said that he was just wondering if it worked. Surprise... :S

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I love when people call in on the phone that's not working.

ME: Voice help desk, how can I help you?
CALLER: My krrhsshrh isn't working
ME:Is it cutting in and out on you?
CALLER: kkkkrkrrkhhshshrhrrhr
ME: Call back from a working phone


Chris


--"Someday you will die and somehow somethings going to steal your carbon" -MM

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thetes always the PEBKAC error:P



? Haven't heard that one before...


P.roblems E.xists B.etween K.eyboard A.nd C.hair...:ph34r:
So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

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I love when people call in on the phone that's not working.

ME: Voice help desk, how can I help you?
CALLER: My krrhsshrh isn't working
ME:Is it cutting in and out on you?
CALLER: kkkkrkrrkhhshshrhrrhr
ME: Call back from a working phone


My son says that after 10pm, about a third of his callers are drunk. They start drinking around 7. Around 10 it's, "Hey, let's fix the computer..." If it is slow, he fixes the problem and then messes with them about the volume of porn that he has noticed on their machine. "Whhhhaaaa...what do you mean? Porn?" :D (He can't tell from the help desk.)


Chris

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My son says that after 10pm, about a third of his callers are drunk. They start drinking around 7. Around 10 it's, "Hey, let's fix the computer..." If it is slow, he fixes the problem and then messes with them about the volume of porn that he has noticed on their machine. "Whhhhaaaa...what do you mean? Porn?" (He can't tell from the help desk.)



That's great, I wish I could mess w/ the customer but we have to be professional sounding. These aren't everyday people, my customer is a very popular computer company and alot of 'em are cool but there are always a few that you just wanna reach through the handset and smack em.

Chris


--"Someday you will die and somehow somethings going to steal your carbon" -MM

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My son says that after 10pm, about a third of his callers are drunk. They start drinking around 7. Around 10 it's, "Hey, let's fix the computer..." If it is slow, he fixes the problem and then messes with them about the volume of porn that he has noticed on their machine. "Whhhhaaaa...what do you mean? Porn?" (He can't tell from the help desk.)



That's great, I wish I could mess w/ the customer but we have to be professional sounding. These aren't everyday people, my customer is a very popular computer company and alot of 'em are cool but there are always a few that you just wanna reach through the handset and smack em.

Chris



Everyone at the hospital was cool except for the doctors. Most people were just doing their job and we were helping them. A doctor once told me, "You have to get that printer fixed, peoples lives are at stake in a hospital." "Uhhh, isn't that the one that you print the bills on, for signature?" "Just fix it..."

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Everyone at the hospital was cool except for the doctors. Most people were just doing their job and we were helping them. A doctor once told me, "You have to get that printer fixed, peoples lives are at stake in a hospital." "Uhhh, isn't that the one that you print the bills on, for signature?" "Just fix it..."



Or:
Caller: This is an emergency! Someone needs to come out now and fix this phone!! It hasn't worked for days!!
Me: Well ma'am, our tickets have a 24 hour turnaround.
Caller: Well that's not good enough, I want a sev 1, I want to escalate
Me: Why did you wait day's to report the trouble?
Caller:What's the ticket number?
Me: 11111111
Caller: (obviously embarressed) thanks

:D:D

Chris


--"Someday you will die and somehow somethings going to steal your carbon" -MM

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I have too many of these stories. Like the Ph.D who turned on her computer while it was wet (a stopped up sink had been left running upstairs overnight). She got lucky and only fried the monitor. Somehow, the computer and laser printer survived.

The grad student who called me because she had jammed three Zip disks in three different drives. Turns out that she had figured out how to connect the parallel cable all by herself, but didn't realize that she needed to plug in the AC adapters, too.

The head of the department (and Ph.D), who bitches about Microsoft because his cheap piece of crap USB floppy drive doesn't work with his TiBook.

The Ph.D who wanted me to give both of his computers (one of which was not approved by the department) the same IP address, and promised to only turn one machine on at a time.

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Not really helpdesk, but close.
A friend at a university was with one of his summer interns in the lobby when a receptionist complained that her printer wasn't working. The intern horsed around with it and discovered a pen stuck inside the printer. He put a note on the printer telling folks not to use it and then report it to the Help Desk.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

printerpic.jpg

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sigh, won't these kids ever grow up... oh WAIT, that was Wendy's post!!!



See, you don't have to grow up. Anyway, it's much more fun in the gutter with everyone else there too :)

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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