Joys of working as technical support...

[_Bat_]

There is probably another thread somewhere similar to this, but not found it yet.

 

Anyone got any crazy or funny stories from either personal experience or experience of a friend working in IT Support?

 

I think we have all had the not plugged in or not switched on types. But my uncle was telling me about a call he got a few years back. It went something like this:

 

Caller: "Hi, my computer isn't working"

Uncle: "Okay, what exactly is wrong with it?"

Caller: "It won't turn on"

 

*My uncle then proceeds to go through the usual questions in trying to figure out exactly what was wrong. As you all work in IT, there is no point in detailing them*

 

Half way through the conversation and after about five minutes, my uncle heard his technical colleague talking on another phone saying "you'll just have to wait for the power to come back on then".

 

This made my uncle wonder if 2+2 really did equal 4. He asked the user on the other end of the line:

 

Uncle: "Are the lights working in your office at the moment?"

Caller: "No, why?"

Uncle: "Has there been a powercut by any chance?"

Caller: "Yes, there has."

Uncle: :crybaby:

[GrumbleDook]

We had issues with power on Friday ... we have to great a load on one particular phase and it is causing that phase to overheat as it enters the school (some pillock decided to cable up a heap of electric heaters in mobiles to the same phase ... which happens to be the same phase that a large number of computers are on!)

 

We had to turn *all* computers off and wait for the Central Networks techie to turn up ... and so we get a heap of silly questions ... here are a sample.

 

"You know we have to turn the computers off ... is that going to affect the internet for everyone else? I think you might have to speak to the council to tell thim if it does"

 

"I know you have turned all the servers off too but can you just turn them back on for 30 seconds so I can check that I have remember to email someone to say that we have no email?"

 

"Why can't we just turn off all the heating on so we can have computers in the main school?"

 

"Does that problems with power explain why there was no hot water in the toilets?" - No ... that was because you can't remember which one is hot and which one is cold (I was in there when he originally complained about cold water to wash his hands).

 

"It's ok if you turn power off completely ... the laptop is still on battery so I can still show my powerpoints to the kids" - erm ... aren't you going to use a projector too? - "Yes ... is that a problem?"

 

And there were more ... too many more to mention ...

[pete]

Well, there was the ICT teacher who didn't realise you could double-click on a file and have the associated application open it. He'd been opening the program, then using the open dialogue.

 

The same teacher asked a visiting salesweazel how he managed to switch between programs so quickly on his laptop. Said teacher hid his unfamiliarity with Alt + Tab by proclaiming he was "mouse-orientated". And yes, the salesweasel did baffle him with sales talk and get him to buy crap.

 

The times I've rescued usb cables from nic ports, and the usb drive someone managed to insert into a serial port.

 

Oh, and a client used to call nearly every week to complain their server was "broken again" - they powered it from a switched 4-way adaptor that was left out in the open, and people occasionally stepped on the switches .

[alonebfg]

i found one monday a person came up to ma and asked be why the cable i had given them would not plug into the home network port after looking into it found out the were trying to plug rj45 into a telephone socket thinking they would get onto the school network but it wold not fit.i said they would have to contact bt and get broardband he then told me they had it but it never works then i asked about filters and modem and they told me they did not have one but there phone line keeps playng up. ( after laughing for 3 hours i helped them set it up)

[mrcrazy04]

I once had a family friend phone me up because their broadband wasn't working, after about 10-15 mins of questions (usually with "I don't know" answers) I worked out that they hadn't actually ordered broadband, just bought a wireless router from PC World, plugged it into the phone line, put the AOL CD in their PC and expected it to work!!

[gill]

I got called out to a "broken" computer. On entering the room I could hear music playing. It took all of 5 seconds to figure out they had unplugged their computer in order to plug in the radio!!! The frightening thing is that they are in charge of teaching children!!!!!!!

[Guest MRT]

When we first got our wireless network and gave teachers all laptops i remember when one teacher came up after 3 days to say his laptop doesn't work. I asked if he had plugged in the adaptor to which he replied i thought you said it was wireless.

[tsky]

An A-Level IT teacher at the college I worked for in my first job was tasked with helping me install some labs as "he was an MCP and techy as well as a teacher". When unpacking the boxes and peripherals he was constantly plugging keyboard and mouse in the wrong holes (even though keyboard, mouse and sockets were colour-coded) - to top it off he showed me a Cat 5 cable and said "where does this go?" to which I replied "in the only one that it'll fit... hang on.. no.. THIS ONE ONLY." Better not leave room for mis-interpretation. MCP and techie my ar**

 

Loads of "my computer isn't working" across the years to only turn up and find there's no power cables into the machine.

 

Had a section of one of the schools I taught at and did some tech bits with the NM keep having networking issues in an area, they kept unplugging the switch rack from the wall to put their kettle in. "It ALWAYS does this when I go to make a cup of tea" the teacher said. "Funny that" I say "whenever YOU plug the kettle in to where OUR equipment was YOU shut the network down."

 

So many useless statements over the years they just all merge into one ball of MEH!

[Guest richard_s]

I once had a family friend phone me up because their broadband wasn't working, after about 10-15 mins of questions (usually with "I don't know" answers) I worked out that they hadn't actually ordered broadband, just bought a wireless router from PC World, plugged it into the phone line, put the AOL CD in their PC and expected it to work!!

 

 

I had something the other week which was very similar

[CHR1S]

Today I had "Why isnt the computer finding my memory card?"

The SD card was upside down and forced into the reader! D'oh!

[ButterflyMoon]

Best one I had was a user password reset. The guy called and I got his password reset so tells him to put his password in twice then enter the new password. 5 phone calls later and my second line support going mental I traipse down the jail and get him to show me exactly what he was doing. He was typing in his old password then DELETING it and typing it in again!!!!!

[dayzd]

Well, there was the ICT teacher who didn't realise you could double-click on a file and have the associated application open it. He'd been opening the program, then using the open dialogue.

I had a university lecturer who could only open explorer by right clicking the Start button and selecting 'Explore'...

 

The times I've rescued usb cables from nic ports

We've had staff assure us that their USB pendrive made the usual 'bong' noise when it was plugged in, but never showed up in My Coomputer. Strangely enough we knew it was a lie when we took a closer look at the 'usb' socket in use...!

 

When we first got our wireless network and gave teachers all laptops i remember when one teacher came up after 3 days to say his laptop doesn't work. I asked if he had plugged in the adaptor to which he replied i thought you said it was wireless.

Similar to this, we've had staff coming into our office complaining 'the wireless is broken'. We took a look at the laptop, and all was fine.

Turns out they were trying to connect to the school wireless from their home, 5 miles away!

 

Had a section of one of the schools I taught at and did some tech bits with the NM keep having networking issues in an area, they kept unplugging the switch rack from the wall to put their kettle in. "It ALWAYS does this when I go to make a cup of tea" the teacher said. "Funny that" I say "whenever YOU plug the kettle in to where OUR equipment was YOU shut the network down."

One of our primaries had a similar situation because the cleaners kept unplugging the server so they could use their vacuums!

[Dos_Box]

I knew of teacher who insisted pupils close applications by only using the 'File - Exit' option. Makes you wonder why companies bother spending money on R&D!

[solitaire89]

Had a good one this morning - had to re-load a laptop, but as the media was missing (as per usual) couldn't use the OEM key. Raised the subject, and conversation went along these lines:

 

Him: Well can't you use that key that you pretty much know off by heart (long story as to why I know it!)

Me: What? The only that I know like that is for Office 2003?! (Um, no - obviously)

Him: Yeah, that's the one...

Me: Um, no - its for OFFICE

Him: Yes, but it's both Microsoft so it'll work...

 

At which point my phone rang, and he walked off...

 

Want to know what's even more worrying...

He's my NM...

[witch]

Want to know what's even more worrying...

He's my NM...

 

That is, indeed, VERY worrying

[Diello]

New teacher being given laptop by one of the techs the other day.

 

Teacher: “So, is this one of those battery operated laptops then?”

Tech: “...yes”

Teacher: “So it never plugs into the mains then?”

Tech: “...yes, to charge the battery"

Teacher: “O, I see”

 

...Me: *hiding behind screen so he can't see my laughing!

[solitaire89]

That is, indeed, VERY worrying

 

Now you see why I don't believe that there is no gender bias in IT I'm a blonde young woman, he's a man who's been "in IT"* most of his working life

 

 

* For "in IT", please read "He's been an IT Teacher"...

[witch]

Now you see why I don't believe that there is no gender bias in IT I'm a blonde young woman, he's a man who's been "in IT"* most of his working life

 

 

* For "in IT", please read "He's been an IT Teacher"...

 

Ah - but that explains it...why do schools think IT teachers are necessarily the right people to be NMs? (yes garethedmondson I know YOU are -but you are the exception!)

 

I don't have an NM - there's just me, but the head of ICT is nominally my boss - he wouldnt dream of muscling in on my patch - and he knows very little about the network infrastructure anyway.

But we work well together because he knows about things that I don't such as VLEs and webby/media-y stuff, and he listens when I tell him what we need to do to make the system better.

 

He is also somewhat younger and a bit shorter than me, and that helps!!

[solitaire89]

 

He is also a bit shorter than me, and that helps!!

 

I'd better buy some taller heels then What a good excuse for another pair of shoes [/GIRLY-NESS]

 

I agree about the teacher and NM thing (and yes, I know there are exceptions to every rule! ), put it this way - You can be the best driving instructor in the world. It doesn't make you a car mechanic.