Stupid people.

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Does anyone else have to deal with stupid people? I’m particularly thinking about in relation to computers and technical support?

I read an article years ago stating that the most common technical support calls made to computer manufacturers and resellers were resolved by telling the caller to plug the computer into the mains electricity supply!

I laughed at the time thinking that was tongue in cheek, because people are not that stupid. I was wrong.

I've had lots of strange support calls over the years, mainly from users who have "tinkered" and wrecked things rather than people who have a straightforward question or problem.

Suppose you trash your computer for whatever reason and get a friend to reformat it and reinstall everything, how do you proceed when some software asks for your licence number?

Do you:

a) Enter a valid licence number, or if you have lost your valid licence number contact the vendor and ask for the number again

or:

b) Go into the software installation repair mode
c) Delete some files using Windows Explorer
d) Edit some binary data files using Microsoft Word
e) Delete a few registry settings
f) All of b, c, d, e and f!

Do you then contact the software vendor and (only) tell them you have lost your licence?

Are you then surprised that the licence does not work and you get an obscure error message which is computer speak for “WTF! I cannot make sense of this software installation”.

I see now why Vista has a UAC and tries to block users from messing with files in the program files folder and user data folder. A little knowledge is a very dangerous thing and some computer users are their own worst enemy.

They should put the contact number where the licence number is, and vice versa.

Yeah, I can't relate to your specific situation. But I remember when I worked at Albertsons and Id get the most ret*d customers I swear. "Wheres the marshmallow cream? I can't find it anywhere even though Im standing right in front of a giant display of it as we speak!" or then theres the people who ask me if we have a specific item in back and I tell them no(because I was just back there and specifically remember putting the last of it on the shelves) and so they go ask someone else, who asks me... It frustrates the hell out of me. As for computers... I think that when you install windows it should ask you to "Rate your level of proficiency with computers on a scale from 1-10). And then it should set permissions accordingly. Also, they really shouldnt make the first user an admin. Period. Not only does it make it a lot easier for people to screw up their computers, it also makes it easier for viruses to attack it.

I used to do DSL Tech support, and I've had to deal with some really stupid customers, including a guy who was really pissed of that I couldn't fix his computer, even though he was calling on his cell phone more than 50 miles away from it.

Stupid people is the reason why I hate America.

While on the subject of stupid people, how about this one:

The French government are keen that all English people living in France can speak French. OK that is fair enough. So the French authorities have arranged for free French classes in lots of areas and published phone numbers for us resident English to phone to arrange lessons. So far so good.

However, the people at the other end of the telephone don't speak a word of English, so you have to speak to them in French. As this is France it isn't a short phone call, it is a long one with lots of bureaucracy involved so the caller needs to speak fluent French ... to be able to arrange lessons to learn to speak French.

Duh. They haven't quite thought this one through. Catch 22 anyone?

I do believe that this T-shirt is an ode to some people who call tech support.

I don't know, what's worse, stupid people calling tech support, or normal to intelligent people calling stupid tech support?