this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2024
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Contacting IT is always my last line of defense and I get unreasonably frustrated when they refuse to help without walking me through basic troubleshooting. It's like, I've already figured out the cause of the problem, just tell me where the button is to fix it. The worst was when I had to RMA my Pixel phone and they made me go through every step I'd already been through just to come to the same conclusion I initially came to them with.
Me to Google support for a problem with my brand new pixel 3 back when the 3 was the new hotness
Me: my camera only works for one photo, then doesn't work again until I reboot it. Then it again works only for one photo, then it gives the error "camera [number] is locked" (screenshot)
Support: that sounds like a fault. Could you reboot your phone and tell me what happens?
Me: ok. ... Right I'm back. Just like for all the ten photos I took before contacting you, it worked for one photo then that same error. That makes eleven times I rebooted my phone today.
The worst for me was with the Nexus 6P, the last phone before they rebranded to Pixel. There was a known issue with the battery, where it would die when the phone said it was at like 50%. I jumped through all their troubleshooting hoops when it was obviously a hardware issue. They eventually agreed to send out a replacement and I was assured it wouldn't have the issue. Lo and behold, it did the exact same thing as soon as I got it. I went through all the trouble shooting again and they sent ANOTHER replacement that still had the issue. I was so fed up and just kept requesting to talk to someone higher up and they eventually just sent me a Pixel 1 to shut me up.
They sent out so many Pixel 1s for that. Same exact thing happened to me.
Having worked in IT about 12 to 15 years ago I can honestly say I just stopped believing people when they told me they did things or checked things because 99% of the time it was just a flat out lie.
And taking them at their word meant wasting my own time because usually it was just a quick fix that I suggested in the first place.
It quickly, quickly taught me that 99% of people are fucking idiots, and that even the smart ones who actually knew what they were doing with a computer could be idiots too.
What I don't understand is why they lie about something directly causal to the resolution.
Pride and not wanting to sound like a dummy basically
Google support is a joke, I had to RMA a tablet, obviously went through all the troubleshooting before (factory reset included). The dude on the Hotline was like: "fantastic you did everything I would have told you. Unfortunately our system doesn't accept that way of working I need to send you an email with the same troubleshooting steps you already did and you need to call again in a few minutes and confirm to a new support agent that you followed what the email told you"
To their credit it was accepted afterwards with no issues but that whole process is more than braindead
Depending on what you're needing done, a lot of times IT has to cover their asses. If it didn't happen on that phone call, it didn't happen. I always appreciate the gumption, you probably saved us like, 30 call just from figuring out other issues yourself. If it's anything that will cost the company money, though, like replacing hardware - if I don't take due diligence in making sure those earlier steps are done, it's my ass on the line.
You know you're smart enough to do the troubleshooting, but that technician has probably 1000+ users that rotate weekly, they can't keep a log book of which ones are good and which ones will land them in the shit. I totally get the frustration, but the ones who lie about doing simple troubleshooting ruin it for everyone.
My buddy had google support tell him to send a screenshot of his phones screen burn in. They took a good amount of convincing before they admitted that that wouldn't work.
Lol wait, I've had to do that too. I think it was for a dead pixel.
Any time you’re working with somebody who has to deal with the general public(or general workforce) though, you gotta be understanding.
They have to sort through the clueless people who turned off their monitor, and they have to deal with the Dunning-Kruger people who lie about what they did because they think they’re so damn smart.
And if it’s the first contact level 1 type support, they may not have the expertise to tell the difference and have to rely on the scripts.
Yeah, for sure. As frustrating as it may be, I'm always understanding with the support agent. They're just doing their job, it's not their fault there's a procedure they need to follow.
To be fair even the most technically adept person can have tunnel vision where they start digging before ruling out all the simple stuff. Yes it can feel tedious and a little condescending to follow all those steps, but you get humbled the first time it really is just an unplugged cable.