I love the smell of tech support in the morning. Smells like. . . something that smells bad
Company names have been omitted.
Is there anything more wonderful than having to contact two different companies for technical support during the 0300 hour? It’s my second favorite thing of all time. Everything else in the world is tied for first.
The first call was to my Internet service provider. My service was slow and sporadic all day yesterday (Friday). I’d sit and wait several minutes for pages to load, or I’d begin a file download, only to have it get cancelled on me because halfway through, the signal decided to reset itself.
I don’t think I’ll be staying much longer with this provider. After an 11-minute wait to be connected to a technician, I was then run through a series of Internet speed tests, only to be told that I am “on the edge of my service area” and “with that, sometimes my speed will not be very fast, or it will disconnect.” I have to pay for service that I “might” be able to use if conditions are favorable? No. This isn’t acceptable.
My second tech support incident came with searching the website of my antivirus program company. I am considering buying a new computer very soon, and all I wanted to know was if I could transfer my current copy of the software from this computer to the new one, or would I have to buy a new copy altogether. I searched the site for their online support chat function. After installing their software four times, and providing my name three times, I was then able to participate in this conversation:
Please type your question here:
“I recently installed (company name) Antivirus on my computer. I am considering buying a new computer very soon. Am I allowed to uninstall the antivirus software from this computer and reinstall it on the new one, or am I required to buy a new copy?”
The chat window then opened with my question at the top of the page. The following is a transcript of the chat itself:
Bill Tomson has entered the chatroom.
An analyst will be with you shortly.
An email with a reconnect link has been sent to your inbox. In the event of a disconnect from the chat, please use this link to reconnect to the same chat.
Kamaraj has entered the chatroom.
Kamaraj: You are being redirected to Kamaraj.
Kamaraj: Welcome to (company name) Support. Can I please have a minute to go through the information you have provided?
Bill Tomson: Yes.
Kamaraj: Please let me know your Country & Phone number, so that I may call you back within 30 minutes if we are disconnected.
Bill Tomson: Good god. USA, XXX-XXX-XXXX.
Kamaraj: Thank you for providing the requested information.
Kamaraj: I will be creating a case for you using the email address you have provided today. In case you need to get back to us, please quote this email address.
Bill Tomson: It’s a yes-or-no question that you could have answered already, and we’d be finished. Must we go through all this rigamarole?
Kamaraj: I see that you want to know whether you are able to transfer your antivirus subscription from your old computer to a new computer. Have I understood this issue correctly?
Bill Tomson: That’s pretty much what I typed; yes.
Kamaraj: Yes you can transfer your subscription from your old computer to a new computer without buying a new product.
Bill Tomson: 14 minutes later, I have my answer. Thanks.
Kamaraj: You are most welcome, please get back to us with your product key, we will surely assist you to install the program on your new computer and uninstall it from your old computer.
Bill Tomson: Thanks.
Kamaraj: Please ignore the previous message. Is there anything else I can assist you with?
Bill Tomson: That’s it, thanks.
Kamaraj: Before we go can I check with you that the problem you contacted us about has been fixed and that it’s ok for me to close the case?
Bill Tomson: That’s it. Thanks.
Click to close the chat window.
Am I being unreasonable to think that all he had to do was tell me the answer as soon as he read my question, instead of going through all of that BS? It wouldn’t have taken half the time that it did. I typed the question clearly; all he had to do was ask if there was any part that he didn’t understand. I swear, we outsource all of these tech support jobs to other countries to save money; can’t we spend at least a little of the money saved on some basic “common-sense” training?
Is there anything more wonderful than having to contact two different companies for technical support during the 0300 hour? It’s my second favorite thing of all time. Everything else in the world is tied for first.
The first call was to my Internet service provider. My service was slow and sporadic all day yesterday (Friday). I’d sit and wait several minutes for pages to load, or I’d begin a file download, only to have it get cancelled on me because halfway through, the signal decided to reset itself.
I don’t think I’ll be staying much longer with this provider. After an 11-minute wait to be connected to a technician, I was then run through a series of Internet speed tests, only to be told that I am “on the edge of my service area” and “with that, sometimes my speed will not be very fast, or it will disconnect.” I have to pay for service that I “might” be able to use if conditions are favorable? No. This isn’t acceptable.
My second tech support incident came with searching the website of my antivirus program company. I am considering buying a new computer very soon, and all I wanted to know was if I could transfer my current copy of the software from this computer to the new one, or would I have to buy a new copy altogether. I searched the site for their online support chat function. After installing their software four times, and providing my name three times, I was then able to participate in this conversation:
Please type your question here:
“I recently installed (company name) Antivirus on my computer. I am considering buying a new computer very soon. Am I allowed to uninstall the antivirus software from this computer and reinstall it on the new one, or am I required to buy a new copy?”
The chat window then opened with my question at the top of the page. The following is a transcript of the chat itself:
Bill Tomson has entered the chatroom.
An analyst will be with you shortly.
An email with a reconnect link has been sent to your inbox. In the event of a disconnect from the chat, please use this link to reconnect to the same chat.
Kamaraj has entered the chatroom.
Kamaraj: You are being redirected to Kamaraj.
Kamaraj: Welcome to (company name) Support. Can I please have a minute to go through the information you have provided?
Bill Tomson: Yes.
Kamaraj: Please let me know your Country & Phone number, so that I may call you back within 30 minutes if we are disconnected.
Bill Tomson: Good god. USA, XXX-XXX-XXXX.
Kamaraj: Thank you for providing the requested information.
Kamaraj: I will be creating a case for you using the email address you have provided today. In case you need to get back to us, please quote this email address.
Bill Tomson: It’s a yes-or-no question that you could have answered already, and we’d be finished. Must we go through all this rigamarole?
Kamaraj: I see that you want to know whether you are able to transfer your antivirus subscription from your old computer to a new computer. Have I understood this issue correctly?
Bill Tomson: That’s pretty much what I typed; yes.
Kamaraj: Yes you can transfer your subscription from your old computer to a new computer without buying a new product.
Bill Tomson: 14 minutes later, I have my answer. Thanks.
Kamaraj: You are most welcome, please get back to us with your product key, we will surely assist you to install the program on your new computer and uninstall it from your old computer.
Bill Tomson: Thanks.
Kamaraj: Please ignore the previous message. Is there anything else I can assist you with?
Bill Tomson: That’s it, thanks.
Kamaraj: Before we go can I check with you that the problem you contacted us about has been fixed and that it’s ok for me to close the case?
Bill Tomson: That’s it. Thanks.
Click to close the chat window.
Am I being unreasonable to think that all he had to do was tell me the answer as soon as he read my question, instead of going through all of that BS? It wouldn’t have taken half the time that it did. I typed the question clearly; all he had to do was ask if there was any part that he didn’t understand. I swear, we outsource all of these tech support jobs to other countries to save money; can’t we spend at least a little of the money saved on some basic “common-sense” training?
Labels: Antivirus, Frustration, Internet, Tech Support
posted by Bill | 04:29
1 Comments:
I had a similar conversation as the second one with my wireless internet router company. Very frustrating...
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home