Tech Support Horror Stories

[rd8t]

If you work in any computer repair shop, help desk, desktop support, systems administration, networking, etc, then you have a horror story. Anybody want to share?

Mine was during the time I spent working with the Systems Engineer at a casino, where part of my job was MS Exchange administrator. While in the planning stages of upgrading the hardware and version of Exchange (from 2000 to 2003) we were running into the issue of inadequate drive space. After researching the issue, we found that the majority of users did not empty their "Deleted Items" folder, so we changed settings to empty when users closed outlook.

The following week we discovered that over 70% of end users store important messages and documents that want saved in the DELETED ITEMS folder, including executives.

Our presentation a few weeks later involved me taking a "confidential" file, and puttin it in a physical waste basic, and asking the room if this was a safe place to store important papers....NO, then why would you do it in your email?

[anode]

(CNC Laser service)

Customer calls complaining his parts aren't coming out right size.

After working on the phone for a week, between 2 departments, getting the files, the same material, we find out he's checking them with 2 calipers TAPED together.

..........<click went the phone>

Now from the other end. I was having an issue with a hot water heater. had to call Deep Homo (home depot) since they were the exclusive retailer. Went through 5 minutes of voice menus. Got to one that said "Press 1 for such and such or press 2 for other". I picked other and was prompted with "Have a nice day" and got hung up on.

Or another. Called up to set up the internet (*very* beginning of broadband/cable and was using IBM's OS/2 not winderze) I asked what the address of his Domain name Servers were. I was told they didn't have them. Then I asked how they couldn't have any DNS, then he said, oh yes we have *those*