The Watchtower of Destruction: The Ferrett's Journal - What's Wrong With The Tech Industry: A Soap Opera In One Act

[Recent Entries][Archive][Friends][User Info]

August 24th, 2003
11:27 am

[Link]

Previous Entry Add to Memories Share Next Entry
What's Wrong With The Tech Industry: A Soap Opera In One Act
76816909: Hi
76816909: How can I help you?
Ferrett: Sorry to bother you; this is Ferrett from StarCityGames.com
Ferrett: Walter told me to ping you here
Ferrett: I needed the logon ID and password to FTP the reinstalled site
Ferrett: And the IP Address that the site has moved to, since DNS is apparently not enabled yet
76816909: Please elaborate
Ferrett: Our site, StarCityGames.com went down
Ferrett: It had to be reinstalled from scratch.
Ferrett: I do not know how to connect to the new server with FTP so I can begin uploading files there, and as such I need the logon ID, the IP address to use, and the password to get on
Ferrett: Walter from WebAuthorities told me to contact you, since you did the work
76816909: Please provide us the server details.
Ferrett: What server details do you want?

Two minutes pass

Ferrett: Hello? You still there?
76816909: yes
Ferrett: What server details did you want?
76816909: Please provide us the server details.
Ferrett: What specifically did you want to have? I do not know what the IP address is at the moment. The server is located at StarCityGames.com, or was befoire it was hacked. The internal server name, if I recall, was POWERHAUS.

Ten minutes pass. I call and talk to our supposed tech support chief, who is sounding increasingly annoyed at having to handle details for me.

Ferrett: xx.xxx.xxx.xx. was the IP address, which I have since called and found out, assuming that you're still there
76816909: What is your domain name
Ferrett: starcitygames.com
Ferrett: Or it was, anyway
76816909: Sorry we did not get you.
Ferrett: We did not get what?
76816909: Please provide us with the server details.
Ferrett: I've asked back three times, and given you an IP address. What server details do you need?
Ferrett: Please respond this time.
76816909: Sure, but what is the server details.
Ferrett: WHAT CONSISTITUTES SERVER DETAILS FOR YOU?
Ferrett: When I type in these server details, what information do you want me to give you?
Ferrett: Tell me this and I will inform you as best I can

Two minutes pass

Ferrett: Hello?
76816909: Yes
Ferrett: What server details do you want?

Two minutes pass

Ferrett: Hello?
76816909: Yes
76816909: Please mention whether you are able to see our response
Ferrett: Fifth time - what is the nature of these mysterious server details that you desire? Is it the IP address? The password? The name of the server? The server's favorite ice cream?
Ferrett: I cannot see any response beyond yes
76816909: We were asking for the server details.
76816909: But you did not provide us yet.
Ferrett: And I do not know what you need by that
Ferrett: WHAT ARE SERVER DETAILS?
Ferrett: WHAT DETAILS DO YOU DESIRE?
Ferrett: I will give them to you, if you will but tell me what you need
76816909: Hold on please.
76816909: WE are experiencing some problem while installation.
76816909: We have contacted the Control panel vendors.
76816909: We will send you a copy of that email to your mail box.

Current Mood: annoyedannoyed

(15 shouts of denial | Tell me I'm full of it)

Comments
 
[User Picture]
From:baal
Date:August 24th, 2003 08:35 am (UTC)
(Link)
Ohhhhh! Detail? You not say detail before... he, uhh, he looka like a man.
[User Picture]
From:jfargo
Date:August 24th, 2003 09:15 am (UTC)
(Link)
They went downhill when they got rid of "Ms. Swan." I can't even watch MAD TV anymore. :)
[User Picture]
From:shawnj
Date:August 24th, 2003 09:08 am (UTC)
(Link)
What planet was he from? Of course, this is what happens when level one technicians (who should only be answering calls ending in "You'll need to plug in your monitor, sir") are handling server issues. I would have asked to speak to his supervisor.
[User Picture]
From:shawnj
Date:August 24th, 2003 09:32 am (UTC)
(Link)
Nevermind, I thought you were talking over the phone. It didn't occur to me that was for ICQ.
[User Picture]
From:theferrett
Date:August 24th, 2003 04:07 pm (UTC)
(Link)
As you can see, I did call. It got worse.
[User Picture]
From:llemma
Date:August 24th, 2003 10:01 am (UTC)
(Link)
Tons of companies outsource their tech support overseas.

Vote left wing!
[User Picture]
From:kibbles
Date:August 24th, 2003 10:57 am (UTC)
(Link)
I am somewhat happy though to see your tech support stories here -- too often bozos I know who do that sort of work are completely arrogant bastards who do nothing but make fun of end users -- and that's stupid, because I have had similar experiences to yours. I've had Verizon unable to tell me if I could use my own domain name on my web space, and UNABLE TO TELL ME THE URL OF MY OWN WEBSITE.

Sorry you are going through this but I would love to take this post and rub it in the face of every jerk who makes fun of someone who is having trouble with their computer.
[User Picture]
From:theferrett
Date:August 25th, 2003 05:12 am (UTC)
(Link)
No, tech support people are equally bad. There's a Dilbert cartoon where he tells the loser tech support guy that he has three computers in the house, and they all connect through his router, which is working otherwise, so it must be the ISP's fault.

The last panel shows him on the couch going, "Okay... Yeah, I've clicked on that button... That doesn't work either..."

That's how I feel.
[User Picture]
From:avatar
Date:August 24th, 2003 03:32 pm (UTC)
(Link)
If I didn't know any better, I'd say that was a bot. Take a closer look, it's usually you say 4 lines, it says 4 lines, you say 2 lines, it says 2 lines.
[User Picture]
From:theferrett
Date:August 25th, 2003 05:12 am (UTC)
(Link)
I cut out some redundant stuff. There may have been botly goodness involved, but there was enough evidence of a live person on the Q to keep at it.
[User Picture]
From:moominmuppet
Date:August 25th, 2003 12:57 pm (UTC)
(Link)
That's the same thing I was wondering...
From:noumignon
Date:August 24th, 2003 04:13 pm (UTC)
(Link)
I was thinking the exact same thing as avatar1 -- it sounds like a bot, from "Please elaborate" to the robotic repetition of "Please provide us the server details." I'd like to believe this is a bored techie hooking up Dr. Eliza to handle his response script, because I'd rather believe that kind of laziness exists than that kind of stupidity. But I'm sorry you have to deal with either one.
[User Picture]
From:silmaril
Date:August 24th, 2003 06:42 pm (UTC)
(Link)
Eliza. Of course, that's ground for you calling the company HQ or whatever and demanding blood.
[User Picture]
From:theferrett
Date:August 25th, 2003 05:13 am (UTC)
(Link)
...which I did.
[User Picture]
From:correspondguy
Date:August 25th, 2003 10:55 pm (UTC)

Visions

(Link)
I just had to laugh out loud at the visual picture of you waiting on hold, quietly chanting "Blood, blood, blood."
The Ferrett's Domain Powered by LiveJournal.com