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    Tuesday, November 3, 2020

    Can I take a printer home? No. 6mo's later: The printer I took home is running out of toner, can I get more? Tech Support

    Can I take a printer home? No. 6mo's later: The printer I took home is running out of toner, can I get more? Tech Support


    Can I take a printer home? No. 6mo's later: The printer I took home is running out of toner, can I get more?

    Posted: 02 Nov 2020 06:28 PM PST

    Like many offices, mine switched to work from home back in March since there's no real need to have everyone in the office since we have offices in multiple countries and already have permanent WFH employees.

    This transition has been a blessing and a curse. I no longer have users walking up to my desk to ask a "quick question", but I also have users asking me things like the title alludes to. When we initially went WFH, users were given a laptop if they didn't already have one, dock, 2x monitors, keyboard, mouse and headset. They were allowed to take things from their own desk if needed (chairs, standing desks, etc..), but printers were not up for grabs since we have limited supply and supporting a printer even in the office is annoying.

    The user in question asked their senior manager (my old senior manager) if they could take one home since "their job relied on it". The senior manager then asked me. I said no, absolutely not. There is nothing this user does that requires a printer. They just refuse to learn anything new (the user is pushing retirement, they balance the books, that's it. Nothing about that requires printing to paper, at most they'll need to generate a PDF but they refuse to do so even after I showed them how). On top of that, I said no because if other users found out this user got to take a printer home, it's very likely that other users would want a printer as well so where do we draw the line as to who gets one and who doesn't?

    As you've probably gathered, the user took one home anyway.

    A couple months later, the user was complaining about their laptop being slow. Granted, it was an ancient laptop (6+ years old), but this user RDPs into another server that houses accounting data and does their thing there so there's no need for newer laptop. A few tickets later and I finally gave in (because we had laid off users who returned newer laptops) and gave this user a newer one. I showed them how to use it (because this user was too inept to even know what the search bar was or how to use it). Then the user hits me with "will the printer work with this laptop?" Which printer? "The one I was given from the office". I couldn't say, it's a network printer that was not authorized to leave the office. It's programmed to work in the office, not connected directly to a computer, but regardless, no one from IT authorized you to take it home so we won't be supporting it. "Oh..".

    Imagine my surprise when a ticket hit my queue the other day. This user complained that their printer was running low on toner so could we help them out? Fraid not, as I mentioned when we last spoke, we're not supporting the printer you took from the office without authorization. "Well what am I supposed to do? I live an hour from the office so I can't very well go in and get toner myself. Would I be able to buy some and expense it?" Again, as previously mentioned, no one authorized you to take the printer home so we won't be providing toner. I also couldn't say whether your manager would authorize you to expense toner.

    After this interaction, I spoke with their senior manager to express my displeasure at having to deal with this even after specifically saying no and outlining the reasons why when they initially asked if they could take it home. Their senior manager assures me that the user will not reach out to IT regarding any problems with the printer in the future..

    tl;dr: Ask for forgiveness, not permission. You'll still have to deal with the fallout, but at least you can't say you weren't ever told no.

    Edit: As someone had guessed, this user did get permission from someone (I don't know/care who). What irritates me the most about the user taking it home is because of another incident; They asked how to get a file from a server they RDP to, onto their computer. I said copy it. They didn't understand. I further clarified to right click the file, click copy. Then on their computer, right click the desktop, and click paste. They still didn't understand and insisted I do it for them.

    submitted by /u/ApathiaLol
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    I wonder why the display wouldn't work....

    Posted: 03 Nov 2020 12:38 AM PST

    Coworker who is currently working help desk asks me to go to one of our locations and check up on one workstation there, as the screen, according to the user, flickers all the time.

    I get there and try turning on the PC... won't work. Someone pulled out the power cable. Okay, lets try this again. Turn on the monitor, the LED starts blinking...and nothing. Nada. Not even the "Hey there is nothing connected", or "Hey this is the input you are currently using" message. I look behing the monitor and see something... interesting. Someone pulled on the screen so hard, the DisplayPort plug was, instead of vertical, how it should be, on a nearly 45° angle, and split apart. After seeing the horror that was this plug and recollecting myself, i changed the cable and it worked again. Why can't people be more careful with the stuff....

    And of course, no one has any idea who it was, as multiple people sit on that workstation.

    submitted by /u/thehajo
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    Command line does not work

    Posted: 02 Nov 2020 04:51 PM PST

    Its a story which my colleague experienced. I worked at a famous company on Firewall Tech Support as an senior engineer. Our customers are expected to have a fair understanding of the product they purchase. Mistakes can cause company wide network outages and CEOs will be calling.

    A new ticket pops up in our queue "Command line does not work". Usually those are nasty issues due to crash or permanent lockout. My colleague picks it and closes the case within seconds. I was curious so I go up to her and she described this conversation between her and the customer.

    TechS: Hi, how are you?

    Cust: Not good. I can't log into the command line of this device.

    (TechS Seeing no visible familiar icons on desktop via customer screenshare) TechS: Which software are you using for CLI access?

    Cust: Whats that?

    (TechS silently installs putty and gets the device login.) TechS: Here you go. Type in your password....(few seconds later)... can I close this ticket?

    This customer probably gets paid upwards of 50k and does not know what command line client is to configure the Firewall they are hired to setup, monitor and maintain.

    submitted by /u/techie_1412
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    It helps to connect to the internet

    Posted: 02 Nov 2020 02:41 PM PST

    I work in a small tech support/repair shop. Someone came in with a relatively new laptop and asked for some search engines to be downloaded and a shortcut to access their email login.

    That all gets done for them and they take the laptop away.

    About an hour later we get a phone call from that customer:

    -me: Good morning *********, how can I help?

    -customer: Hi you installed some search engines on my laptop for me earlier

    -me: Okay great is there a problem?

    -customer: Yes they don't work and a message keeps popping up

    -me: Okay, it was working fine when I tested it, what does the message say?

    -customer: Well it says that I need to connect to the internet

    Then the half an hour conversation began about how you need the internet to use these search engines or check your emails.

    There has been an increase in this sort of thing happening as people are working from home more at the moment and have to set these things up themselves.

    submitted by /u/69256hh
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    The PPT Wizard

    Posted: 02 Nov 2020 12:27 PM PST

    *new user so sorry if this post is clunky. TLDR below. Also, not in tech support, but was expected to work as such because I'm young and can make a spreadsheet...

    Cast: Moi - the protagonist PM - project manager I worked with, nice guy but... you'll see.

    I used to work as a mechanical design and CAD operator for an industrial kitchenware fab company. Our ops worked basically like this: clients tell the PMs what they want, PMs tell me what the client wants, I make a 3D model of the products and floor plan for the product placements, PM takes credit and closes the deals.

    I'm busily working away making a new model, when PM comes up behind me.

    PM: are you busy? I need some help with PowerPoint.

    Moi: sure thing! What's the problem!

    PM: deep sigh I need to make a new introductory presentation for some new clients I want to take on. I'm trying to take the text from our standard intro presentation, but I can't highlight the text! I've been at this for an hour, I'm going insane!

    At this point, I'm wondering why he didn't just retype it, but PM's a good guy so I'm not about to call him out. I take his laptop and start looking through the ppt. Sure enough, I can't highlight any of the text either.

    Then, I notice that when I try and click the text the picture editor tab shows up! THIS POOR PLEB HAD BEEN CLICKING AND UNCLICKING A PICTURE FOR OVER AN HOUR.

    I look up at him, still frustrated and unaware of what I'd learned. I get real quiet and say:

    Moi: uh, PM, you won't be able to click this text.

    PM: UUUUUGH why not!? It's just a PowerPoint, it shouldn't be this hard!

    Moi: it's because this isn't text

    I then proceed to resize the image and change the colour contrast. HE GOES RED IN THE FACE. His eyes get wide. His mouth hangs agape. I could tell he felt both humiliated and also terrified, because I'm the only one who knows.

    He grabs the laptop from in front of me, tucks it under his arm, and turns to go. He stops right before and asks for me to keep it to myself. And I did!....for 6 years!...sorry mate! He didn't talk to me ever again unless he had to, which sucks cuz he was chill.

    TLDR: a coworker spent over an hour trying to cut the text from a PowerPoint for a new presentation. Turned out the text box was actually a picture the whole time, poor guy died of embarrassment.

    submitted by /u/TheSchlemiel
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    Why don't I see anything?

    Posted: 02 Nov 2020 11:43 AM PST

    This just happened.

    Have a new client call in. He's a bit older.

    Client: I can't download my software from your website. I logged in under account 1234567.

    I look up the account and there is no product on the account. I reverse search the name and find a second account 1234565 that has all his software.

    Me: I see we have 2 accounts under your name. If you log out of the account and log in under the 1234565 account.

    Client: I set up account 1234567 after I talked to your sales rep and the software should be under that.

    Me: I'm sorry sir, but the sales rep set up account 1234565 when he was speaking to you, this is where the software is. If you log out of the 1234567 account and log in with the 1234565 account you will be able to download.

    Client: But I don't want to use the 1234565 account. I want the account I just set up through your website to work.

    Me: Can I log onto your system remotely?

    Client: Sure

    Me: Go to *screen sharing website address*

    Client: I put that into my email, and it's not bringing up anything.

    Me: Sir, you need to put it into your web browser. Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Opra, etc. Not the email

    Client: I'm not getting anything. I'm going to call back using your chat because I just can't get this to work right.

    Me: Have a great day.

    submitted by /u/liadantaru
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    Schrödinger's Resolution

    Posted: 02 Nov 2020 02:20 PM PST

    I am a Tier-2 Technical Support Work From Home Representative for a call center company near where I live. We take in a high volume of calls and the company has many employees across the different projects that are contracted with our company, so naturally, we are asked to take notes for every call we take.

    Today an agent called in, asking for an update on a headset we are shipping out to her. It is coming from a site 6 or 7 states away, for what reason only god knows why. But I finally, in the long time have gotten to use one of my favorite scientific concepts in ticket notes.

    The notes entered are as follows: "Agent called in; requesting update on headset shipment; per ***SHIPPING SUPERVISOR NAME HERE***, ***OFFICE SITE HERE*** is who will be shipping headset and because of backlog, may take 1-2 days to process and ship overnight; advised agent that, provided she requested and was given approval first, she could use pretty much any USB headset with a microphone, but made it very clear to agent that IT cannot and will not install drivers for the headset without prior authorization; also informed agent that we will still be processing the shipment out to her even if she does decide to go to the store and buy a headset; Schrödinger's resolution: issue resolved in agent education of status, issue not resolved as problem has not been fixed and nothing has been shipped out.

    One of the few perks of at Tier-2 is that pretty much nobody reads your notes other than other Tier-2 agents.

    TL;DR: Pop culture reference nicely utilized in ticket notes

    submitted by /u/amontressor
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