IT Help Desk calls /rant - NJFBOA - Home of New Jersey's Camaros and Firebirds

jin1481 · 01-07-2009, 09:02 PM

I work for Retail store, at the corporate center. I hate working on help desks. People don't know what they are doing and no matter what everything is your fault. Unfortunately it is an easy way to collect a paycheck.

I just had to argue with an associate about whether or not the computer is on. I say its not, he says it is. Then i hear some whispering and the windows music play...what do you know everything is fine now. This took 30mins of my time.

I don't understand how today people don't have basic PC skills, and i mean basic common sense basic skills. Can understand an older person having some trouble with it, i have no problem walking them through it. Also why is it always the end of the world when they call me 9 time out of 10 it takes me 2 mins to fix the problem. Or they have had it with this crap never working, its hasnt been working for the last two weeks and we need a new one. 2 mins later its fixed, did they call when it first stopped working NO they didn't, but its still my fault that they haven't be able to use for the last 2 weeks.

I don't think i'm a computer snob, i don't expect people to know everything about computers or half of the things i know about them. I don't mind helping people and most of the time its not bad, its the people that call me with a chip on the shoulder like i got bored and decided to break their computer. /rant

I can't wait to finish my degree and get back into the networking side of the house.

bobb1589 · 01-07-2009, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jin1481

I work for Retail store, at the corporate center. I hate working on help desks. People don't know what they are doing and no matter what everything is your fault. Unfortunately it is an easy way to collect a paycheck.

I just had to argue with an associate about whether or not the computer is on. I say its not, he says it is. Then i hear some whispering and the windows music play...what do you know everything is fine now. This took 30mins of my time.

I don't understand how today people don't have basic PC skills, and i mean basic common sense basic skills. Can understand an older person having some trouble with it, i have no problem walking them through it. Also why is it always the end of the world when they call me 9 time out of 10 it takes me 2 mins to fix the problem. Or they have had it with this crap never working, its hasnt been working for the last two weeks and we need a new one. 2 mins later its fixed, did they call when it first stopped working NO they didn't, but its still my fault that they haven't be able to use for the last 2 weeks.

I don't think i'm a computer snob, i don't expect people to know everything about computers or half of the things i know about them. I don't mind helping people and most of the time its not bad, its the people that call me with a chip on the shoulder like i got bored and decided to break their computer. /rant

I can't wait to finish my degree and get back into the networking side of the house.

your preaching to the choir here...same thing for me...but im glad when i actually get work to do... i have been working on deploying new pc's its been so slow on the support side

foff667 · 01-07-2009, 09:16 PM

Amen brother!

sweetbmxrider · 01-07-2009, 09:18 PM

so whats the number there?

hey its their stupidity that keeps you employed $$$

bobb1589 · 01-07-2009, 09:20 PM

yeah this is one occupation that they really cant / wont get rid of because everything revolves around computers now...theres only so much you can push off shores

NJSPEEDER · 01-07-2009, 09:23 PM

My bro did help desk stuff for Ramapo when he was in college. Some of the stories were hysterical. Someplace online there is a guy who did help desk stuff for years at a university and edited together tapes of the questions he would get day to day. lol

I think part of the problem is that no one is taught critical thinking any more. There is a massive pile of information laying at our collective feet, but people have stopped bothering to try to apply information. Why think when you can call or hit the help button and let someone else think for you?

jin1481 · 01-07-2009, 09:25 PM

the worst helpdesk i ever did was at GCC...so many whiney kids, i wanted to slap everyone of them.

bobb1589 · 01-07-2009, 09:28 PM

i work at rowan's it department but its not help desk... i deal mostly with faculty... who are engineers and somewhat competent... but you'd be surprised how dumb some of them are with computers

7pointoh · 01-08-2009, 02:24 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt9j80Jkc_A

Vid should cheer ya up. It does with me. Glad I don't work with end users anymore.

WildBillyT · 01-08-2009, 09:06 AM

You ought to hear some of the calls that my guys get into here at work. From time to time we run tests on news or media clips and even though we are nonpartisan and don't take sides people feel the need to call our help desk and share their opinion about a particular topic. One time my coworker was on a call for 45 minutes while somebody went off about abortion or something like that so he put them on mute and went to 7-11 to get a soda. When he came back 20 minutes later the person was still ranting.

bobb1589 · 01-08-2009, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WildBillyT

You ought to hear some of the calls that my guys get into here at work. From time to time we run tests on news or media clips and even though we are nonpartisan and don't take sides people feel the need to call our help desk and share their opinion about a particular topic. One time my coworker was on a call for 45 minutes while somebody went off about abortion or something like that so he put them on mute and went to 7-11 to get a soda. When he came back 20 minutes later the person was still ranting.

what do you do?

WildBillyT · 01-08-2009, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 95 red slp

what do you do?

I am the IT production manager at a market/communications research firm. The help desk guys are part of my team.

bobb1589 · 01-08-2009, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WildBillyT

I am the IT production manager at a market/communications research firm. The help desk guys are part of my team.

oh very nice

JL8Jeff · 01-08-2009, 10:29 AM

I get the help desk guys asking me "do you do this?" all the time when they can't identify who or what the source is for a problem. The most common comment from end users that still cracks me up is usually related to the location of a particular file and we hear "it's usually on my 'Q' drive" or whatever letter that particular pc is mapped out to which server. People have no idea where there work is actually located, they just go to the mapped drive.