Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Tech Support — A Short Play

Scene: An office. Lights up on the cube farm. Me at my desk; Co-Worker at another.

Co-Worker: Oh, the internet’s down! Bobby, can you help?

Me (after wondering why people think the only guy in the office magically knows how to fix computers): What’s on the screen?

Co-Worker: “Internet Explorer cannot connect to this page.”

Me (getting up and going to Co-Worker’s cube and seeing a webpage in all its glory on the screen): Looks fine to me.

Co-Worker: But when I enter the address, I get the error message. (Co-Worker types in address. Error message pops up.) See?

Me: That’s because you’re typing the address into the Search box.

Co-Worker: Oh! Really?

Me: Yeah.

Co-Worker: Ha ha! How funny! Thanks!

Me: You’re welcome. (Goes back to his desk and looks for something to open a vein with.)

END OF PLAY.

3 barks and woofs on “Tech Support — A Short Play”

  1. You should have told said coworker that the error would clear if s/he pressed the Any key – twice.

    Also too, men understand computers and women don’t. I’m assuming it’s part of the reason men aren’t supposed to understand women. (/snark of course: one of my best friends is a very talented DBA and expecting mother, who’s frustrated by the flipside of this myth).

  2. I briefly worked as a computer repair tech – back in 2001. Due to that, I’m the family & friends™ support guy. I even have the (http://tinyurl.com/pjh6cp) merit badge. I’ve advised people on major purchases, only to have the advice ignored, and then expected to ‘fix’ problems which would have been avoided if the advice had been followed (’cause what they bought was at the store/on sale/pretty!). I know I have myself to blame – I could just say “No, figure it out yourself”, but that would would leave me with the cat as the only one to talk to. I’m at the tail end of the Boomer generation, and I’m advising/helping people less comfortable with tech, but at times I wish we’d not gone beyond rotary phones…

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