Story by LindyP
The world is too much with us.
My knowledge of anything to do with IT is very limited ,being as I am , a senior citizen who still writes in longhand to friends , still plays CD’s, and hasn’t a clue what an i-pod dock is .
So last week I decided to get some help to download apps on my phone from my local mobile/internet provider who I have a contract with .
Firstly I must add without hesitation that Perth has quite a solid reputation for bad customer service.
Not to be deterred I found the kiosk in the shopping centre where 3 young employees were occupying computer screens.
The disinterested look on their faces as I approached said it all.
I stood and waited —and waited –then in the end politely asked for some help. One of the lads , who appeared to forgotten to get BOTH sides of his hair cut at his last visit to hairdresser, turned to me (without taking his eyes off the computer screen ) and said ‘YES ?’
I explained my problem -he reluctantly left his warm seat to come over and take my phone from me.
At this stage I had to assume that he had no more words left at his disposal after the exhaustion of leaving his chair and uttering the one word syllable.
He then stood at the bench propping himself up at the bench with one hand and playing with my phone with the other-two hands would have been more than he could have coped with. He did this for 10 minutes and interjected with IT Speak if I dared to interrupt his skillful work. Finally he gave me back my phone and said —‘There yer go ‘
I walked away like a stunned mullet . I have absolutely no idea what he did -there was no communication whatsoever .
All I wanted was a new ring-tone.
lindyp
Window Dresser's Arms, Pig & Whistle 
Fired up the Asus:
Seeing as TODAY unexpectedly for something different I had to return the MONITOR to be assessed, the one thing left that wasn’t replaced of that jumble of graphics card, SSD, the HD, the fan thingy, the box with the 7 USB ports enough to go to the moon on, eh, not to mention in the next wave of replacing things not working the keyboard and mouse and dongle (phew all fixed), golly now the monitor … and perhaps tomorrow or maybe I have to wait for the week, maybe two, could be longer and so on Philips takes to honour the return of the item with bright spot and dead pixel or whatsoever, well they might not, and I’M LUCKY (I was TOLD) that the stock retailer certainly will.
Anyway the monitor is no longer made by Philips (how did we guess) but if the stock retailer returns it and yes (You’re lucky) they have agreed by telephone, Philips has to do something, but if we ourselves try to do that or expect Philips to do that could be weeks, maybe you can swop for the Asus desktop (hesitates) but the trouble is that’s more expensive (reads off box seeming deep in thought ‘it’s got 3 years warranty’) …
How big is the difference between the price of the Philips and the Asus screen. $10.00. (Let’s not sweat over a tenner.)
I am perfickly aware something is wrong. It’s a financial disaster for them.
I might buy a BIC sounds like an intro. 🙂
http://www.upworthy.com/boom-roasted-heres-why-you-dont-ask-a-feminist-to-hawk-your-sexist-product?c=bl3
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Sounds like you were sold a pile of off lemons. How old is this gear, especially the monitor. I don’t think it can be fixed – needs to be replaced. Good lucky oh lucky one 🙂
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It was decided after consultation with the accountant/partner/wife overnight or the next day (yesterday) that I was allowed the monitor, the one I was told was unfortunately more. What do I owe you I asked. No, nothing. I have to set it up yet.
The gentleman does have a pleasant engaging personality. His partner/wife/accountant does too. I am disturbed by how careless I was entering into this contract. Bit of a learning curve.
Thank you so much Vivienne for the well wishes and good luck. They got me over the line.
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Something slightly different
————————————
Seniors Banking…
Shown below, is an actual letter that was sent to a bank by an 86 year old woman.
The bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published in the Times.
……..
Dear Sir:
I am writing to thank you for bouncing my cheque with which I endeavoured to pay my plumber last month.
By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the cheque and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it..
I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire pension, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years.
You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account £30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank.
My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways. I noticed that whereas I personally answer your telephone calls and letters, — when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank has become.
From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person.
My mortgage and loan repayments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by cheque, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate.
Be aware that it is an OFFENSE under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope.
Please find attached an Authorised Contact form which I require your chosen employee to complete.
I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative.
Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public figure, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof.
In due course, at MY convenience, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me.
I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modelled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service.
As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Let me level the playing field even further.
When you call me, press buttons as follows:
IMMEDIATELY AFTER DIALLING, PRESS THE STAR (*) BUTTON FOR ENGLISH
#1. To make an appointment to see me
#2. To query a missing payment.
#3. To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
#4 To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.
#5. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
#6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home.
#7. To leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer is required.
Password will be communicated to you at a later date to that Authorised Contact mentioned earlier.
#8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 to 9
#9. To make a general complaint or inquiry.
The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service.
While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call.
Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.
May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous New Year?
Your Humble Client
And remember:
Don’t make old people mad. We don’t like being old in the first place, so it doesn’t take much to piss us off.
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The description you make of the faces looking up at you from the screens remind me, lindyp of the expression on the faces of the kids called to come away from the television when their programme was finished to have their evening meal. Blank. Non compos mentis.
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Well observed Sandshoe… 🙂
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🙂
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I’m constantly surprised that many young people can be so ignorant of primary school maths, and nearly everything after that, including grammar and common courtesy, yet believe that some contrivances, like the mobile phone, apps, and the internet, are important, can be so bloody arrogant. They don’t realise that this sort of stuff is insubstantial, transient, all smoke and mirrors!
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Yes Big M I agree-I often watch Millionaire Hot Spot at 5.30 and can’t believe what some youngsters don’t know -one uni student hadn’t heard of Dickens !!! What are they teaching them these days ?
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Shakespeare probably. Remember, the older you get the more you know. You don’t get taught everything in school. History in school (for me) was British History with a bit about Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson thrown in and English Literature did not include Dickens. Learnt about Dickens from films.
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Lindy I’ve had similar experiences in recent weeks. I’m fortunate that Algy junior is finishing his IT degree and just flick everything to him and does it all with a minimum of fuss.
I’m winding up my business and need to get my mobiles, business phone and fax as well as internet into personal rather than business. Well rang the telecon to have the phone and fax disconnected and to have it that day. No problems they rang me back and told me that would happen that evening; it happened 6 days later.
Can I help you with anything else the voice on the phone said. Well yes I need the mobiles and the internet transferred as well. No problems we’ll email you the form you need to fill in and you take it into the shop.
First attempt with the mobiles not a proble with the form but the internet, you’ll need to ring this number. Home I went rang the number, the nice Filipino girls flicked me through three sets of hands, in the end I just pit the internet account onto the same form. Two days later back down to the shop, their systems down, I could take it but it will get stuck in the system, then a stone faced not my fault can you come back tomorrow, no it’ll have to be Thursday night. Third time they walked into the back room and faxed the form away, they’ll contact you in the next 30 days. Huh, I could have done that a week ago.
Anyhow the mobiles are now sorted and I think the internet will happen this week. Then I can go in and bundle the lot into one account. All very simple only take oh 5 or 6 visits and a month.
What gets me is they’ll contact you to “rate their performance”. Thanks for this I liked it a lot.
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What an exasperating experience ! Trouble is you can’t do a thing about it -apart from ‘rating their performance’ which doesn’t have any effect so you may as well not bother. And to think all this technology is meant to save us time !!
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A female techy would have been polite and helpful. Seems to be a man thing all too often. Though my techy/computer company is full of helpful blokes. I think it works better for the customer if you deal with the place where you bought the equipment. Though mine don’t deal in mobile phones – everything but.
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Funny you should mention the female techy Vivienne-I went to my internet provider a few weeks ago and came across the first female so far and she couldn’t even figure how to get internet on my laptop –‘I’ve never had a Mac so I don’t know how they work ‘! Isn’t she supposed to be trained in all types of services ?
But I know what you mean about politeness and concern-at least she tried and eventually got- there with my help !
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I’ve said it before – I am just lucky in my part of Australia. Computer tech people I deal with are all kind and helpful blokes. The female ‘techy’ where I have purchased mobile phones (for myself and family) was at the Telstra shop. She was brilliant and very patient (as I observed while waiting to be served) with everyone. She managed to deal with customers while also helping a bloke serve customers (he was having a lot of trouble sorting out a problem).
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Nice one, Lindy.. I had to find a new doctor as the previous one did not lift his eyes of the computer screen when reluctantly telling me what was wrong with me. The bastard wasn’t even young, and his hair cut looked pretty pricey…Once was enough , and I told him so….
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I find all doctors like this these days –tell me when you find a decent one -with a normal hair cut !
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I can identify the prejudice I am now subject to within no time of investigating a new doctor relationship. I can pretty well identify that prejudice across the board of experience of customer service. It is so patent it is almost tangible. Matter of age, matter of gender, I think mostly. Matter of my status as an ex-wife of a practitioner I reckon perhaps. Infuriates me when I realise the marginalising process that occurs in our society whatever our status. We are a foolish society.
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Yes, I just wanted a normal phone some months ago. I managed to escape with my life. I am sure the IT guy had a red buzzer under his desk in case of a customer like me.
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I don’t have a normal phone any more -it’s worked out a lot cheaper just to have a mobile with a good plan -but I assumed when I did this over 2 years ago that I would get good service if needed —I’m still waiting –
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Unfortunately this is our brand new generation…clueless to the most important things in life , emphasizing only in their own agendas and demanding more civil rights while offering as little as possible to society
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I have a friend who has had incredible difficulty finding work, who did land a job and who was bullied by a psychopath ten years her junior who was totally committed to a stupid deadline that nobody else cared about. No respect for experience. Oblivious he was to the level of offence he was spraying about.
No wonder courses on how to deal with “difficult” people are packed out these days.
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I agree…and there is also no respect for anything…because nobody cares to set good examples anymore…anything goes these days and that is a huge problem !
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I must be lucky in my part of the country – young people are respectful (apart from the drunken ones at 3 am etc) and helpful.
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I reckon the young people are very respectful in my part of the town and older people can be scary.
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