Today we have a double feature! Simply because The Kin felt a bit bad and because this story is simply too good NOT to share, The Kin decided to post about this.
So to start off, this post, while most are about customers and their various acts of stupidity and or clueless natures, this one is not. Sometimes it's the equipment. Not the customer's equipment, but the company equipment. Well, a lot of times, but that's neither here nor there. Pair bad equipment with clueless people and people unwilling to learn or listen, you have a recipe for disaster.
This post will have a bit of technical info just to elaborate on what happened and what makes this case so..Special. If you've worked with wireless routers, you typically know a few things about them. The SSID is the network name that shows up in the list. The mode, without going into too much detail, can be set to B/G/N, G/N, N or various combinations. These are protocols and affect the speed of the wireless as well as range and other factors. The network key is of course the password you use to connect, so on and so on.
So this customer calls in and says their wireless was being spotty. The Kin goes through with a normal channel change and the customer was actually really patient, eager to listen and generally pleasant. This is abnormal enough to begin with, so The Kin capitalized on it. So we get everything set up, all the devices are working except for this one computer using a USB wireless device. Now let's pause here for a moment.
Not all equipment is created equal. This is very, very important. If you have, for example, a wireless card that is old, for example, it uses 802.11 g, then it's not going to work on a network that is set to use only 802.11 n protocol. It's not backwards compatible. 802.11g IS compatible with 802.11b, but to a certain extent. Depending on the device, some will work, some won't work. The Kin assumed this was one of those cases and instructed the customer to change the mode to 802.11b/g/n so it encompasses everything. Here is where the mythical beast known as "Murphy" awakened from his slumber and began to terrorize the lands of cyberspace. Upon doing this, the network we had spent 30 minutes so far troubleshooting disappeared. Poof. Vanished. This customer however, was a good one. They were smart enough to keep a computer wired directly to it. Upon logging in, the SSID was changed from what they had to simply...admin. Yes. Changing the mode, for some bizarre reason, changed the SSID. Sense. It makes none.
The password was changed to a random string of numbers that was like a billion characters long. Weirdest thing The Kin has ever seen and the one other time it was seen, that router went south, fast and, liked the parrot of Monty Python, it ceased to be shortly after. So The Kin falls back upon the trusty factory reset.
This router was reset to the factory default and everything looked to be normal but this time the network key was simply changed to password..But the customer was still connecting using the default password which DEFINITELY WAS NOT "password." Again, Murphy's reign of terror and abilities to confuse, befuddle and bewilder never cease to amaze The Kin. Again, the factory reset goes through. This time things look to be saved and it looks like the reset may have scored a 9999 critical on good ol Murphy.
Finally, after twenty minutes of just doing factory resets and testing various changes to see if the modem was going to get "Murphed" things looked to stabilize and it looked like Murphy retreated to his lair to rest. From there we set the mode to B/G/N but Murphy wasn't done just yet. The computer with the usb wireless device still refused to connect. Everything was in order. The password was correct, the profile was removed and recreated but the router itself wasn't authenticating the password. The computer simply refused to connect despite all other equipment working flawlessly. In this case, it was one of two things. Probably the company's equipment or the USB device. The Kin wasn't really sure to be honest, and in this case, neither was the customer. The customer decided to look into getting another, more current USB wireless device to see if that helps and possibly look into getting their own equipment. After that, The Kin can't blame them. Kind of hard to convince someone to use something that breaks right in front of them.
Diagnosis: Faulty equipment with a side of Murphy
Solution: Get your own equipment, hopefully it's more Murph resistant.
Have a good day, everyone.
Friday, January 31, 2014
It's always our fault..
Greetings and salutations again from The Kin. Sorry as of late as The Kin has been a bit wore down and really hasn't been motivated. That and other things in real life kind of got in the way. That being said, let's continue onward with today's story!
Today we have a story of rage, stupidity and of course as always, humor. So The Kin answers the call as they do so many other times. The customer on the other line is of course upset as most are. They got this brand new Smart TV (which ironically is smarter than they are as after it's set up it can REMEMBER THINGS..) and they want to hook this newfangled technology up to their wireless network. There is just one tiny problem getting in the way of our Customer's netflix dream. The customer forgot the password.
Okay now that's understandable. The Kin entirely understands forgetting passwords as, hell, even The Kin has forgotten a password or two in his day. When you're having to juggle a bazillion different passwords for various things, unless you write them down, it's easy to forget em so The Kin tends to be a bit...Lenient per se on these types of customers and honestly tries to go the full mile to try to accommodate and assist them. So as usual The Kin asks if there are any devices they have that are CURRENTLY connected to the network. A windows 7 machine is even better as it's really easy to simply pull the password from the connection properties. The customer gives a yes and The Kin gets excited at the prospect of an easy call and somewhat of a minor break of everything always being our fault..There is just one minor hiccup.
The customer has left their computer at work which means there is no currently connected devices. Only the smart TV. So by now, The Kin is telling them that without a computer there is nothing he can do other than factory resetting the router which will effectively nuke the network settings and leave it open. This is a bad idea. The customer actually has the audacity to complain that people in the other departments were able to give her her password. Okay so her password is documented somewhere, but The Kin isn't able to find it as the department has a different system of notes and such. Since this was the customers first call to this department in particular, her password was not on file.
So instead of simply waiting a day, calling back and getting help, the customer decides to take their angst on how it is The Kin's fault that the company did not write her password down for her. Let's be realistic people. Write your passwords down if you have a lot of them and put them in a safe place. We are not babysitters but at times, we certainly feel like it.
Diagnosis: PEBKAC (Problem exists between keyboard and chair. In this case, remote and TV..)
Solution: Keep your passwords safe. if you can't remember them, write them down. Remember, keep them secret. Keep them safe. Happy friday, everyone!
Today we have a story of rage, stupidity and of course as always, humor. So The Kin answers the call as they do so many other times. The customer on the other line is of course upset as most are. They got this brand new Smart TV (which ironically is smarter than they are as after it's set up it can REMEMBER THINGS..) and they want to hook this newfangled technology up to their wireless network. There is just one tiny problem getting in the way of our Customer's netflix dream. The customer forgot the password.
Okay now that's understandable. The Kin entirely understands forgetting passwords as, hell, even The Kin has forgotten a password or two in his day. When you're having to juggle a bazillion different passwords for various things, unless you write them down, it's easy to forget em so The Kin tends to be a bit...Lenient per se on these types of customers and honestly tries to go the full mile to try to accommodate and assist them. So as usual The Kin asks if there are any devices they have that are CURRENTLY connected to the network. A windows 7 machine is even better as it's really easy to simply pull the password from the connection properties. The customer gives a yes and The Kin gets excited at the prospect of an easy call and somewhat of a minor break of everything always being our fault..There is just one minor hiccup.
The customer has left their computer at work which means there is no currently connected devices. Only the smart TV. So by now, The Kin is telling them that without a computer there is nothing he can do other than factory resetting the router which will effectively nuke the network settings and leave it open. This is a bad idea. The customer actually has the audacity to complain that people in the other departments were able to give her her password. Okay so her password is documented somewhere, but The Kin isn't able to find it as the department has a different system of notes and such. Since this was the customers first call to this department in particular, her password was not on file.
So instead of simply waiting a day, calling back and getting help, the customer decides to take their angst on how it is The Kin's fault that the company did not write her password down for her. Let's be realistic people. Write your passwords down if you have a lot of them and put them in a safe place. We are not babysitters but at times, we certainly feel like it.
Diagnosis: PEBKAC (Problem exists between keyboard and chair. In this case, remote and TV..)
Solution: Keep your passwords safe. if you can't remember them, write them down. Remember, keep them secret. Keep them safe. Happy friday, everyone!
Monday, January 27, 2014
Unrealistic Expectations
So you're driving along the road and all of a sudden you get a flat tire. How did that happen though? You have a can of Fix-a-flat in your car! You should be impervious to flat tires!
The Kin now has a question. How ridiculous is that statement up above? Sounds pretty ridiculous, right? People seem to think that because they have anti virus they can't get viruses. This couldn't be further from the truth. Just because you take vitamins on a daily basis doesn't mean you'll never get sick.
So this customer calls in and The Kin answers the phone. The customer is having issues connecting to the internet. They're connected to the wireless but no internet access. So The Kin guides t hem through resetting IE because their Safari isn't doing anything. They were using Safari on a windows machine. Don't ask. So, the customer successfully resets IE and opens it as instructed. However, Iexplorer has stopped responding. It crashed. So the customer tried Google Chrome. Same thing. Chrome crashed. At this point in time, it's definitely something with the system be it a virus or some configuration error / corrupted drivers. More importantly it didn't do this until after the customer restarted their machine. This often triggers most viruses as they do their nasty business during the startup process.
So after a lengthy discussion the customer decides that they can't have a virus since they have Norton Antivirus, it is NOT a virus. They won't listen to anything else and despite what The Kin says, it's just all excuses at this point in time. It's the modem. Nevermind the fact all the other devices are working, this one device won't work and it's the modem. No way he has a virus. Right..
So after insisting that the customer have the computer looked into by a professional (because not many professionals are going to use Safari on a windows machine..) the customer hangs up in rage.
Diagnosis: ID-10-T error. Have a nice day.
The Kin
The Kin now has a question. How ridiculous is that statement up above? Sounds pretty ridiculous, right? People seem to think that because they have anti virus they can't get viruses. This couldn't be further from the truth. Just because you take vitamins on a daily basis doesn't mean you'll never get sick.
So this customer calls in and The Kin answers the phone. The customer is having issues connecting to the internet. They're connected to the wireless but no internet access. So The Kin guides t hem through resetting IE because their Safari isn't doing anything. They were using Safari on a windows machine. Don't ask. So, the customer successfully resets IE and opens it as instructed. However, Iexplorer has stopped responding. It crashed. So the customer tried Google Chrome. Same thing. Chrome crashed. At this point in time, it's definitely something with the system be it a virus or some configuration error / corrupted drivers. More importantly it didn't do this until after the customer restarted their machine. This often triggers most viruses as they do their nasty business during the startup process.
So after a lengthy discussion the customer decides that they can't have a virus since they have Norton Antivirus, it is NOT a virus. They won't listen to anything else and despite what The Kin says, it's just all excuses at this point in time. It's the modem. Nevermind the fact all the other devices are working, this one device won't work and it's the modem. No way he has a virus. Right..
So after insisting that the customer have the computer looked into by a professional (because not many professionals are going to use Safari on a windows machine..) the customer hangs up in rage.
Diagnosis: ID-10-T error. Have a nice day.
The Kin
Thursday, January 23, 2014
The Beginning
Greetings and salutations from The Kin. This is the beginning post of the blog. So, let's give a brief overview of what to expect. Basically this will be a compilation of stories of various experiences from the job The Kin works at. Everything will be anonymous. No names shall be given, no information shall be given, everything is purely anonymous.
So let's get this show on the road. Many of you people have probably been on the bad end of customer service. You expect people to take care of you, treat you well, and generally just help solve your problems. Have you ever though thought for a moment what the representatives on the other end go through? Customer service is not for the faint of heart. You deal with all sorts of people on a daily basis. Some are kind, some are funny, vicious, drunk, the list goes on and on. Basically if there is a category, there are customers to fit that category.
Help Me Help You
So, for remote support to work, you have to be willing to do a bit of your part. Calling into remote support means that, typically, we're a few hundred, if not a few thousand miles away from you. We can't hook your ethernet cable up to your computer. So starting the night off, the customer calls in. The Kin answers with the usual greeting. The customer then explained the issue, their wifi wasn't working. They said that it hasn't been working for the past month. Now immediately The Kin stops to ponder...If it hasn't been working for a month, why wasn't this solved earlier? A full month to call support? Nevertheless, The Kin continues troubleshooting as usual. We get to a part to where we factory reset the modem. Then the issues start to crop up as they always do. Some setting on the gateway is keeping the customer's phone from connecting and of course, they have no other devices to connect.
This is why you need a laptop or a computer of some sort with an ethernet cable. So after asking the customer politely if they can furnish a computer with an ethernet cable, they proceed to go on a rant about how The Kin should be able to fix things from where he is. They then proceed to rant about how they're paying for a service they can't use, so on and so forth. Really, it's a simple situation. More in likely it's the security mode. Changing it will allow the phone and devices to connect. It's a simple process and really only takes about five minutes to do. The customer? Naw, they don't want any part of it. So after a while they basically gave up ranting and spewing obscenities. Lesson of the day? Have a computer, have a good day.
So let's get this show on the road. Many of you people have probably been on the bad end of customer service. You expect people to take care of you, treat you well, and generally just help solve your problems. Have you ever though thought for a moment what the representatives on the other end go through? Customer service is not for the faint of heart. You deal with all sorts of people on a daily basis. Some are kind, some are funny, vicious, drunk, the list goes on and on. Basically if there is a category, there are customers to fit that category.
Help Me Help You
So, for remote support to work, you have to be willing to do a bit of your part. Calling into remote support means that, typically, we're a few hundred, if not a few thousand miles away from you. We can't hook your ethernet cable up to your computer. So starting the night off, the customer calls in. The Kin answers with the usual greeting. The customer then explained the issue, their wifi wasn't working. They said that it hasn't been working for the past month. Now immediately The Kin stops to ponder...If it hasn't been working for a month, why wasn't this solved earlier? A full month to call support? Nevertheless, The Kin continues troubleshooting as usual. We get to a part to where we factory reset the modem. Then the issues start to crop up as they always do. Some setting on the gateway is keeping the customer's phone from connecting and of course, they have no other devices to connect.
This is why you need a laptop or a computer of some sort with an ethernet cable. So after asking the customer politely if they can furnish a computer with an ethernet cable, they proceed to go on a rant about how The Kin should be able to fix things from where he is. They then proceed to rant about how they're paying for a service they can't use, so on and so forth. Really, it's a simple situation. More in likely it's the security mode. Changing it will allow the phone and devices to connect. It's a simple process and really only takes about five minutes to do. The customer? Naw, they don't want any part of it. So after a while they basically gave up ranting and spewing obscenities. Lesson of the day? Have a computer, have a good day.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
The Introduction
So The Kin decided to start a bit of a project. The Kin works as a Technician handling customer service calls for a large cable internet provider in the United States. The Kin plans on recording his experiences here. Some humorous, some enlightening, some sad but hopefully all entertaining. Enjoy the blog!
-The Kin
-The Kin
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)