[2164] in Humor
HUMOR: Another Tech Support Tale
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Sharalee M. Field)
Thu Oct 9 10:48:07 1997
Date: Thu, 09 Oct 1997 10:46:38 -0400
To: humor@MIT.EDU
From: "Sharalee M. Field" <sharalee_field@harvard.edu>
<excerpt>Return-Path: celia_kent@harvard.edu
X-Sender: ckent@pop.fas.harvard.edu
Date: Thu, 09 Oct 1997 10:10:48 -0400
To: cjwells@fas.harvard.edu, sharalee_field@harvard.edu
From: Celia Kent <<celia_kent@harvard.edu>
Subject: Re: The 401K Made Me Do It (fwd)
>From my brother, you might find it amusing...
>Date: Wed, 8 Oct 1997 21:21:02 -0400 (EDT)
>From: john d abernethy <<jda@world.std.com>
>
>>Actual dialog of a former WordPerfect Customer Support employee:
>>-----
>
>>"Ridge Hall computer assistant; may I help you?"
>>
>>"Yes, well, I'm having trouble with WordPerfect."
>>
>>"What sort of trouble?"
>>
>>"Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went
away.",
>>
>>"Went away?"
>>
>>"They disappeared."
>>
>>"Hmm. So what does your screen look like now?"
>>
>>"Nothing."
>>
>>"Nothing?"
>>
>>"It's blank; it won't accept anything when I type."
>>
>>"Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out?"
>>
>>"How do I tell?"
>>
>>"Can you see the C:\ prompt on the screen?"
>>
>>"What's a sea-prompt?"
>>
>>"Never mind. Can you move the cursor around on the screen?"
>>
>>"There isn't any cursor: I told you, it won't accept anything I
type."
>>
>>"Does your monitor have a power indicator?"
>>
>>"What's a monitor?"
>>
>>"It's the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV. Does it
have a
>>little light that tells you when it's on?"
>>
>>"I don't know."
>>
>>"Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where the power
cord
>>goes into it. Can you see that?"
>>
>>....."Yes, I think so."
>>
>>"Great! Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it's plugged into
the
>>wall."
>>
>>....."Yes, it is."
>>
>>"When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there were two
cables
>>plugged into the back of it, not just one?"
>>
>>"No."
>>
>>"Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and find the
other
>>cable."
>>
>>....."Okay, here it is."
>>
>>"Follow it for me, and tell me if it's plugged securely into the back
of
>your
>>computer."
>>
>>"I can't reach."
>>
>>"Uh huh. Well, can you see if it is?"
>>
>>"No."
>>
>>"Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way over?"
>>
>>"Oh, it's not because I don't have the right angle-it's because it's
dark."
>>
>>"Dark?"
>>
>>"Yes-the office light is off, and the only light I have is coming
infrom the
>>window."
>>
>>"Well, turn on the office light then."
>>
>>"I can't."
>>
>>"No? Why not?"
>>
>>"Because there's a power outage."
>>
>>"A power... A power outage? Aha! Okay, we've got it licked now. Do
you
>>still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff your computer came
in?"
>>
>>"Well, yes, I keep them in the closet."
>>
>>"Good! Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up just like it
was
>>when you got it. Then take it back to the store you bought it from."
>>
>>"Really? Is it that bad?"
>>
>>"Yes, I'm afraid it is."
>>
>>"Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them?"
>>
>>"Tell them you're too stupid to own a computer."
>>
</excerpt>
---------------------------------------------------------------
Sharalee M. Field University Hall 11
Planning Analyst Cambridge, MA 02138
Faculty of Arts and Sciences 617.495.8257 (Voice)
Harvard University 617.495.7881 (Fax)
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~smfield/
