Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.

Miss Demeanor · Feb 18, 2018, 1:05 AM

@shelbeast I can agree with you... to an extent. If I am calling in and my initial response is 'hello, my name is Jelly Bean, my account #/ssn is xxx-xx-xxxx, my address is 2222 Neverland Way, Bumfuck, Egypt 55555, and I am calling you from ###-###-####. This is my issue and these are the precise steps I have taken, in order, of the attempts I have already made to resolve this issue on my own with no positive result'... then maybe don't ask me to repeat all the steps I just detailed out for you as having attempted before calling in? It does tend to aggravate someone with at least basic know-how to be told to repeat the exact same steps we just did again, knowing that we're wasting additional time on top of what we've spent already attempting them and the wait time just to speak with an actual IT tech and not some screen-reading service rep that can't suggest anything that isn't scripted out... especially if you've already had to repeat those steps with said screen-reading service rep or they wouldn't forward you to actual IT. I try to be patient, and understanding, but my patience limit ends somewhere around the 60-90 minute mark of going through the same 3-5 steps over and over with each new person I speak to.

ShelBeast · Feb 18, 2018, 1:14 AM

@miss-demeanor I've never seen anything to that degree where I work. We also don't tend to hand people off if we can avoid it. That being said, as a quality assurance thing, we ARE told that, even if you state that you've taken a troubleshooting method, we're to try to repeat that method. The short truth of it is this: Users fucking lie. All the time. We can't trust you to have actually taken the steps. So we have to take the steps with you ourselves, so that our bosses don't breathe down our necks about QA and the like. ESPECIALLY if we are unable to resolve the issue and have to send it up the chain to a higher level support team. That being said, once one analyst has taken those steps with you and documented that in the ticket there should be no need for any other IT professional you speak to to ask you to repeat them again. As it's been documented that those steps have already been tried and failed to produce results.

Part of that whole making you do things over again... It does require some finesse on the part of the analyst, though. We certainly can't tell you that we think you're lying or incompetent. I find ways to smooth it over. Usually by mentioning that I want to see what exactly happens when we go through the steps again (as I am often remoted in on the computer while talking to someone). This doesn't make it seem like I'm trying to make you repeat the same thing, or that I don't believe you or think you're incompetent, but rather that I'm trying to see it for myself to get screenshots and document it it all in the ticket so I can show how neat and savvy you were to have done these things, even though they didn't work.

Auspice · Feb 18, 2018, 1:23 AM

And sometimes doing things in a specific way can do the trick.

Yes, you might have tried reinstalling the app on your Android. But I can tell you for a fact that sometimes, going into the settings, clearing the cache, app data, uninstalling, shutting the whole thing off, turning it back on, then installing the app again... will do the trick. vs just holding the icon down, deleting, then installing again.

And yes, it may feel like it's just a runaround to be told to do it that way, but you're the one who wants it to 'just work.'

Miss Demeanor · Feb 18, 2018, 1:25 AM

@shelbeast I can appreciate that, and I wish more IT folk that I've dealt with took such a path. And I get that users lie. I do. I've worked customer service for a company that provided tv/phone/internet service. They do. They lie all the time. It sadly doesn't make it any less aggravating to be treated the same as the lowest common denominator. We ask staff not to do that in our MU*s, to punish everyone because somebody fucked it up before us. I ask for the same courtesy in my real life. I've actually started requesting that notations be added to my account stating that I performed the requested steps with no positive result, so that I can finally reach a point where, hopefully, someone can look at my call history and go 'okay, this person actually does this stuff, we should probably move her through'. Hopefully.

Zobi · Feb 18, 2018, 1:28 AM

Not only do users lie, some don't know what equipment they are working with (not all, but there is a good majority who cannot tell the difference between a toaster and their internet modem apparently). So it is really much easier to request the customer walk through the troubleshooting steps with me even if they already did them so that we can make sure they are a) doing it to the right equipment and b) doing it in the right order to ensure it comes up properly.

I understand the frustrations of repeating things, but sometimes it really is for the best and not because we are just trying to waste your time. I really do not want you (the royal 'you') on my phone any longer than you have to be.

Auspice · Feb 18, 2018, 1:31 AM

@miss-demeanor

Unfortunately it's not the person you're talking to: it's their boss' boss (or higher up the line). There's this whole thing in most customer service fields of providing a "standard level of service."

They don't give a flying shit that you are capable. They want to provide the exact same "quality" of service to every single fucking person.

So I have to treat the little ol' granny the exact same way I treat the IT professional who just needs it to work so he can get back to his job.

It makes no fucking sense, but hey! They make millions of dollars a year, so SURELY they know better than I do!

Trust me. I argue with upper management at every goddamn fucking job I have about this bullshit. The easiest thing to do, for both you and whatever slave monkey you talk to is to just get it over with as quickly as possible. They're not doing it to fuck with you, inconvenience you, etc... they're doing it so their call/email/ticket/etc. doesn't get pulled on a QA review and they find themselves 'talked to' for screwing up QA performance.

I've sat through plenty of those meetings.

"But the customer was happy with the call. They gave me a good review, I fixed the issue."
"Yes, but you didn't follow the appropriate processes. We're supposed to follow the workflows and treat every customer the exact same so that we deliver a quality product the same way every time. That's why you failed the call."

So you do get people like me who just decide fuck it, I'll do things my way and just deal with getting yelled at on a regular basis and yell back.
You also get people who will go by the book just so they get perfect QA reports (esp. if they work for companies like Verizon where your yearly bonus is reliant on getting those perfect scores).

Miss Demeanor · Feb 18, 2018, 1:49 AM

@auspice I recognize this. I prefaced this whooooooooooooole thing with the statement that I've worked customer service for just such a company. But I will rail against the the system, and continue to rail against it, because it is flawed and needs to be changed.

Lithium · Feb 18, 2018, 4:30 PM

Other thing is if you are just rattling off tons of information there is a VERY REAL possibility that our systems? Haven't loaded jack and shit yet. So you rattling off information with us having no way to do a damned thing with anything yet?

That's wasting /our/ time, and /your/ time. Just because you can spew out information doesn't mean all of it is helpful either.

We aren't all robots like @Ganymede and to treat us like one isn't doing you any favors.

(Editors Note: The 'You' in this is nebulous and not directed at any given individual)

Ganymede · Feb 18, 2018, 7:18 PM

@lithium

Sockmonkey · Feb 20, 2018, 6:07 AM

I have really crappy knees and they have been hurting like WHOA lately. So tonight, I enjoyed a nice hot bath with some epsom salts and then, afterwards, I was like 'I bet some Bengay would feel good'. Oh no. No. NO.

So I put some on and it was like ....

Oh, this feels good. Wait. What? This is more intense that usual. Haha hahhaha hhaha oh ooooh AAHHAHH NOoooOOOoOOOoOOoOOOoOo!!!!! MAKE IT STAAAAAP!!!!!!!!

I thought my knees were going to burst into flames. In hindsight, of course it made perfect logical sense that one shouldn't use Bengay after a hot bath and I wish I had used my brain for, like, even one second but..

LESSON LEARNED THE HARD WAY.

Oof.

Auspice · Feb 20, 2018, 7:31 AM

@sockmonkey

I don't know if you live in a state with that legal weed stuff, but if you do... CBD gel is amazing for knees. Like, omg it's been life changing for me. I wish weed worked as well on the rest of me.

When my knees have those days where they're so inflamed they feel like they're packed with cotton? That stuff works better than anything else I've touched. It's worth at least trying if you get a chance. I know it doesn't work for everyone, but knee problems suuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

(I know other states have CBD oil/gel options, but it's never as good as the states with legal MJ.)

Sockmonkey · Feb 20, 2018, 8:36 AM

@Auspice Oh! I will look into this! My husband mentioned CBD oil as something to look into for my migraines. I didn't know there was CBD gel. Because at this point, in addition to the Bengay, I am using a prescription anti-inflammatory, icing, swearing under my breath a lot and sometimes leaning on Percocet just to get some sleep at night (the knee pain is so bad that I wake up periodically in the night because I just HURT) which I don't like doing because .. PERCOCET.

And I'm in CA so yeah, legal weed stuff!

Auspice · Feb 20, 2018, 9:31 AM

@sockmonkey said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

@Auspice Oh! I will look into this! My husband mentioned CBD oil as something to look into for my migraines. I didn't know there was CBD gel. Because at this point, in addition to the Bengay, I am using a prescription anti-inflammatory, icing, swearing under my breath a lot and sometimes leaning on Percocet just to get some sleep at night (the knee pain is so bad that I wake up periodically in the night because I just HURT) which I don't like doing because .. PERCOCET.

And I'm in CA so yeah, legal weed stuff!

http://fairwindscannabis.com/product/flow-cbd-gel/
This is the one I used when I was in WA (I bought a spare jar just before moving >.>). It seriously gets rid of that packed-with-cotton feeling within 5-10 minutes. No pill (even prescription-strength) has ever been able to do that. It makes my hands itchy, but that may just be me (and it only does it to my hands; so I just wear food prep gloves or wash it off right after). But there are nights where my knees are so bad I can't sleep unless I use it, so I totally understand.

ETA: Looks like that brand is WA-only, but! It gives you an idea what to ask for at a shop. When I found it I just asked the girl at the store about what's good for joints and it's what she pointed me at.

RnMissionRun · Feb 20, 2018, 10:35 AM

I'm pretty sure you can get CBD stuff pretty much everywhere now, regardless of whether your state has legalized marijuana. I know that's the case here in MD anyway as I'm seeing more and more of it in the local smoke shops.

I havn't bought anything locally though as DC is only a 45 min drive north, and I prefer to get my stuff (by which I mean, the real stuff) from the legal dispensaries there.

Auspice · Feb 20, 2018, 11:00 AM

@rnmissionrun said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

I'm pretty sure you can get CBD stuff pretty much everywhere now, regardless of whether your state has legalized marijuana. I know that's the case here in MD anyway as I'm seeing more and more of it in the local smoke shops.

I havn't bought anything locally though as DC is only a 45 min drive north, and I prefer to get my stuff (by which I mean, the real stuff) from the legal dispensaries there.

I've just found the stuff outside of states with the legalized tends to be... less effective. I think it's much less potent is part of it? Or the processing used is different. I also haven't seen gel available (at least personally). I've just seen the tincture stuff at health stores.

Auspice · Feb 20, 2018, 10:12 PM

TIL the CEO of Stardock is a raging asshole.

tldr: dude refused to use preferred pronouns, joked about calling trans people 'it,' got called out for it and began throwing a tantrum over people talking about protesting/boycotting Stardock... then turned it into LOOK I'M SO MUCH BIGGER AND GREATER THAN ALL OF YOU.

(but hey he included me in his little 'ha ha look at me and all my great comebacks' thread, so there's that.)

Pandora · Feb 22, 2018, 2:17 AM

This is why everyone should shut the fuck up and let me be an asshole.

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you. ~~Unless I beat your ass with a book~~. Words do not hurt unless you have been conditioned to let them. This is why children say the darnedest things but then they're taught shame disguised as couth. And while I appreciate the thought and intent behind censorship of all the bad-wrong words, I firmly believe it is doing more harm than good, feeding into this false sense of being entitled to niceness, then causing people to fall apart when that expectation is inevitably shattered. People are way too anxious, stressed, and socially stunted today, I posit it has something to do with the utterly impossible social expectations of never ever saying or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time because someone's feelings might get hurt, coupled with the fact that hurting someone's feelings has been made into the world's greatest evil act, so even accidentally sticking your foot in it makes you a Bad Person.

Stahp it.

hedgehog · Feb 22, 2018, 2:50 AM

Dear Douchey Canadian Booking Agent Dude,

Nobody cares if Combichrist wants to put a song on this charity comp. Or Grendel. Or Aesthetic Perfection. Or Nacht-fucking-mahr. THERE ARE ALREADY FOURTEEN SUBMSSIONS DELIVERED. We were going for a mid-March release at the latest. THIS IS NOT A VEHICLE TO PROMOTE YOUR ACTS THAT ARE ON THE ROAD. The beneficiary's actual friends have already delivered. JUST FUCKING STOP IT.

Dear Long-Suffering Label Head Buddy,

Just fucking declare mutiny already. You're the one paying the costs in time and money here; undermine these assholes, call the guy responsible for the mastering, and get the release out on time. You deserve to be treated better by these dicks for all that you're already doing.

Dear Musician Grrlfriend,

Don't do this Xymox tour. You are going into debt, are being treated like shit by the American booking agency, and it's not worth destroying your digestive system with the stress. DO, however, stick with the Seattle festival gig. You've been paid, have gotten publicity, are getting room, catering and flights. This is the best situation for you right now.

Dear New Superstar Internet-Friend,

Your ex-wife sounds pretentious and weird and has the most bizarre job I have ever heard of (sobriety wrangler for an A-lister). I totally get your disillusionment with the 'industrial' scene, too - too much snobbery and not enough intellectualism/common sense. However, you sound super sad and down and should be seeing a therapist. There ARE challenging ones out there. And I do think you and Marc Heal need to go and do those historical site travelogues. You'd actually enjoy yourself.

...apparently my life's been super weird the past month.

insomniac7809 · Feb 22, 2018, 2:53 AM

@pandora said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

This is why everyone should shut the fuck up and let me be an asshole.

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you. ~~Unless I beat your ass with a book~~. Words do not hurt unless you have been conditioned to let them. This is why children say the darnedest things but then they're taught shame disguised as couth. And while I appreciate the thought and intent behind censorship of all the bad-wrong words, I firmly believe it is doing more harm than good, feeding into this false sense of being entitled to niceness, then causing people to fall apart when that expectation is inevitably shattered. People are way too anxious, stressed, and socially stunted today, I posit it has something to do with the utterly impossible social expectations of never ever saying or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time because someone's feelings might get hurt, coupled with the fact that hurting someone's feelings has been made into the world's greatest evil act, so even accidentally sticking your foot in it makes you a Bad Person.

Stahp it.

So people can say mean things because they have the right to say mean things, but the people who say those people should stop saying mean things should stop saying the people who say mean things should stop saying mean things?

Pandora · Feb 22, 2018, 3:13 AM

@insomniac7809 said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

So people can say mean things because they have the right to say mean things, but the people who say those people should stop saying mean things should stop saying the people who say mean things should stop saying mean things?

Yes.

(No, of course not.) The link name is clickbait. I do think if people spent less time trying to make assholes feel bad for being assholes and more time focusing their efforts on people affected by assholes we'd all be better off. The guy in that video has some great work on bullying and how to stop bullies that I think is super useful. Assholes will be assholes, people have to be stronger. My daughter got physically hit in school today and tells me 'I didn't hit him back because I'm a pacifist' so I'm pretty sure I've completely fucked up something, somewhere along the way. Hence my being up at 3 in the morning looking up shit about bullying and also the laws on beating the hell out of other people's third-grade sons.