2012-03-21

Special customers

Well, I don't usually do this, but I am sat down in the support office and this one was funny. Of course, on a serious note, could such a person take us to ADR if they are not happy? I wonder...

Customer had broadband and with it the free domain and email and web space. They ceased the broadband last year. Fair enough.

The issue, apparently, was that their email was not working. OK, lets fix that...

After much discussion we find that actually the customer has no Internet access. No, this is not as crazy as the case where they had not power, though that did really happen once!

Again, much confusion as they asked us to "check the line", which was ceased last year, and it got very confusing, and eventually we find that actually they use a vodafone dongle. It says it is connected but they still have no Internet. Apparently they have even tried next door's unsecure wifi, and that does not work either - no Internet.

So they want us to fix the email problem - after all they are paying us for email!

This is when we realise they are not in fact paying us for email or the domain. This was an oversight (a "shortfall"?) on our part leaving the domain "free with ADSL" when they cease the line. If happens occasionally and we ask people if they want to keep the domain (and pay) or not (and not pay for the time they had it free either).

I know the whole area can be confusing for some people, and we (techies) find it hard to see things from someone else's point of view. i.e. "What? I need working Internet in order to get my email!".

Thankfully we explained it well enough with the idea that if the TV does not work because there is no power, that is not a TV issue, it is a power issue!

3 comments:

  1. I wonder if illogical threats will work ?

    "If you mention ADR again, we will take you to ADR unless you promise not to mention ADR again."

    Although, I am pondering whether I can get a 'I took A&A to ADR and all I got was this lousy T-shirt' T-shirt from Cafepress made in time for AAISPISSUP ?

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is actually one of the more commons faults we get on our helpdesk.

    Them: My email isn't working.
    Us: Is your internet working?
    Them: No.. what's that got to do with it? Fix my email!

    Email is so ubiquitous that people don't seem to realize that email comes via the Interwebs.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This happens a lot with my customers. So many call up saying "My email isn't working", when we get to the stage of going to our website to get them to run the remote access tool we then find that in fact they do not have any internet!

    We even have people calling sometimes from their mobile after copper theft asking why their internet doesn't work! Well. Hi, Internet uses phone line, phone line has been stolen? Does not compute when you plugged the router INTO THE PHONE LINE?

    ReplyDelete

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