Coworker vent

[sam_gordon]

Why do people insist on exaggerating problems?

I work in IT support. Coworker comes back and say "I can't print anything." (note the 'Anything'). So I go to her desk, open up the printer properties, print a test page, no problem. She says "I can't print a document the boss emailed."

I go into her email program and go to print a random email. "Oh, I can print that. I can't print a document the boss emailed.". So we track that email down and try to open the attachment. It won't OPEN (and you get a popup saying it won't open) because it was saved in a newer version of Microsoft Word.

She says "that's the popup I keep getting". So she:
1) CAN print most things
2) Gets a popup saying a document can't be opened
3) Tells us she can't print ANYTHING.

Do people really not understand the difference between 'printing' and 'opening'?

 

[GAGirlInVA]

This is a huge peeve of mine. I used to work in helpdesk support and over half the battle was trying to figure out exactly what the person was trying to describe.

Some days I wanted to rip my hair out. "you know.. the thingy won't work." uhhhh... thingy?

 

[Purple Nightshade]

You sound like the IT guy that Jimmy Fallon used to play on SNL

 

[ols386]

If you work in IT Support, is that your job, to assist co-workers with these kinds of issues? If so, then I would think that this is a 'good' thing. Job security and all that.

 

[sam_gordon]

Believe me, there is plenty of job security. I don't mind helping folks, in fact I kind of enjoy it. But why not say "I can't open the attachment the boss sent"?

Of course, this is the same person who did not know...
1) How to change the wallpaper on the computer
2) How to change the screen saver settings
3) That if a program isn't on the desktop does NOT mean it's not installed

 

[lizabu]

Believe me, there is plenty of job security. I don't mind helping folks, in fact I kind of enjoy it. But why not say "I can't open the attachment the boss sent"?

Of course, this is the same person who did not know...
1) How to change the wallpaper on the computer
2) How to change the screen saver settings
3) That if a program isn't on the desktop does NOT mean it's not installed

If this is the same person maybe that person didn't understand why they were unable to print the document (aka as he/she couldn't open it). I guess if everyone you worked with was a computer genius they wouldn't need you.

ETA- I can understand your frustration. I used to do phone support for people calling about their internet connection. I don't know about you but I prefer dealing with the person who knows nothing about computers rather than the smug know-it-all who has already tried everything and doesn't want to troubleshoot.

 

[Lorelei Lee]

It's very frustrating if you can't solve the problem because you're getting incorrect or incomplete information.

It's also very frustrating if a two minute job turns into a 10 minute job because the person with the problem isn't clear about the problem.

Sounds to me that the OP spent a good deal of time trying to fix the wrong problem, time that could have been spent on other tasks. Like, helping another coworker.

But , OP, a little patience . . . My former co worker was just like that, didn't have a clue . . . She would call our helpdesk and have them running in circles to fix issues that the rest of us could have fixed ourselves. Totally clueless and helpless, didn't mean to frustrate our IT guys . . .

 

[sam_gordon]

If this is the same person maybe that person didn't understand why they were unable to print the document (aka as he/she couldn't open it). I guess if everyone you worked with was a computer genius they wouldn't need you.

ETA- I can understand your frustration. I used to do phone support for people calling about their internet connection. I don't know about you but I prefer dealing with the person who knows nothing about computers rather than the smug know-it-all who has already tried everything and doesn't want to troubleshoot.

I don't think knowing the difference between 'open' and 'print' should take a computer genius. Keep in mind, I'm not talking proprietary software. I talking basic Windows XP. But again, she didn't come to me saying "I can't print this one document", it was "I can't print ANYTHING." Which she KNEW was a lie because when I sat down at her desk and went to print something "Oh, I can print that."

IT support is only part of my role. I have other responsibilities too.

 

[joyjoy]

My company has an outside IT company that comes in every few days to work on whatever. We have an outlook folder where there is a list of issues people add to that the tech should address. For fun, I go read the items sometimes. One of my co-workers regularly adds things like, "Computer is acting funny" or "PRINTER AGIAN CANNOT PTINT w/ THIS PRINTER" or "Internet is slow" or "Same error message pops up - replace battery in wireless mouse. What do I do?". It's mind boggling, really.

 

[hereyago]

How does she have a job there? I mean dang, I truly don't know much about computers, but I can at least handle opening and printing easily. is she a relative of some sort of a higher up?


This is my thing: I don't mind helping anyone, but it's not my job to make it a career of helping the same person over and over. Some people are just clueless and some people know that you will help and take advantage.

 

[HannaBelle]

If you work in IT Support, is that your job, to assist co-workers with these kinds of issues? If so, then I would think that this is a 'good' thing. Job security and all that.

This sounds like my teaching mentor when when student # 36 walked in and I was out of desks! I don't think he is not grateful for his job, he is just venting about his inept coworkers!

Vent away OP...

Our IT guy has us keep a log of what happens when and what program we were using and ya-da, ya-da... It has made an improvement in getting our issues solved! More details the better!

 

[BunsenH]

Thanks for reminding me how great it is to be retired. At least the petty problems are better to deal with than a server crash.

 

[Uptown Girl]

Believe me, there is plenty of job security. I don't mind helping folks, in fact I kind of enjoy it. But why not say "I can't open the attachment the boss sent"?

Of course, this is the same person who did not know...
1) How to change the wallpaper on the computer
2) How to change the screen saver settings
3) That if a program isn't on the desktop does NOT mean it's not installed

A lot of people are just not computer savvy and just don't know what they are doing or the correct terminology for things. I was helping a group of people do something on the computer a couple years ago and I was shocked at the large number of people that didn't even know how to "point and click" with a mouse.

Maybe offering a computer basics class will help?

 

[kelleigh1]

We don't have an inhouse IT dept. But as the secretary, every time one of my attorneys has an IT problem, they call me. It's usually stuff like this. These are attorneys who went to the best law schools around, make x times what I make and yet when it comes to the computer, they are clueless.

 

[fitgirl36]

Believe me, there is plenty of job security. I don't mind helping folks, in fact I kind of enjoy it. But why not say "I can't open the attachment the boss sent"?

Of course, this is the same person who did not know...
1) How to change the wallpaper on the computer
2) How to change the screen saver settings
3) That if a program isn't on the desktop does NOT mean it's not installed

#3!!!! yes! That's exactly what it means! Ugh. There's others out there not only at my job! How about this one-is the Internet down? Yep sure is the whole Internet is down!

 

[cluvsdisney]

I was once asked to help someone who could not print anything at all. Her printer was out of paper. I feel your pain - vent away.

 

[MickeySP]

If you work in IT Support, is that your job, to assist co-workers with these kinds of issues? If so, then I would think that this is a 'good' thing. Job security and all that.

DING DING DING!!!!!

I don't think knowing the difference between 'open' and 'print' should take a computer genius. Keep in mind, I'm not talking proprietary software. I talking basic Windows XP. But again, she didn't come to me saying "I can't print this one document", it was "I can't print ANYTHING." Which she KNEW was a lie because when I sat down at her desk and went to print something "Oh, I can print that."

IT support is only part of my role. I have other responsibilities too.

Then maybe you should have told her you were too busy to help and gotten someone else to assist her. One of our IT guys gave this kind of service with attitude, we now call him UNEMPLOYED

I use IT SUPPORT - seems you need to remember you are there to SUPPORT.

 

[hereyago]

Support should be if there is something wrong with the computer, computer program, not, "can you come over and teach me computer basics 101 that even a 8th grade can learn in school. lol

 

[curious3069]

Vent away, OP. I also have IT duties on top of my regular job and sometimes you just have to shake your head. As in "your computer won't turn on..hmm, let me look. Well, let's turn your monitor in and see what happens..."

And I sure didn't see that he treated the co-worker badly, just that he was frustrated and venting.

 

[kelleigh1]

Oh and I have one who will click print and then if it doesn't print, he'll just hit print several more times thinking that eventually it will print. Yes, eventually it will, when you actually put more paper in the printer or clear the jam, but it won't just magically print because you hit the print button 15 times.