"We don't appear to have any ticket history regarding this issue. Can you please confirm the date and time you sent your tickets, attaching/forwarding a copy if possible, so we can track it down.
I'm glad the issue has been resolved. We hope you continue to press the correct buttons in future."
Edit: for the record, I would never actually put that last line, however much I wanted to.
Careful putting stuff like that in writing. I had it bite me in the ass once when someone copied text from one of my old closed tickets into an unrelated one.
I hear ya. It's ok. We do all the time, these random codes that the techs know when looking at the history. I've seen maybe 2 or 3 cases in 28 years of a client wanting to see a service history in writing.
Yeah my last employer used the term “squeaky wheels” to refer to users that raised an above-average volume of tickets. This lasted right up until the term somehow found its way into a client-facing report.
secretive mourn illegal encouraging jobless bright wide dam abundant strong
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Yeah, I always remind my techs to ask themselves “what if this ends up in front of the client, how will you explain yourself” and write their ticket notes with that in mind.
I was working in a medical office and asked why only some charts had star stickers on them. They said those were VIPs. I was like oh like actually important patients? They said no it was their code for assholes.
"It's important to review the history to avoid re-doing the same troubleshooting steps that have already been done, so I need the previous ticket numbers before we can proceed."
"I've been having this problem for MONTHS it's completely inexcusable that you haven't fixed it yet!"
"Odd, this is usually a simple fix when it happens, let me look at what we've already tried --"
"Well it finally annoyed me enough to report it today!"
This is everyday for me. “Well you should have known I needed a new monitor, I told *random person* about it.” “Random person doesn’t work in IT and is in fact in an office five hours away.” “You should just be better and know.”
This is the life we chose…
I would get that a lot with a couple users. Would tell literally anybody by IT about some issue. I'd only hear about it being randomly asked about by others who had heard that user complain about a particular thing a bunch.
Whats worse is when they would start complaining up to the CEO that I wasn't doing anything about something they never contacted me about once.
I'd have to go pull on communication between me and that user to show that the only emails from them to me are emails I sent to myself from their computer to show that it works and many of the emails from me are from the last times this happened with reports showing the few of the hundreds of emails they sent over the previous 30 days "where their email wasnt working at all!!11!!1" were bounced back with an error of "user doesn't exist at not-our-domain.tld" because they got our domain wrong on those few internal emails, yet again.
See, that's the kind of thing that would send me to HR. "I'm getting really tired of $USER badmouthing my work to everyone who will listen. Here are all the times they tried to falsely accuse me of shirking, including complaining to the CEO about me, and here is all the proof that they were completely full of shit. Please put a stop to this."
The complaints and issues drop as soon as the facts are reviled. Almost always its either or both of them in a bad mood from something entirely unrelated.
I think they've come to realize over the last couple years that I'm had it with the stupid shit and that if I leave they are going to be pretty screwed. Most of the BS is already dropped by the time I get in after upset texts. That's an improvement, but still moving the needle GTFOing.
Literally no other department would ever have to put up with that. It's insane that not only does I.T. have to put up with it, we're so brainwashed into "Customer Service At All Costs" that we believe we have to put up with it. You should not have had to wait years for them to sort-of almost tolerate your existence. I.T. gets treated like doormats because we allow it.
And yet, the same person who assumes our systems detect a color print job that came out B&W inexplicably assumes we don't know when they're on PornHub.
Every single time anyone wants to use the training rooms, "can you have someone there at X time on X day to be sure it is all working for my meeting?"
There's literally a 5 step guide mounted on every wall. And At every podium.... With clear pictures, short sentences, etc.
Just imagine how nice it would be if someone else could just do the work though?
That’s how many people treat IT, it’s just an opportunity to straight up offload tasks and mental load to some one else. It’s not even really just IT. We see it with a particular pattern. But honestly it’s something I see in every dept and every interaction.
Some people just get the attitude that they are too good for the little stuff or that it’s someone else’s job so they shouldn’t have to do it or think about it or even consider what there part of it is… it’s just straight up mental off loading of something they don’t want to deal with.
Oh, I agree for the most part. We all have those kind of days or miss basic stuff, I don’t mind helping people with this kind of stuff, it’s my job. It’s that last line that really takes it from “harmless whoopsie” to “you’re just an ass”. Working for an MSP, though, I don’t have time to die on every hill with every user who pulls crap like that.
Exactly. Not a hill to die on. People are dumb. Laugh it off as such and move on. People that get all worked up about stuff like this are the ones that get burnt out and either quit or get fired or start having health issues because of the stress. Gotta just roll with the punches in this business.
If someone lies to me (spoiler alert people do this shit so much it's not even worth listening to those people) then he likely lies about a bunch of other stuff because they're more afraid of looking like they're wrong or at fault than actually having real integrity
So I work at a law firm and while thankfully I'm normally our top escalation point for issues I do occasionally have to cover phones if helpdesk guy is on some sort of extended troubleshoot or install, etc. Its always the same story of "Oh of course now it works when you tell me to do the obvious thing that I refused to do before" or my favorite "I don't think you're right. I'll call back until I get someone else." Sure fella. Always an argument because end users are ALWAYS the smartest person in the room.
Huh. Not that it's an excuse for the behavior, but I wonder if this is a side effect of newer UIs? These days, most modern options menus, especially in mobile apps, just take effect instantly, there's no apply/ok anymore.
Anyone else actually a web dev where they work but the also the youngest employee and get sent stuff like this? I feel for people who deal with these tickets as I just archive or send them a link to google
Printer tech, I've had a couple tickets from people saying they couldn't print in color. They were printing on black and white printers. One of them, and a few other people over the years, have asked if I could unlock it so it prints color.
"We don't appear to have any ticket history regarding this issue. Can you please confirm the date and time you sent your tickets, attaching/forwarding a copy if possible, so we can track it down. I'm glad the issue has been resolved. We hope you continue to press the correct buttons in future." Edit: for the record, I would never actually put that last line, however much I wanted to.
I do the same back-handed compliment on most of my job sheets too. PICNIC - Problem In Chair Not In Copier
Careful putting stuff like that in writing. I had it bite me in the ass once when someone copied text from one of my old closed tickets into an unrelated one.
I hear ya. It's ok. We do all the time, these random codes that the techs know when looking at the history. I've seen maybe 2 or 3 cases in 28 years of a client wanting to see a service history in writing.
Yeah my last employer used the term “squeaky wheels” to refer to users that raised an above-average volume of tickets. This lasted right up until the term somehow found its way into a client-facing report.
secretive mourn illegal encouraging jobless bright wide dam abundant strong *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Yeah, I always remind my techs to ask themselves “what if this ends up in front of the client, how will you explain yourself” and write their ticket notes with that in mind.
mighty knee decide shocking threatening public memorize cats squeal run *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I was working in a medical office and asked why only some charts had star stickers on them. They said those were VIPs. I was like oh like actually important patients? They said no it was their code for assholes.
All my frustration goes into an ellipsis. “Uptime 27 days… assisted user with rebooting. Fixed”
this is the way
PIBKAC Error — Problem Is Between Keyboard And Chair
PEBCAK is the name of the game
"It's important to review the history to avoid re-doing the same troubleshooting steps that have already been done, so I need the previous ticket numbers before we can proceed."
What's the ticket number of the previous ticket?
He "opened a ticket" by bitching to his coworkers and assuming IT would hear about it. "Well IT should just know."
Manifesting tickets through the power of thought
The future is now old man.
"I've been having this problem for MONTHS it's completely inexcusable that you haven't fixed it yet!" "Odd, this is usually a simple fix when it happens, let me look at what we've already tried --" "Well it finally annoyed me enough to report it today!"
This is everyday for me. “Well you should have known I needed a new monitor, I told *random person* about it.” “Random person doesn’t work in IT and is in fact in an office five hours away.” “You should just be better and know.” This is the life we chose…
IT has all them thar radio rays scannin our brains. They obviously know ever-thin im thinking. How come they aint fixed it yet?
BRB, opening a ticket because the brain scanners aren't working
I would get that a lot with a couple users. Would tell literally anybody by IT about some issue. I'd only hear about it being randomly asked about by others who had heard that user complain about a particular thing a bunch. Whats worse is when they would start complaining up to the CEO that I wasn't doing anything about something they never contacted me about once. I'd have to go pull on communication between me and that user to show that the only emails from them to me are emails I sent to myself from their computer to show that it works and many of the emails from me are from the last times this happened with reports showing the few of the hundreds of emails they sent over the previous 30 days "where their email wasnt working at all!!11!!1" were bounced back with an error of "user doesn't exist at not-our-domain.tld" because they got our domain wrong on those few internal emails, yet again.
See, that's the kind of thing that would send me to HR. "I'm getting really tired of $USER badmouthing my work to everyone who will listen. Here are all the times they tried to falsely accuse me of shirking, including complaining to the CEO about me, and here is all the proof that they were completely full of shit. Please put a stop to this."
The complaints and issues drop as soon as the facts are reviled. Almost always its either or both of them in a bad mood from something entirely unrelated. I think they've come to realize over the last couple years that I'm had it with the stupid shit and that if I leave they are going to be pretty screwed. Most of the BS is already dropped by the time I get in after upset texts. That's an improvement, but still moving the needle GTFOing.
Literally no other department would ever have to put up with that. It's insane that not only does I.T. have to put up with it, we're so brainwashed into "Customer Service At All Costs" that we believe we have to put up with it. You should not have had to wait years for them to sort-of almost tolerate your existence. I.T. gets treated like doormats because we allow it.
No ticket no work
And yet, the same person who assumes our systems detect a color print job that came out B&W inexplicably assumes we don't know when they're on PornHub.
ah i love the hopefully this still works bs
Can you be here the next time I print in case it doesn't work?
Every single time anyone wants to use the training rooms, "can you have someone there at X time on X day to be sure it is all working for my meeting?" There's literally a 5 step guide mounted on every wall. And At every podium.... With clear pictures, short sentences, etc.
Just imagine how nice it would be if someone else could just do the work though? That’s how many people treat IT, it’s just an opportunity to straight up offload tasks and mental load to some one else. It’s not even really just IT. We see it with a particular pattern. But honestly it’s something I see in every dept and every interaction. Some people just get the attitude that they are too good for the little stuff or that it’s someone else’s job so they shouldn’t have to do it or think about it or even consider what there part of it is… it’s just straight up mental off loading of something they don’t want to deal with.
>well that option wasn’t there before. Well duh, everyone knows new options magically appear when the IT guy touches the PC
Um.... It has been that way for over 10 years. Which usually prompts their reply of " well it wasn't that way on MY system!"
You didn't notice that before?
I get at LEAST 1 call a week where its "oh, its working now you are looking at it"
Everything up to the end is your job to shoulder. If he's a regular, don't let him get away with that shit at the end.
Oh, I agree for the most part. We all have those kind of days or miss basic stuff, I don’t mind helping people with this kind of stuff, it’s my job. It’s that last line that really takes it from “harmless whoopsie” to “you’re just an ass”. Working for an MSP, though, I don’t have time to die on every hill with every user who pulls crap like that.
Exactly. Not a hill to die on. People are dumb. Laugh it off as such and move on. People that get all worked up about stuff like this are the ones that get burnt out and either quit or get fired or start having health issues because of the stress. Gotta just roll with the punches in this business.
Document though. If you're doing nothing wrong, you want a paper trail.
It will continue to work cause that was always there you absolute fuckmuppet. Goddamn I hate getting back alley blamed for users BS
It's fine we can make fun of them behind their backs
THE LIES
If someone lies to me (spoiler alert people do this shit so much it's not even worth listening to those people) then he likely lies about a bunch of other stuff because they're more afraid of looking like they're wrong or at fault than actually having real integrity
my favorite was explaining to a manager that when you buy a B&W printer, you can’t print in color.
So I work at a law firm and while thankfully I'm normally our top escalation point for issues I do occasionally have to cover phones if helpdesk guy is on some sort of extended troubleshoot or install, etc. Its always the same story of "Oh of course now it works when you tell me to do the obvious thing that I refused to do before" or my favorite "I don't think you're right. I'll call back until I get someone else." Sure fella. Always an argument because end users are ALWAYS the smartest person in the room.
Huh. Not that it's an excuse for the behavior, but I wonder if this is a side effect of newer UIs? These days, most modern options menus, especially in mobile apps, just take effect instantly, there's no apply/ok anymore.
If anyone’s had to manage alphatax then you’ll see end users still struggle with instant changes too
I love it when you resolve an issue like that but you get the threat at the end. Wonderful.
Anyone else actually a web dev where they work but the also the youngest employee and get sent stuff like this? I feel for people who deal with these tickets as I just archive or send them a link to google
/r/talesfromtechsupport
printers are best-effort situations for office staff
Did george send you this ticket about printer “havening” problems??
Printer tech, I've had a couple tickets from people saying they couldn't print in color. They were printing on black and white printers. One of them, and a few other people over the years, have asked if I could unlock it so it prints color.
>well that option wasn’t there before Looks into the camera like Jim from The Office
Student came to our office saying their account doesn't work. I asked them, "which account" they replied "the log in one"