Tag: At&T

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TECHIE SALES REPS LACK EMPATHY

Do you dread buying a new computer, iPhone or other electronic devices?  I know I do. It’s not like buying a new dress to wear to a wedding.   You brace yourself for a whole a new set of buttons and apps. For me, any new piece of equipment involves a steep learning curve.  And most sales reps at places like AT&T and BEST BUY are woefully unaware of how to help seniors.  They zip through the instructions at breakneck speed, and never smile. You can tell they don’t like waiting on folks over 50.  Young techie sales representatives lack empathy for anyone who didn’t grow up using computers.

It wouldn’t be so bad if the new computer or phone came with an  instruction manual.  But everyone’s gone paperless.  Since I grew up using Simplicity patterns to make my own clothes, I’m pretty good at following printed instructions.  But when a sales rep impatiently barks out directives on using a new product, I’m lost.  Yes, I know, there’s a line of customers behind me, chomping at the bit to be waited on.  And they won’t be asking silly questions or ask the salesperson to repeat themselves.

Techie sales reps lack empathy for old folks who didn't grow uup with computers.
Young techie sales reps lack empathy for seniors who don’t understand their language..

I know they’re frustrated because I don’t understand their language. And they know I’m at their mercy.  If I want to survive  in modern society, I must have a cell phone and a computer, at the very least.   Not to mention an MP3 player and a Kindle.  I’m not going to walk out of that store empty handed.  But I’m going to go home and try to remember what they said, and probably end up in tears of frustration, bemoaning my own ignorance.  And when I return to the store for further information, they frown with disapproval.

Each store should have a special clerk for seniors.  It would be helpful to advertise, and schedule appointments, so as to accommodate  people on canes and walkers, or those who can’t stand up for long. This person would need to have something the other tech salesmen lack—empathy.

As a last resort, I’ve ordered a printed manual for my new phone  called  “iPhones for Dummies.” That’s perfect for a tech dummy like me.

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RECOVERING FROM FRIDAY 13TH

Are you superstitious?  I used to be, until I finally stopped attending psychic fairs.  But last Friday,  I began to reconsider my feelings about the power of the supernatural.  After a really bad day, I’m still recovering from Friday the 13th.

It began at 5:30 a.m.  I ‘m awakened by severe leg cramps.  Tossing and turning, I try to make them stop. But when I jump out of bed, I feel dizzy.  Not sick, no fever, just that my head is spinning.

After calming  down, I  decide to go for a swim to clear my head. At 8:30 a.m. I pack up my gear and head for the local college pool.  It”s  cold, and I have to park a long way from the sports center.  Trudging  up the hill, I see that the lights are turned off, and the pool is closed.  Bummer.  Shrug, it’s just one of those things.

Return home and check my iphone.  Battery life down to 3%.  Plug the cable in; nothing happens.  This means I’ll have to drive to AT&T, which will probably mean a long wait. Then, I’ll have the hassle and expense of a new phone.

I go to check my rental property where I’m paying a painter by the hour.  But, he’s not there, the work isn’t finished, and I’ve already paid him 4 times as much as anyone else who’s done the work before.

Back home, I flip on the TV, and see that the President of the United States has been impeached.  No matter which political party you support, this is very bad for our country.  It’s going to be a gloomy Christmas holiday in Washington DC.
On Fri. 13, my computur was hit by a virus
A virus hit my computer on Friday the 13th.

Turn on my computer and find I’ve been hit by a virus.  Can’t access any of my apps like Google, or Word.   Do a system restore which takes over an hour.  Download and re install Chrome, but can’t activate Word.  Block my antivirus program, do another system restore.  Still no Word.  Can’t open any of my documents.  Call the web host for my blog, and talk to a service rep with an incomprehensible accent.  Looks like I’ll have to wait until next week, to call Geek Squad

Jump in the car and head to AT&T.  Service rep finds I have a broken cable. Whew, easy to fix.  He plugs it in, and while I wait for a recharge, he says I really need a new phone because my battery is old.  I take his word for it and reach for my credit card, but it turns out my husband has to be there because the contract is in his name. (More about this in next post)  I leave for Kroger Store, and can’t find my credit card.  Return to AT&T, root thru my purse, finally find the card.  In my confusion, I’ve stuck it in a hidden slot.

Now I’m driving home, and falling back on meditation techniques.  Breathe in, breathe out. Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Stay calm. Nothing catastrophic has happened. Breathe in, breathe out. My house didn’t burn down. I haven’t wrecked my car. I don’t have a serious illness (that I know of).  Back home,  I’m outwardly calm.  I fix dinner as usual, and listen to the news.

When stressed out, meditation helps
When feeling stressed, it helps to stop and breathe slowly, in and out.

Good news:  Sat  morning,  I open my computer after  doing another system restore, and I have all my apps back. I can use Word to write this blog.  I can go through Google.  My head is clear.  My iphone works fine with a new cable.  A new Nafta trade agreement was signed by Congress.  Hooray!

And yet,  I’m still in recovery mode. And now I can’t open AOL.  How was your Friday the 13th?

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TEARING MY HAIR WITH TECH SUPPORT

It started out like any other day.  As I was leaving Tai Chi, I tried calling my husband to tell him that I was stopping by Kroger’s. Because  he’s handicapped, I like to let him know if I’m going to be a little late.  I hit our home number and waited for the ring tone.  Nothing. Dead silence.  Tried again. No sound at all, even though my phone said it was calling that number.  When I got home, my husband said he hadn’t received my call.  That’s when I started tearing my hair with tech support.

It's frustrating to spend several hours on the phone with tech support
IT MAY TAKE SEVERAL HOURS WITH TECH SUPPORT TO FIND A SIMPLE SOLUTION TO YOUR PROBLEM

Called our wireless  provider, Spectrum, got connected to the usual automated voice message where you  have to tell them who you are, where you live, what’s on your mind, etc.

Once the robot found no outage in our area,  I was connected to a real live tech support person  with a strange accent who talked so fast that I had to ask her to repeat herself.   First, she checked to see if my home  landline had my cell number blocked.  No, it didn’t.  Techie said it was probably something wrong at AT&T.

To reach a real live person at AT&T, had to go through numerous steps :  enter forgotten pass code, get a new one, identify myself in  various ways. After about 30 minutes, got a support person  who got impatient when I asked  her to  speak clearly, and slow down.  First question:  was cell phone number blocked?  No, Spectrum had assured me I had no numbers blocked.  AT&T used their cell phone to call my home. It went right through, so they said it wasn’t their fault, but they would run some tests and get back to me.

Next morning nothing had changed.  Cell couldn’t call home.   I wondered if something was wrong with my Apple iPhone.  Maybe the settings were wrong. Again, Apple had me enter user name and pass code, long forgotten.  Took about half an hour to receive numerous e mails,  find  user name, put in a new password, etc.  First question:  Did my home phone have blocked numbers?  No.

Apple said to refresh my software.  This meant I had to sign up for I Tunes in order to save all my data.  It was a lengthy ordeal, but after about an hour, my phone had been completely updated.  Great!

Now, tried to call my landline again.  Still didn’t go through.  Apple said it was probably AT&T’s fault.

Called AT&T back, went through all the rigmarole to identify myself.  This time, got a person who spoke plain English.  I told her everything that had happened, and she said to go to phone settings.  There was an item at the bottom of the list, SHOW MY CALLER ID.  She asked me if that button  was on or off.  It was on.  She said to turn it off.  Voila!  My call to my landline went through.  One tiny little setting had been  causing the whole problem.

Called Spectrum back and asked why they had assured  me there were no blocked numbers on my phone.  They sputtered around and said, well, your landline didn’t  have a list of blocked numbers,  but yes, there was a block on all calls with no caller ID.   Whoa, Spectrum, why didn’t you tell me that yesterday? They could not explain, but did apologize.

Total time invested: 5 hours

Next day, had a problem with blue ray settings On TV.   Another few hours before that got fixed by Sony.

 Anyone over eighty should take a tranquilizer before they call tech support.