What Are the Most Common Technical Support Horror Stories?

I once called for technical support regarding my internet connection. The technician was extremely rude. He kept interrupting me while I was trying to explain the problem. Then he put me on hold for a really long time. When he came back, he started blaming me for the problem, saying I must have messed up some settings, without even properly investigating. It was a nightmare dealing with him.

One memorable story is when a customer thought his hard drive was full because he had saved thousands of cat pictures and videos. He didn't understand why his computer was so slow until the tech support explained about storage space. Another is a person who tried to use a CD as a coaster for their coffee mug and then wondered why their CD - ROM drive wasn't working. It was full of coffee!

The most common IT support horror story is probably related to user error. For instance, an employee clicks on a phishing link and unknowingly installs malware on the company's network. The IT support then has to deal with the consequences, which can include data theft or system crashes. Another common scenario is when IT support tries to upgrade hardware, but the new components are not compatible with the existing ones. This can lead to a whole host of problems, from slow performance to complete system failures.

The most common one is probably the virus or malware attacks. A company's network can get infected, and all the computers start acting up. The IT support has to isolate the infected machines, clean them up, and make sure the data is not stolen. It's a huge hassle.

There are also horror stories about data loss. A customer might accidentally delete important files and then expect the tech support to magically recover everything. Even if it's possible to recover some data, it's not always a 100% solution. And some customers get really angry when they realize that not all their data can be retrieved. This can lead to a very unpleasant tech support experience.

One common type is the unprepared interviewer. They don't seem to know what they're looking for and ask really inconsistent questions. Another is the overly tough questions that are not relevant to the position. And of course, technical glitches during an online interview like bad connections or malfunctioning software.

Long wait times are very common. Customers are often left on hold for a ridiculously long time, like in my case with the airline. Another common element is unhelpful agents. They either don't have enough knowledge or just don't care. For example, the internet service provider's agent who made me repeat the same steps over and over.

Sure. One time, a user called because their computer mouse wasn't working. The tech support guy asked them to check if it was plugged in. After a long silence, the user said, 'Yes, it is, but my cat is sitting on the mousepad and won't move!' Another story is about a guy who thought his printer was broken because it kept printing blank pages. Turns out, he had put the paper in upside down.

Unfair calculations. Often, the formulas used don't accurately reflect the true financial situation of the parents. For example, if a parent has significant debt but is still expected to pay a high amount of child support.

One common theme is misdiagnosis. Tech support often blames the wrong component, like software when it's a hardware problem. Another is slow response time, especially in urgent situations.