Tech support?

Big Girl Feet's post about the issues of moving and dealing with tech departments reminds me of my recent computer repair experience. I just set up a new computer which is under IBM's warranty. My employer sent the computer to my remote office, but when I set it up I couldn't get the diskette drive to work. Yes, diskette - our field technicians don't all have computers and use old Sony Mavica cameras that you stick a 3 1/2" disk into,they then fax in their paperwork and courier the diskettes to me so I can complete our reports.

So I have to tell my tech department. That takes a day or two. Then I ask for a local phone number because I was told someone would call me - no one did. I phone,and they guy says 'something's wrong with your DVD drive?" and I say "no 3 1/2" diskette drive" He tells me my call is super hot priority and someone will call me within an hour. A technician calls within 2 minues (that's a first!) and says "something's wrong with your DVD drive? " and I say "no 3 1/2" diskette drive" and he says a new part will be flown out and another technician will call me the next morning to install it. I question him about a new part, without even checking, but he says that's the way it's done.

Nothing happens the next morning so I phone the 1-800 number around noon and the call centre guy says "something's wrong with your DVD drive?" and I say "no 3 1/2" diskette drive" . I've got a bad feeling about this. The call centre guy tells me someone will arrive before 5:00pm and there is nothing I can do but sit and wait. This is when I get a hankering to leave the house for some errand.

Each day I wait, I am getting more behind in my work. I hook up my old dinosaur computer, put in the diskette, burn a DVD and then put the DVD in my new computer. This process takes at least 15 minutes instead of the 1 or 2 minutes it would take me to process the photos on the diskette.

No one showed or called by 5:00pm, so the next morning I phone again, and AGAIN I get 'something's wrong with your DVD drive?" and I say "no 3 1/2" diskette drive" and the call centre guy tells me there is nothing he can do, I should just keep calling the local tech (thank goodness for call display). I phone the tech guy's cell several times throughout the morning leaving urgent messages.... about 2:30 another guy phones and says 'something's wrong with your DVD drive?" and I say "no 3 1/2" diskette drive". Oh boy. He tells me he'll call me right back. He says he'll be here in 15 minutes.
He arrives in 5 minutes. He has a parts box under his arm.
He says he needs me to turn off my computer.
I ask if he wants to check the configuration first.
He agrees that would be a good idea.
He checks it and sure enough there is a toggle in a set up screen (which I didn't know how to get to but knew existed) and toggles the diskette drive from 'disabled' to 'enabled' and it works. He says 'usually they trouble shoot these types of things over the phone'. T -h-a-n-k-s buddy.

Time on site: 8 minutes
Start to finish:8 days