Stupid robot rant
You ever dealt with computer support robots? The ones that regurgitate help manuals and stuff I already found on the web site?
I’ve been having a problem for months with my computer’s main, fastest and easiest CD/Data burning program, which escalated into corrupting drives.
I finally threw up my hands and started looking around for solutions before finally grovelling to tech support.
The first time, after a couple of correspondences, was mostly helpful. I restored my CD and DVD drives, and was ecstatic. The help given to me was something I would have had a very hard time finding on my own.
But in the process, I was led to believe that if I uninstalled a program, I could easily reinstall the corrupted program back to its factory, pristine condition.
Hmph.
So I did that, and lost the program. And couldn’t reinstall it.
So I corresponded with a tech again, who thoughtfully provided me a link to an update of the lost program. That’s fine, except it’s an update and won’t let me install the update without the original program.
I finally gave up trying to tell tech support that and thought I’d figure out another way to do it. Including finding the program on my dad’s computer and copying it. Doesn’t always work that way, though.
Now my dad would really like me to burn some photos for him, and for that, I need a data burning program. I can still burn CDs, but I’d like to do it through the program that came free on my computer.
So I e-mail tech support again today, close to a month after my first encounter. The robot before was fairly helpful, but this one was just moronic. After saying in my e-mail what had happened, including what I’d tried to fix it, the robot writes back and tells me how to fix it, telling me things I’d just said I’d tried to do.
So I write back and said very politely, that doesn’t work. What I really need you to do is give me that program that I need.
Robot spews out more things that do not work.
I have given up. The HP computer robot has won. I f*ing don’t care at this point. Dad, if you’re reading this, you’re getting your pictures never, because I’m too tired to try to fix this, or to go another round with robots.
I suppose I should go surf around for some programs that will work, and just pay for one. That was part of my point. I should be able to recover a program that came free with my stupid computer, and the stupid robot techs should be able to help me.
I guess I’m being harsh on this guy, and after all, the advice is free. But it doesn’t make it helpful, or right.
I’m done ranting. I’m very tempted to e-mail this guy back and call him a loser robot, but he gets paid to be one. I just hate being treated like a moron, when in fact, I am not. With about two hours of training, I could probably be more helpful on PCs than this guy was. Bah!
Mel,
Yes, I am reading this, & I need those pictures!!!!!
DAD
P.S. I don’t know how I can leave comments under your name…..but stuff happens!!!!!
It’s been awhile since I owned a PC (I’m a Mac person), but when I was in college I had an old Packard Bell running Windows 3.1. Packard Bell was subsumed by HP, I think, though I really have no idea. Anyway, I can still remember the difficulty of accomplishing any kind of restore with that machine. The restore disks that come with a PC seemingly do not allow you to easily reinstall just one program without reinstalling everything else, too, including the OS. I don’t know why this is true. Maybe it isn’t true, any longer, I don’t know. I haven’t owned a PC in nearly eight years. All I know is, my PC experience was a special kind of hell compared to the experience I’ve had with my Macs.
To Dad — when you’re visiting this blog, sign out. I signed in on your machine a while ago. Then you can leave comments as a visitor. And I will do it today. I’m working on a work around for the stupid data problem.
And to Matt — I’m a born PC person, but there is a special kind of hell for some PC things. I tend to poo-poo Macs, but after this mess, I might throw my PC out the window. Or figure out where this tech was that helped me and throw a 50 bundle of blank cds at his head.
When this whole thing started, I did create recovery disks, but then they don’t seem to work. I don’t want to do a destructive recovery anyway, and all the steps the stupid tech robot suggested, and things I’ve tried myself, were supposed to be nondestructive (meaning I don’t wipe everything back to factory settings, like I’d never had the computer). But I’m also not having success just getting that one program back. I’ve given up, but again, to Dad, I’m going to do something else. The tech robot gave me a drag and drop program for data, which, judging from my experience with HP already, will not work. Failing that, I’m going to go ahead and pay $30 for the stinking program I want. I didn’t want his stupid drag and drop program. I wanted the program that came with my computer! BAH!