Troubleshooting

Time Warner Sends 12 Techs To Home, But "High Speed" Cable Remains A Fantasy

Thomas writes in to ask why Time Warner needs to send 12 different technicians to his home to get his Roadrunner speed up to the 10 mbits/sec that they promise in their advertising, as opposed to the 2.5 mbits/sec that he averages. He tallied up some of the more interesting facts from his recent experiences.
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7:11 AM on Wed Apr 2 2008
By Chris Walters
10,313 views, 54 comments

funny

Ridiculous Tech Support Calls

In his Circuits column this week, David Pogue shares some of the most absurd calls he listened to when he toured a tech support center.

I learned that when they say, "Your call may be recorded for quality assurance purposes," that's only partly true. They also record your calls so they can pass around recordings of the funniest ones.

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7:49 PM on Thu Mar 6 2008
By Chris Walters
18,334 views, 69 comments

sales pitches

Is Dell's Tech Support Staff Trying To Sell You Things Yet?

We're curious whether anyone has had to call Dell's tech support line in the new year—and if so, did they try to upsell you on unnecessary add-ons, devices, accessories, service plans, etc.? Because we got an anonymous email the other day from someone who claims he works as a Dell tech support specialist, and he wrote that "starting after the first of the year... we are now going to be required to sell you items that you don't need." More »

11:29 PM on Wed Jan 9 2008
By Chris Walters
4,760 views, 42 comments

Latest by n/a: Hey El Salvador, you Lose... Massive Lucrative Incentives in India. We get a WHOPPING INR 3,000 ($71) for $ 4000 (INR 168,000) sales. Come Migrate here... And the Chick in DellStore is kind of cute, too. more »

squeaky wheels

Stuck In Dell Hell? Try The Unresolved Issue Form

Chris said he was able to finally get his faulty Dell computer returned by filing out a report at their unresolved issue link. This was after a week of going through crappy Dell "trouble shooting" which treated him like a child and made him repeat steps over and over again. He writes, "I'm an advanced technician at my office, I manage over 50 computers and 8 servers, so when I tell Dell their box isn't working, I mean it." More »

1:31 PM on Fri Apr 27 2007
By Ben Popken
1,375 views, 18 comments

Latest by billco: The problem with Dell is that they've got some business overseas, and some business in-country. The overseas support can get really ugly because they typically don't give a damn what happens to you. They're just a subcontractor who more »

geek squad

LEAKED: 5 More Geek Squad Manuals

Here's 5 more Geek Squad manuals. They're not a fascinating as the troubleshooting manual, but perhaps if you use the Geek Squad you can use them to make sure they're doing their job right. Or you could learn how to open up your own Geek Squad store. Sort of like a lemonade stand, except instead of turning lemons into a tasty beverage, you turn laptops into lemons. More »

2:47 PM on Fri Mar 30 2007
By Ben Popken
6,775 views, 25 comments

best buy

LEAKED: Geek Squad's Troubleshooting Manual

UPDATE: 5 More Geek Squad Manuals More »

tech support

Who Will Monitor the Dell Monitors?

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Which came first, the cock or the bull? Which came first, the ineptitude or the incompetence? All valid questions to ask oneself, and the universe, when calling Dell tech support. More »

9:07 AM on Wed Mar 29 2006
By popkin
312 views, 4 comments

Consumerist

UPDATE: Ruby Tuesday Says Man Ordered Fatal Crab Dish

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