Friday 26 January 2018

"Have you plugged it in ?"

Female solidarity ... I'm not sure the young woman on the cable company help desk is familiar with the concept. When I told her that my television kept on telling me that it had no signal she asked me if I had plugged the router in. Just how old does she think I am? I should have asked her why the television would tell me that it had no no signal but did still have pretty coloured lights, but I might not have understood the the answer . Anyway I'm obviously elderly and gaga . The young man on the help desk was much more flattering but I remember teaching him to count , which he's probably found useful . But of course it could be her ageism ... or my incompetence ...

8 comments:

English Rider said...

It doesn't have to be Female Solidarity...It should just be good, responsive customer service. I'd have to assume she has been taught to respond by rote, from a pre-printed list of questions. As long as she's not applying for jobs as dispatcher for Emergency Responders, or Flight Traffic Control,we should count our blessings.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

This reminds me of that internet meme where the I.T. help is a monkey and its says "Have you tried unplugging it and throwing feces at it?"

Joanne Noragon said...

It's an ageism problem. For direct evidence I present my search for Netflix, and all the people who said "You just need a streaming device." Even the sweet young thing I had to guide down the information path, from "you need a streaming device," to a brand name to buy it at Best Buy. English Ride nailed it.

gz said...

IT is a sensible thing to go through a checklist...and easy to miss something...and equipment can be not quite plugged in properly...but it does get annoying! I wonder how it feels the other end....

Colette said...

Ageism! And if they are lucky enough to live a long life, they may have to experience it someday, too.

Liz Hinds said...

Did she suggest switching it off and on again? That seems to be a standard. And for me I would be loath to be too quick to dismiss her first suggestion. I once called out the telephone repair man because the phone wouldn't ring. It turned out that it was switched off.

DUTA said...

They just have a set of standard questions to ask any customer, to make sure the basics are in order, so they can proceed. Nothing to to get upset by.

Friko said...

Let me make an old person’s reply: nowadays ‘they’ are not trained to think for themselves, they ask questions as they appear on their schedules.

Ha, socked it to ‘em proper.