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AIBU?

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Original poster

to get so fucking annoyed with the phrase 'it shouldn't do...'?

29 replies

Merryoldgoat · 16/01/2019 10:19

I've just returned to work after maternity leave. IT seem to have imploded whilst I've been away (coincidentally - nothing to do with me) and nothing works properly.

Every time I call them to tell them about an issue it's 'oh, it shouldn't do...'

I know more about IT that the bloody useless technician and I'm practically a dinosaur in IT terms.

Aaaarrrrgh!!!

OP posts:
Cherries101 · 16/01/2019 10:21

Be grateful you even have an IT Helpdesk. Plenty of organisations don’t have one you can contact directly except for onboarding.

ExplodedPeach · 16/01/2019 10:27

Oh god I feel your pain.

I know it shouldn't do X, that's why I'm on the phone trying to convince you to fix it!!

Original poster
Merryoldgoat · 16/01/2019 10:29

It's just ridiculous. I don't know how she got the job - she's utterly useless.

OP posts:
ShartGoblin · 16/01/2019 10:35

It's just a polite conversation filler while we figure out what's going on. Unfortunately, when something "shouldn't" do something, it means we don't immediately know how to fix it and need to look into it.

If you don't want people to use meaningless conversations with you then stop phoning and email with the necessary information instead then call to chase if you don't hear back in an appropriate amount of time.

It's very difficult to fix anything and hold a conversation with the user as well and generally makes the resolution take much longer.

ShartGoblin · 16/01/2019 10:36

she's utterly useless. apologies, cross posted. If she is generally useless then yes I can see how this would be really annoying and it would wind me up too.

Walkingdeadfangirl · 16/01/2019 10:41

Have you tried turning it off and back on again?

Riotingbananas · 16/01/2019 10:43

As an aside, I once called Dell customer support about problems with a laptop. We got to 'close the lid and tap it' and then 'have you got a screwdriver?' at which point I put the phone down Grin

Original poster
Merryoldgoat · 16/01/2019 10:49

@shartgoblin - honestly - it's her.

I called her - told her what the problem AND solution was because it's happened before and she's still be vague and insisting it 'shouldn't do that'.

It's not entirely her fault - she's been given a job she's not really up to yet and because we're short staffed the cracks are widening.

It's just hard enough coming back to find a load of stuff that worked just fine when you left has fallen to pieces.

OP posts:
Deadbudgie · 16/01/2019 10:50

We have to call India, go through two levels there, get the case transferred to our national help centre who if they can’t fix the issue - after calling you 24 hours after you’ve first reported the issue will then refer you to the competent IT team sat on the floor below me! They usually fix the issue in 5min. Because problems are usually sorted out better face to face. All this outsourcing is great for the people pulling out the profits at the bottom but for the people dealing with it it’s a pile of shit. Our finance and secretarial stuff has also been similarly outsourced. I’ve now been chasing something for a month that wild have taken 5 min of done locally

Mayrhofen · 16/01/2019 11:03

We have an Online Fixit system on our intranet that we have to go through to self diagnose and repair before we are even allowed to call the (off shore) first line support, who will then follow a script not listening to anything you say to attempt to resolve the issue, before referring you to the second line UK based IT support team who can generally resolve the problem in about 2 seconds by taking control of your PC.

In the meantime the company has lost 2 hours of your time, paid for an off shore call centre that was no use and eventually sorted the problem with 2 minutes of a correctly trained (and more expensive) person's help.

You then get an online survey to complete later which always gets Extremely Unsatisfied from me!

exWifebeginsat40 · 16/01/2019 11:08

maybe you should give yourself a bit of time to readjust to being at work. taking your frustration at how different things are now compared to when you went on mat leave out on the IT helpdesk is unfair.

report the problem, let them fix it. don’t be calling them up, giving them the problem and your solution and then getting huffy at them for not immediately doing as you say.

things change, OP, and change is often shit. let it wash over you a bit til you’re re-settled at work or you’re going to have a terrible time.

puzzledlady · 16/01/2019 11:10

What?!! They’re just being polite - trying to fill in the time while they work in stuff! Someone’s trying to help you - you know? What would rather them say - yes your computer is wrecked, wait until I sort it out? And she’s not confident yet, give her a break for gods sake.

Cherries101 · 16/01/2019 11:17

I think you might find, that after a year away from work, you’re the one who is shit at their job.

Kbear · 16/01/2019 11:18

What did you press?

Standard IT response here

DerelictWreck · 16/01/2019 11:24

woah @cherries101 what the hell?! What are you a basing that on?

Isleepinahedgefund · 16/01/2019 11:26

I always feel sorry for the people working at our It help desk, because no one realises they know nothing about IT and the extent of their “expertise” is changing passwords (they’re good at that) and telling you to switch it off and switch it back on again, and occasionally changing you over to the other because the one you’re on is apparently on strike. If we all had lower expectations about it we’d all be a lot calmer about the whole thing.

We have no one in our entire IT department that knows anything about IT, in fact. Our very knowledgeable IT director recently left in a huff for precisely this reason. The new one doesn’t know anything about IT though, so won’t suffer the same frustrations.

There is always a special look of sorrow on people’s faces when they discover that their colleague has “gone to work in IT”.

BeanTownNancy · 16/01/2019 11:39

@Isleepinahedgefund

I find that generally, people who don't work in IT have a very limited view of what "IT" actually is. For example, I work in an IT department of over 300 people. There are probably 5 people here who could help me with a printer issue, maybe 10 who could help me reset my password. But there's a whole team of about 10 dedicated to maintaining the networks, about 30 people working on maintaining our servers, there are developers writing code, security teams, testing teams, contracts management, financial and HR functions.

People think "IT" is just "tech support" so anyone should be able to fix your computer. It really isn't.

JeanMichelBisquiat · 16/01/2019 11:54

Years ago, I lost a big document at about 8 on a Friday night, which needed to be done that night. Apparently no autosave had been occurring, despite that function being on (I'd checked), and none of the work was retrievable.

At one point, IT support asked me if I'd happened to print it out before it crashed Grin That was when I knew it was over...

InSightMars · 16/01/2019 11:56

After a year there will have been software changes and updates and new procedures introduced but you seem determined to blame this one IT woman for all your issues reintegrating in the workplace and not instantly fixing an intermittent problem. You told her the problem AND the solution? If you already knew the solution why didn’t you just solve the problem without calling her? She has everyone’s computer to maintain not just yours and if it shouldn’t do what you’re saying it does by saying so she’s giving herself time to think about which of any number of things might be the cause and which of any number of things might correct it.

JeanMichelBisquiat · 16/01/2019 11:57

"It shouldn't do" could either be a gap-filler while they work it out, or could be (sounds like this is the case with you) a lack of imagination about the fact that it doesn't, in fact, work.

Btw, I'm sure you're not shit at your job after a year off - what a mean PP Flowers

WhentheRabbitsWentWild · 16/01/2019 12:23

You're lucky you have a job !!

Quit whining . Bet they are thrilled you are back .

Original poster
Merryoldgoat · 16/01/2019 12:34

Well - that escalated quickly!

a) I'm not shit at my job at all

b) I was not 'huffy' - you've inferred this (incorrectly) from the frustration in my post here - I was nothing but polite and professional

c) if I can't access the systems I'm supposed to be able to and my equipment doesn't actually work then of course I have to call them - otherwise I just sit here not being able to do anything.

d) I'm not 'lucky' to have a job - I worked hard before I went on leave, stayed in touch during leave and am working hard now I'm back.

There really are some mean bastards around here. Unless you caveat everything you say it seems the default is that you're a nasty bitch to your colleagues and it's actually you who's the problem.

OP posts:
Original poster
Merryoldgoat · 16/01/2019 12:36

You told her the problem AND the solution? If you already knew the solution why didn’t you just solve the problem without calling her?

Because it require administrator rights locally and access to the server which I don't have.

Obviously if I could fix it myself I would've!

OP posts:
AGHHHH · 16/01/2019 12:43

@Cherries101 what a fucking horrible thing to say. You're a lovely person. Not.

AGHHHH · 16/01/2019 12:43

Oh yes OP should absolutely be grateful to have in house IT support even though it sounds like support is the last thing they're capable of. Hmm some people.

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