Tag Archives: tech support

It’s A Wonder…

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Sometimes, I amaze myself at how brilliant I can be and other times, it’s a wonder I can walk and chew gum at the same time. Seriously. I’ll explain.

I can fix most every problem I have ever had with my computer, laptop, printer, etc., with little to no help. Sometimes I have enlisted the help of my brilliant, tech-savvy brother in law, but most times I’ve not had any help, other than my own research and troubleshooting skills. Since we got our very first internet-capable computer back in 1993, I can count on one hand how many times we’ve taken the computer to a computer repair shop. That was in the early days of my computer experience and I have learned a LOT since then!

Over the years, I’ve had to call tech support for one thing or another… More times than not, they’ve been of no help. I normally end up fixing the problem myself because they can’t. I’ve done hundreds of hours researching one issue or another. Last week, I had a problem with my wireless printer, and I thought it would be quicker for them to help me fix it but…after 45 minutes the problem still wasn’t solved and they referred me to someone else. I ended up fixing the problem myself. I should have done that in the first place but I was trying to save some time, since they’re supposed to be the experts. Snort! 

Moving along… A couple of weeks ago my Android tablet stopped working. It turned on but it wouldn’t connect to the internet. No matter what I did, it wouldn’t connect. My WiFi was working, other devices connected, and it had just been used less than 12 hours prior. I couldn’t figure it out so I decided to reset to factory settings. One of the first things you do when you reset is to set up your internet connection, but it wouldn’t/couldn’t cooperate. I tried and tried and tried again…for days. I couldn’t find any information online that actually applied to this issue. The tablet is several years old…10 years maybe…so I figured it’s time for a new tablet.

After a 2 week wait, my new 10″ Android tablet arrived and along with being WiFi capable (aren’t they all these days?), you can also insert a SIM card and use it to make phone calls. That’s probably the norm with tablets these days, I don’t know. I don’t really need to use my tablet as a phone unless my phone decides to take a dump, but I thought I’d be brave and check it out. Well, check it out I did without any research – IF they had included a decent instruction manual then I would have at least read that – but I didn’t read anything. I don’t know anything about SIM cards, never really thought much about them before, so the fact that I didn’t research or read or ask anyone anything was UNBELIEVABLY STUPID of me! I didn’t think about the SIM card in my phone being a micro card. I put that micro card in the tablet’s SIM card slot and LOST it. FOREVER. It was stuck in there and nothing I did could retrieve it. The new tablet does not take a micro SIM card. STUPID ME.

So, I had to buy a new SIM card for my phone which I am waiting for FedEx to bring at this very moment.

For someone who can troubleshoot, research, and fix many computer issues, and normally does research on something every damn day…I was incredibly stupid and my brother in law is probably still laughing at me.

Sometimes it’s a wonder I can walk and chew gum at the same time.

~~~

PS

Last night I decided to turn on my old tablet and see one last time if it would cooperate. Well, guess what?!? I was able to set the connection and I was online in less than a minute. I was LIVID!

What’s Eating Aunt Debbie?

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Hello. It’s me again. 

I have to say that yesterday I was pretty pissed off. It all started when the mail came.

Back in March I changed my pharmacy of choice from Walmart to Family Pharmacy. Walmart doesn’t have a drive up window and they didn’t ship to home like they used to. During this pandemic, I would need to be able to drive up to a window to pick up my scripts or have them shipped. After I switched over, Walmart called me and said they now ship to home. “Too late,” I told the associate. “I’ve already got the transfer worked out.” Fast forward to yesterday, when I received a letter from Family Pharmacy, informing me that they were closing their doors and have sent my pharmacy records to Walgreens. First of all, I knew they were closing their doors but I didn’t know exactly when. I figured they would let their customers know ahead of time so people could transfer their prescriptions to a pharmacy to their choice. Well, I guess that was too much to ask.

“Thanks a lot, assholes. Walgreens is not convenient for me,” is what I wanted to tell them, along with, “How dare you send my information to another pharmacy without my permission?!” I was thinking this had to be a HIPAA violation, but I was informed that it is not by a friend who works in a pharmacy. Ok, well it still pisses me off that they couldn’t let their customers know so people could take care of their own business. Who knows how long it will take for Walgreens to get things worked out because as of now they have no record of my scripts. UGH.

Then…

Last night, I was having trouble with my wireless printer. It was printing, and was connected to my WiFi but it wouldn’t connect to HP’s server. It’s supposed to keep track of my ink usage and send new ink cartridges when I’m running low. I pay $3.12 a month for this service and I can print up to 50 pages a month with no extra charges. Pretty good deal! I was trying to fix it myself, which I had done before, but was having trouble. I thought tech support would be quicker. I spent 45 minutes on chat with a tech guy who talked me through everything I had already tried. Step by step. Do this, then try that…you know the routine. After that 45 minutes, my printer printed out a diagnosis, which showed that there were 2 IP addresses in conflict. Ok, now we’re getting somewhere, I thought. Nope. I thought wrong. The tech guy said, “You’ll have to contact HP at xxx-xxx-xxxx because this is beyond my scope.” Seriously? I remembered doing this before, when I first got the printer. My brother in law helped me figure it out back then because it was my first wireless printer and I didn’t know anything about it. It was just a matter of changing the configuration by switching from manual to automatic. It was right there on the printer screen! How is that beyond his scope? It wasn’t beyond my scope and I fixed it myself. UGH.

Anyway, I wasted 45 minutes with this tech guy for absolutely no reason! I should have known though, because since 1995, I’ve not had much luck with any computer or printer tech service. I can count on one hand how many times they’ve actually been able to solve my problem. Most of the time, I have fixed it myself and/or had the assistance of my brilliant brother in law. Shhhh…. Don’t tell him I said that. He’s too big for his britches already.