Tales from Techsupport

[Merrick ap'Milandra]

So someone had a host of issues, one of which was "my desktop wallpaper sometimes only shows up when I'm on the work network or on vpn, but not always, but even when it does, it disappears after reboot".

Level 1 and 2 techs solved all of the other issues with a little consulting from me on what direction to take, but couldn't figure this one out. It wouldn't let them set the wallpaper the someone wanted, but they could pick any other of the builtin ones and it would take just fine, regardless of network or reboots.

The techs ruled out profile corruption, amongst about a dozen other things over the course of two HOURS before escalating the ticket AGAIN, putting it in my hands.

5 minutes after getting ahold of it, I notice that he's setting his wallpaper to a slideshow of a folder containing a SINGLE picture (and other non-picture files) on a UNC path...and NOT with group policy.

/facepalm

...yeah...that might cause your wallpaper to disappear "randomly" when you can't reach the folder it's in on the company network.

One VPN session and a file copy to a local location later and all is good.

*sigh*

[Melcar]

Delusional Tech: Logged into switch02 yesterday to change the VLAN access on my spare switch port - in the description somehow it got swapped to "ServerX" so I didn't want to mess with it.

Me: ummm, Ok, that's weird, I am in the middle of upgrading switches, maybe I screwed up somehow. Let me login and look.
ummm, No? Switch02, port g0/35 is "labeled Delusional Tech".

Delusional Tech: It is? Huh, I must have been looking at the wrong switch or port - oh well.

Me: Hey Boss... ServerX isn't listed ANYWHERE as a description in ANY of the switches. ServerX is on Switch01; it's description in the IOS says "old-server name". I have no Idea what delusional Tech could even have been fucking looking at.

[Mileron]

So after my last email snafu it was humming along nicely for two weeks.

I'm guessing until the engineer that assisted me started backtracking and cleaning up what he thought were changes that he had made to try to enable my access to the shared mailbox.

Because on June 14th, I suddenly could no longer send "from" that group mailbox.

So I figured it was a fluke, and didn't need to do anything with it on the 15th or 16th (as all my emails went through the call tracking system), and waited until the next Monday (the 19th) til I needed to use the box again. Nope, still couldn't send "from" the group box.

Another call to the Help Desk.

It's been a full week and they don't seem to understand "it worked before the 14th, it worked like this for 12 years, something on your side changed and I need you to put it back the way that it was."

[Tinthalas Tigris]

This is a tech support quandary, right here :

Last night, 12 guys at the bar.

One fine ass chick sitting by herself at a table.

No one hit on her the entire night.

She came by herself, she left by herself.

Wtf?

[Alikat Astrae]

Sounds like you guys are a whole bunch of South American country known for its verdant interior and beach-lined coast.

[Tinthalas Tigris]

All the colors of Benaton were present. I'm still trying to get my head around it.

[Alikat Astrae]

Simple: Uruguay.

[Tinthalas Tigris]

Bullshit:

Solenoid valve at the 2nd to end of a line is forced into an on position.

At some point in time, probably a decade ago, landscaping comes in and adds a solenoid valve to the end of the line instead of doing the dirty work and replacing the stuck solenloid valve.

So 2 weeks ago, and anti siphon (aka, an open drain check valve, or diaphragm pressure valve) starts spewing water,right next to the defunct solenoid valve above.

Plumbing construction crew gets called out because the size of this anti siphon valve will require a special order, blah blah blah.

They decide to also replace the defunct solenoid valve, because it is... Defunct. Also forced, by defunct, into an open flow or "on" position.

New solenoid valve is forced into an off position unless there is current to the solenoid.

Did they wire the new solenoid valve? No. Because the electrical had been moved, at some point in time, probably a decade or more ago, to the NEW solenoid valves, 100 meters away.

2 weeks later, the landscaping is turning brown. Questions start getting asked. Who is the only one who can answer them? Me! Why did we do that? Go ask the fucking plumbing construction crew!

Last night, landscaping turned on all irrigation for an open water, FLOODING RETAINING WALLS. they opened the solenoid valve MANUALLY.

Who got the call at midnight to deal with it?

FUCKING ME.

[FilanFyretracker]

I am going to admit that I am surprised the irrigation system can even be turned on there in Cali. Or did they lift all those restrictions?

But still the irrigation folks have to take full blame here, it was them who created the situation all the way back when they did not replace that original valve properly.

[Bonlainy]

I am going to admit that I am surprised the irrigation system can even be turned on there in Cali. Or did they lift all those restrictions?

But still the irrigation folks have to take full blame here, it was them who created the situation all the way back when they did not replace that original valve properly.

Northern CA restrictions have pretty much been lifted after this very wet winter, but we (I work for a water district) are still telling people to be smart and conserve as much as possible.

[Mileron]

Product Manager: Why is it in install a setup file to the network drive from home?

Me:
Me: I'm sorry?

PM: Why is it in install a setup file to the network drive from home?
Me: Do you mean, how do you?
PM: No. Why is it in install to the network drive, a setup file from home is install?



PM: I wasted so much time yesterday and could never get it to complete. I'm in the office today and it finished in two minutes.
Me: Oh! You're having problems installing the program over VPN to a network drive.
PM: That's what I said.

[Tinthalas Tigris]

I am going to admit that I am surprised the irrigation system can even be turned on there in Cali. Or did they lift all those restrictions?

But still the irrigation folks have to take full blame here, it was them who created the situation all the way back when they did not replace that original valve properly.

They go back and forth in SoCal. They didn't lift the restrictions, but they're no longer enforcing them. so everyone is watering again.

[Schezar]

Product Manager: Why is it in install a setup file to the network drive from home?

Me:
Me: I'm sorry?

PM: Why is it in install a setup file to the network drive from home?
Me: Do you mean, how do you?
PM: No. Why is it in install to the network drive, a setup file from home is install?



PM: I wasted so much time yesterday and could never get it to complete. I'm in the office today and it finished in two minutes.
Me: Oh! You're having problems installing the program over VPN to a network drive.
PM: That's what I said.

Next time that PM does that tell them their new name is Butter, because they need to clarify.

[HerbertDypp]

Next time that PM does that tell them their new name is Butter, because they need to clarify.

Oh, Ghee...

[Alikat Astrae]

Sounds a little rough around the margarines.

[Tinthalas Tigris]

I would just curd it up to a different whey of thinking.

[Alikat Astrae]

Be careful when trying to saddle-break a dragon, that Mount'll Kill Ya.

[Schezar]

Sounds a little rough around the margarines.

Sometimes you just have to stick with it.

[Mileron]

Tech: One of our tax returns has no data
Me: When you open the return is there an error?
Tech: No
Me: Could you send me a zipped copy of the dataset folder?
Tech: No, but I can send you the error we get when opening it

[Tinthalas Tigris]

At least they did you the favor of contradiction only after one sentence.