How to make your call to Technical Support a pleasant one.

Do's:

These are things you really should do.

Be mostly sober and awake.
Have a Computer.
Be in front of the Computer.
Have the Computer power turned on.
Know what kind of computer you have.
Know what Operating system you are using.
Know there the keys on the keyboard.
Have a basic grasp of what a mouse and keyboard are or get someone that does.
Have the ability to press more than one key at the same time ie. Ctrl-K.
Have a pad of paper and a WORKING pen or pencil.
RTFM
Check the phone lines and power cords.
Read the requirements for the Software. No Mac on a Windows Machine.
Write down EXACTLY the error message or GPF you have before you call us.
Turn off your call waiting before calling a technician.
Go to the bathroom before you call.
Realize you are calling for tech support not a personal counselor.
Tell me what you see on your screen
What the nice tech suggests, even if you've done it before.

Don'ts:

These are things you really shouldn't do.

Click sign on until the tech says so.
Leave your hard drive untitled.
Refer to "You know, that weird looking thing at the top of the picture."
Call tech support to ask if you need a phone line to operate the modem.
Talk about your dogs aunts nephews daughters lover that came over and made some really rude noises
Use a speakerphone!
Call us on the same phone line as the computer when you have two phone lines.
Call for Tech Support when your power is out!
Ask for a phone number without having a pen and paper ready.
Don't type on the keyboard, then say you weren't.
Chew gum while talking.
Repeat everything the Tech asks you.
Try to continue your call after your Cell Phone starts dropping you.
Threaten us with lawsuits before you read the manual.
Say you have 1.6 Gigabytes when we ask how much RAM memory you have.
Insult the Tech you are talking to while they are editing your SYSTEM.INI file.
Bring your friends, family, church and neighbors along for moral support.
Bother calling if your computer is older than the tech you will be talking to...
Tell us you have a hayes compatible modem.
Call from work when your computer is at home.
Turn the volume up so loud on the TV in the other room that you can hear it while on the phone
Carry on conversations with every member of your family while talking to the tech.
Start off by saying "let me tell you the story..."
Tell the Tech that YOU don't think that's the problem.
Expect me to know how to spell your name if it has more than 3 consecutive consonants.
Relay the call from accross the room via your even more Computer illiterate spouse.
Play DOOM/MYST/MECH WARRIOR while waiting on hold.
Be using a Commadore 64 or other electronic equipment of that type...
Call tech support for a specific program if you can't even boot your system.
Call us after a heavy night of hitting the crack pipe...
Sigh and say, "I already did that and it didn't work".
Threaten the tech.
Tell the technician that your computer is illiterate.
Whisper or mumble your answers.
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