I have this incredibly stubborn streak when it comes to getting electronic equipment to work. I fiddled with the wifi printer for over an hour, did not get any results so I called the tech support for this printer. I was on the phone for about an hour with one Tech who was the basement level trouble shooter. After he could not get anything going with the printer, I was sent to Level 2 tech support. There I connected with Wayne who worked with me for over two hours. Wayne sounded a bit German or Scandinavian in his accent so during one of our 15 minute software downloads, I asked him where he was really located. The caller id said Salt Lake City, Utah.
It turns out that Wayne is in Manilla. Although I am sure his real name isn't Wayne, he is a great fellow who was totally patient and a speed reader as he must have read about 100 pages of a trouble shooting manual as we were working on getting this wifi printer going. After downloading new software and tweaking a few other things, we were able to successfully get the printer doing what it was supposed to do.
Meanwhile, I was keeping an eye on the clock as the afternoon slipped away and the time for my meeting came and went. Wayne said that I had been extraordinarily patient. I suppose that I had been. I was a hostage to my desire to get the damn printer up and going. So I was finally able to print the documents I needed, but missed the meeting. I could tell that I really need a meeting. But once I started with the printer and began working with Wayne in Manilla, I was determined to see this through.
Maybe I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Not necessarily where I wanted to be, but where I was supposed to be. God, I can dogmatically pursue things at time. Maybe that is why I have had a successful career. I seek a solution and work to get there. Maybe that is what I do in Al-Anon as well. I seek a solution and work the steps to get to recovery. I know that I have enormous staying power to see things through to the end. That is a double-edged sword, I suppose.
Wayne ended his day with a success. I ended mine with a solution. We both were happy. And I finished up studying the lecture notes for the exam. Now I am going to bed and will be glad to let go of what might have been different about today. I missed the meeting but maybe learned something about patience and helped a worker in the Philippines feel happy. Not so shabby after all.
Hi, Syd. While handling my usual duties at work, I also train India on my job. I actually enjoy it. Some of my coworkers say that they would either refuse to do it or give them the wrong information. That is something I could never do. While I don't want to lose my job to them, I also believe they are God's children too, even though they may believe in a different God than mine. lol
ReplyDeleteI read this and it made me smile. Sometimes I wait patiently for things that I really want and I can tell that the customer service people almost expect me to go insane, but I don't.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were nice to Wayne. It probably made his day that he was able to spend two hours helping someone as calm as you.
I get frustrated sometimes being shifted to operators thousands of miles away...I listened to a news show reporting India is now farming phone service jobs to the Philippines. Skype video might help with some of the workings of machinery when they can better see the equipment.
ReplyDeletePracticing my program when I get frustrated is how I try to work it one phone call at a time.
Not so shabby at all Syd. In fact, pretty darn good all around I'd say.
ReplyDeleteI hate it when electronics don't work like they are supposed to. But I too have discovered that with enough patience and time, the solution can usually be found.
ReplyDeleteCustomer Service used to be one of Americas greatest assets but it seems like people just got tired of playing nice. It sounds like you probably were in the right place....and so was he.
ReplyDeleteEww - been there. Four hours! I would have had a massive headache and doubt that I could have studied or concentrated on anything! I also have to work for hours if something (electronic) does not work.
ReplyDeleteNope sorry but that printer would have wound up in the driveway with a car on top of it and then shipped back to the manufacturer as to how it got in its present state. what brand was it by the by.
ReplyDeletenot a bad day at all...yeah sometimes it is better to be where weare supposed to be than where we wish we were...
ReplyDeleteI am so impatient with customer service. I'm glad this story had a happy ending. Most of my customer service encounters do not. Syd, you have encouraged me again. thank you
ReplyDeleteDear Dogmatic Dude,
ReplyDeleteYou have been brainwashed. Al-Anon has turned you into solution freak. I recognize the syndrome because I got it from the rooms of AA.
Get out of the problem and into the solution! The battle cry of the 12 Step programs.
For you, hours on the phone. For me, a stab wound on my palm, where my carpal tunnel is situated. The surgical center said I was the first patient to ever be excited about my surgery.
Brainwashed!
I can relate to your "enormous staying power" and "stubborn streak" when it comes to something of this sort. I like to make the customer support person laugh while they help me, it makes what could be frustrating, instead be a satisfying journey to success.
ReplyDeletesometimes where we are supposed to be is not where we want to be. i missed a meetingthis week also, but i will have one tomorrow night after therapy. and our convention is this weekend so hopefully i will be filled with recovery.
ReplyDeleteunfortunately i am at odds with my sponsor and still don't know how to proceed.
This is a great post, and a win win for all!
ReplyDeleteI do the exact same thing, when someone helps me and is patient or addresses the issue I will ask to send a commodation or when at a restaurant I will seek out the manager to sing the praises of the wait person, it's important as it really is that place in the universe where all win.
You are such a good guy. I usually lose patience with foreign help.
ReplyDeleteSyd, I just really like you so much. That's all.
ReplyDeleteYou surely have a lot of patience!
ReplyDeletePatient people, thanks for your posts. I would have put up with an electronic problem for an hour, at most. Usually less. When my computer starts misbehaving, I usually have to go out running to work off the stress. I realized, though, that I am better at dealing with electronics at the end of the day, after I've exersized and am a little tired and more relaxed. That's when I have the patience to put up with computers, and customer service hotlines (that are often answered bu computers.)Lately, when I need customer service, I send an email or write a letter, so I don't have to sit on hold. That seems to work in most cases. Although sometimes it helps to be talked through a process.
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