Exactly HOW stupid are people, anyway??

[dolo amber]

:rant:


I just got off the phone with this guy from some building commission agency (I needed to know about some zoning stuff). After he answered my questions VERY thoroughly, i.e. repeated the same thing like... 25 times, but worded differently... :eyes:

THEN he's says "Ma'am, if you have other questions, you can go to our website. It's www.blahblahblah. FORWARD SLASH...that's the slash on your keyboard UNDER the question mark...make SURE you don't use SHIFT, or you'll get a question mark, and that won't work...OK? FORWARD SLASH city, then another FORWARD SLASH (pause...presumable to let me write the instructions on how to get a FORWARD SLASH and not a question mark :crazy:) then the abbreviation for 'building'...which is b-l-d-g (aaahhhhh!! :grr:)....then the letters 'f-a-q'. That stands for 'frequently asked questions'. You should be able to get answers there."

I gave this person NO reason whatsoever to believe I was sitting in front of my computer in a crash helmet drooling on myself, thus I can only assume he's had to make himself this PAINFULLY fucking clear due to having people call back like "Ummm...where's this forward slash thingy again?" :silly:

Is it too early for a beer? x(

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. How stu0pid are they? "Really fucking"

That's how stupid most people are.

[MissB]

2. I would've played with him.

If he was going to assume that I was that stupid, well, I would've lived up to his expectations.

[candy]

3. Call him back and tell him you just hit the "M" key and an "M"

came up and you are totally stressed.

[dolo amber]

6. Ok, now THAT'S funny

:D :patriot:

[redqueen]

4. During my stint as a tech writer, I learned to write

to the 7th grade level.

Does that help? :hi:


I'm guessing maybe he was used to talking to people with little to no exp. on computers.

[DS1]

5. Crash helmet

:rofl:

[LynzM]

7. You would be amazed......

I mean, just... astounded. I used to work with a woman who opened her sent items and added a 'p.s.' and then wondered why I didn't get it. Didn't send me a new email, just added that :)

I could tell you a thousand more, but I'm sure you're frustrated enough. Sounds like that guy got a lot of phone calls exactly like you were describing...

[Misunderestimator]

8. LOL...

Where's this forward slash thingy again? :rofl:

I try to steer those kind of conversations with "I've used computers longer than you've been alive, so just pretend you're talking to someone who knows what to do." Unfortunately, it doesn't always work. They seem to have a step-by-step script, and sometimes get very confused when I do that... grrrr

[dolo amber]

11. I wish I'd thought to say that

I was just...dumbfounded. :wow:

[Lars39]

9. Get a guy to call the guy you talked with,asking him same info.

I wonder if the response would be the same.

[Magrittes Pipe]

10. It's never too early for a beer.

Speaking of which, how's about you go get us some beer? ;)

[dolo amber]

14. I would, but

I just finished getting a new Felix da Housecat/Renato Cohen/Savas Pascalidis electro mix that I must listen and chair dance to for the next 2 hours. :D

[Magrittes Pipe]

17. I think that is the saddest DU post I've ever read.

I weep for you and everyone around you.

:cry:

[sundog]

18. Felix!

:bounce:

ok, I'll let you get back to your thread :P

[flvegan]

12. You should call back and tell him that somehow his instructions

logged you in as someone named "admin" and you keep hitting "delete" but you can't tell what's happening.

[terrya]

13. That's really insulting.

Unless this guy deals with Luddites all the time and doesn't know that there ARE people who are computer literate like us, his attitude is incredibly condescending.

I'd be popping open a beer after that.

[Left Is Write]

23. That was my thought too.

I would have had no patience with someone speaking down to me that way.

[Zuni]

15. 95% of humanity is really stupid

humanity is doomed

[Mizmoon]

16. You wouldn't BELIEVE how dumb

aw, not dumb, just out of their depth. I help surgeons, people who do complicated, life saving surgery on human beings, to use computers. Some are afraid and don't know how to even open a browser.

I had one doc sit at a machine, stare at the blank monitor for a full minute, then ask me, "How do I type a letter?"

:)

[MI Cherie]

19. Oh, the stories I could tell ...

... like my first day working in a small computer shop: Described problem by caller — boss asked what I thought; I usually give it the 3-finger boot or turn it off and back on. "Isn't that amazing?" he said.

... someone brought in a monitor not working. The "Brightness" was turned all the way down!

... or spending time walking through the steps to take — and in frustration asking "Is it turned on?" or "Will it work if you turn the cable over?"

Just recently a friend wanted my son to stop by and fix a problem they were having with their new computer — no sound. I went into "tech support mode" and asked "Is everything plugged into the right place?" "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Have him come over." Long story short: He didn't get around to it immediately and after getting mad at me because he didn't — I said check this ... come find out, the monitor speaker wire was plugged into the input on computer. One they got the output right, I could hear sound over the phone!

Here's a website that gives some other examples of "Defective End Users":

http://www.rinkworks.com/stupid/

[Susang]

21. Thanks for that link

It has provided us a much needed laugh this morning. Monday's are always the worst day of the week for us, it seems like everyone likes to shop online on the weekend.

[MI Cherie]

26. You're welcome!

We can all use a laugh now and then.

[Susang]

20. Do you REALLY want to know?

I work in E-commerce y'know. ;-)

Oh, the stories I could tell.... }(

[GirlinContempt]

22. I'm helpdesk

and yes, they ARE that stupid.

[Solly Mack]

24. I'd have asked him to tell me where the "any" key is located

I would have patiently listened to his / key explanation and then with all the sugary sweetness in me asked, "So where's the any key located?" ... and then waited for the explosion.

but then I'm not nice. :)

[MadHound]

25. Aww, cut the guy a little slack

He's probably gotten this patter down cold simply because waaaay to many people who are idiots have questioned him to death. I'm constantly amazed at the lack of common sense, and even simple life skills that is common amongst even the advanced degree crowd.

[dolo amber]

27. Oh, I agree

During the conversation I was rather like :wtf:, but after further consideration I realized that surely the poor dude has had difficulties with morans before...hence the title of my thread. ;)

[Tracer]

28. I think that most people aren't "stupid" about computers ...

... but are just plain terrified of them and have never had anyone hold their hand and shown them some simple steps and explanations.

After you've used computers for a while, it all seems so simple Ñ but if a person has never even learned the "language", nothing makes any sense to them.

Ex: When introducing my daughter to computer use, I thought that I was being patient and thorough. She kept getting more and more frustrated, and finally yelled out "what's the 'desktop'!!?"

Ex: A customer of mine is extremely wary of anything computer-related and calls often to ask me questions. One day he was having trouble receiving e-mail and in my attempt to help him I asked what browser he was using. His answer? "What's a 'browser' "?

These people aren't dumb, just uneducated in the ways of computers.