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I miss Nancy. She provided tech support to everyone in the building where I once worked. Nancy was calm under pressure from the masses of employees who called her every day saying they needed her help immediately, optimistic that she could solve their problems, and — get this — able to supply new equipment when the problem was bigger than a reboot, a new battery or a little fussing around could solve. She would haul in the new printer, keyboard or console, set it up, and get everything working properly in a short time. No long phone calls, no standing in line for help, no queries about whether you have a long-term maintenance contract, just complete satisfaction with the results Nancy provided.
I’ve been thinking about Nancy a lot lately. My computer, a Methuselah in the IT world, started slowing down. The alleged grandfather of Noah lived 969 years and my desktop iMac is failing after only eight or nine. Apple doesn’t repair anything over five years old, proof that my equipment is getting senile, losing its teeth and hair, and hardly able to walk. Why would anyone invest in long-term insurance when it and the equipment expire while in their youth.
This week, I bought a new tablet. I still haven’t figured out how to get email onto it. Apparently, I first need to find passwords for comcast, msn and yahoo. These are passwords my desktop computer has remembered for years, so why should I have to?
I’ve received technical support for both these products in the form of two afternoons on the phone to Apple support, and one afternoon on hold, and an hour sitting in the Verizon store waiting for help.
A friend spent a couple of hours checking out my desktop computer. I wanted to be certain I’d saved my photos onto an external hard drive so I wouldn’t lose them when my machine required hospice care. He said I’d better replace the hard drive — more than 10 years old — because it might crash before the computer. I’ve bought the new hard drive. It’s still in the box waiting for Nancy to appear and install it.
I met the proverbial camels’ straw this morning. My husband and I save $5 a month if we let our insurance company monitor our driving through a “beacon” in our glove boxes and an app on our phones. I know. It’s insane to reveal this personal information for $60 a year. But I always worked hard at being a good student and now I get grades in categories ranging from left turns to speed. (So far I have a B average, with only one C+ grade for acceleration.) This morning I had to update the beacon software. I followed the directions and got an error message, and along with it a phone number… for technical support.
Still Life 
And I thought I was the only out-of-the-loop person. I too remember being able to get technical assistance with one short phone call. I have been retired a lot longer than you, so am even more ignorant. For instance – do you know what that little whirly thing is called that appears on the screen while it’s warming up? I asked several people & no one can tell me. At any rate it’s good to know I’m not alone.
I think the whirly thing just says it’s warming up and you should be patient and wait. Sometimes I try to click on other things while it’s whirling and that makes it very unhappy. If it doesn’t stop whirling I have to turn off the computer and start over.
And??? You left me hanging…what did the insurance company do?
I called the number. The guy had me check that everything on my phone was set up correctly. It was. He then had me close the app and try again. It worked, and only took about 15 minutes. Ugh.
Go figure! Find someone knowledgeable about tech stuff to install your hard drive. 😉
I definitely feel your pain—love the humor though. I just spent a couple of hours trying to maneuver the system on my kindle to order a new book. It’s soooo frustrating when only yesterday all was fine only to find today impossible. Perhaps my kindle needs to join your computer in hospice care. So bottom line…are you up and running?
More or less up and running, though I’ve been chicken about adding the new hard drive.
Passwords will be the death of me…they now need to be so long and cumbersome. Many apps and agencies will not allow a simple password or one you have used before. Sigh.
As for tech service, do you have an Apple store nearby? I love the Apple store. I go in with the product that needs help or replacement and the Apple genius takes care of it.
Yes. I went to the nearby Apple store. They referred me to the Apple phone support. Ultimately, things more or less got resolved, though I still haven’t set up the new hard drive. I’m chicken. I’m with you on passwords.
Ouch. That is not good.
You got Apple support on the phone? I’m impressed, since phoning seems out of the question these days. I’m required to email or text my questions, and wait and wait until someone is available to help. I’ve always believed Apple is superior, and that goes for their products and their support!
I too had a Nancy once. Or to be precise, a Rick. How simple it was in the good old days—for us, not the Ricks. BTW, 1password: there’s an app for that 😏
I have about 50 passwords and still I get requests for passwords I supposedly created but have no record of.
I get annoyed and suspicious when nudged to enter every app via Facebook or Google, instead of the password dedicated to a particular app.