Does anyone else in technology notice that the LEAST educated people on the subject are the MOST likely to think they know everything?

Which is all fine and good. I don’t really mind explaining to someone that I don’t have their FTP details because we don’t host their website, or that the URL bar in their browser is different from their Yahoo search bar, and that is why their ‘website doesn’t work’. I don’t even mind calling Telecom on behalf of a client who is convinced our email accounts are down because they didn’t understand the different SMTP details they needed to switch between internet suppliers… or being termed the ‘IT people’ for ALL IT related matters (including email, Word issues, Outlook issues and any other generic PC and laptop issues people run into).

I actually don’t mind any of that. It reminds me that we are the technical elite and our audiences struggle with this stuff far more than we think.

But what I HATE is that a lot of people who ring us about stuff that is no relation to what we do and that I actually cannot help them on, get STROPPY.

We are very nice. We go out of our way to Google their particular ‘my computer isn’t working’, ‘my email is ‘stuck” etc issue and offer any support we can for free, on the basis that I get they don’t get the difference and a couple of minutes of our time can make someone elses day a million times easier.

So it REALLY ANNOYS me when there is an issue that is so entirely unrelated to us that my only answer can be ‘I’m really sorry, you will have to call you actual IT people/internet provider/website host’ to be met with…

Not a ‘thanks’,

Not even an ‘oh sorry!’

But a very suspicious and often angry reply.

I know what I don’t know. And when I don’t know it, I assume the fault is at my end and anyone who even attempts to help me is doing me a favour. I don’t understand why people think it’s ok to get angry with someone who has taken time out of their day out of the goodness of their hearts to HELP them.

GRRRR.