SLCentral Forum - View Single Post - AGW #31: The Last Rant

JG,

I have to say that I'll be disappointed if you end this column. I think the "BOFH" reference that folks made was not an indicator that you're a malicious tech; rather it indicated the occasional frustration we as techs have with the less educated, who sometimes fail to take our word for it. After all, the vast majority of people out there take the word of their car mechanic or their physician as solid gold, yet the moment they come to someone of technical expertise regarding their computer, they suddenly treat us with the suspicion they might reserve for a used car salesperson. Perhaps it's because they've listened to too many pimple-faced youngsters at a local electronics emporium who know something, but would rather make something up than admit they don't know it all (and possibly have caught them in the act of spewing BS). Perhaps our image has been partially tarnished by some vendor techs who automatically assume every customer knows nothing and therefore treat all of them like sheep and condescend (I remember calling Symantec years back and being treated like an idiot; it was a long time before I called them back again).
Either way, reading this column does me good in a number of ways. It reminds me of what I used to have to deal with on a daily basis, and still have to deal with on occasion. It also keeps fresh in my mind how to handle those situations (at the shop I once worked for, I got a lot of the phone support duties because I was patient and other techs weren't). Finally, it reminds me I'm not the only tech out there that has users like these.
My advice: Don't quit printing the column...and don't let the turkeys get you down.

^LoneWolf (picking up an `01 Specialized Allez Sport this week, booyah!!!)