Of course, some problems are just basic.
Customer: I’m having trouble with WordPerfect.
Tech Support: What sort of trouble?
Customer: Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away.
Tech Support: Went away?
Customer: They disappeared.
Tech Support: Hmm. So what does your screen look like now
Customer: Nothing. It's blank; it won’t accept anything when I type.
Tech Support: Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out?
Customer: How do I tell?
Tech Support: (Uh-oh. Well, let’s give it a try anyway.) Can you see the C:\ prompt on the screen?
Customer: What’s a sea-prompt?
Tech Support: (Uh-huh, thought so. Let’s try a different tack.) Never mind. Can you move the cursor around on the screen?
Customer: There isn’t any cursor. I told you, it won’t accept anything I type.
Tech Support: (Ah – at least she knows what a cursor is. Sounds like a hardware problem. I wonder if she’s kicked the monitor’s power plug.) Does your monitor have a power indicator?
Customer: What’s a monitor?
Tech Support: It’s the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV. Does it have a little light that tells you when it’s on?
Customer: I don’t know.
Tech Support: Well, then, look on the back of the monitor and find where the power cord goes into it. Can you see that?
Customer: (sound of rustling and jostling) [muffled] Yes, I think so.
Tech Support: Great. Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it’s plugged into the wall.
Customer: [pause] Yes, it is.
Tech Support: (Hmm. Well, that’s interesting. I doubt she would have accidentally turned it off, and I don’t want to send her hunting for the power switch because I don’t know what kind of monitor she has and it’s bound to have more than one switch on it. Maybe the video cable is loose or something.) When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there were two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one?
Customer: No.
Tech Support: Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and find the other cable.
Customer: [muffled] Okay, here it is.
Tech Support: Follow it for me, and tell me if it’s plugged securely into the back of your computer.
Customer: [muffled] I can’t reach.
Tech Support: Uh huh. Well, can you see if it is?
Customer: [clear again] No.
Tech Support: Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way over?
Customer: Oh, it’s not because I don’t have the right angle. It’s because it’s dark.
Tech Support: Dark?
Customer: Yes – the office light is off, and the only light I have is coming in from the window.
Tech Support: Well, turn on the office light then.
Customer: I can’t.
Tech Support: Because there’s a power outage.
Customer: A power -- !?! (AAAARRGGGH!!!) A power outage? Aha! Okay, we’ve got it licked now. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff your computer came in?
Tech Support: Well, yes, I keep them in the closet.
Customer: Good! Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store you bought it from.
Tech Support: Really? Is it that bad?
Customer:Yes, I’m afraid it is.
Tech Support: Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them?
Customer: Tell them you’re TOO STUPID TO OWN A COMPUTER! [slam]