Don’t you hate technology? Even more, don’t you hate calling tech support? You know they can’t help you, but hope springs eternal.

This morning my internet connection died, and with it my television service and home phone. I spent an hour trying various reboots and resets, but nothing worked.

Which meant having to seek technical support from my provider, which in the past has rarely been a pleasant experience. Nor was it this time.

I started with online diagnostic tools, which I was able to do because my cell phone, using a different internet provider, still had internet access. That was time consuming as the app ran connectivity tests and speed tests – and ended with a message to use the chat feature to talk with a technician, as the problem needed human intervention.

Well, I think it was human intervention. It could have been artificial intelligence. The technician I was interacting with seemed somewhat uncertain of what to do. I was asked to do everything I had already done, and when that didn’t work I was asked to do it again. The results were the same.

The technician told me I had access. My phone, television and computer told me differently. After an hour he (and I am only guessing here – he could have been a she or a bot) told me to try connecting again with my phone. That did produce results – we lost our char conversation. An hour of my life wasted and I was no further ahead.

I tried the chat feature again. The technician I was connected with couldn’t transfer me to the first one, so I outlined the problem. I was encouraged becasue she had my name right, a positive sign – the first tech hadn’t managed it.

The result was the same though. But it didn’t take an hour to figure out someone was going to have to visit my home. I came to that conclusion when I couldn’t fix the issue on my own – I have experience with these things, even if I am not trained. The second technician figured out that need for a home visit in only 15 minutes.

I was wondering though why the first one couldn’t have come to that conclusion. Is it a matter of training? Or temperament?

Have you ever had that happen? When you call for technical support, success seems to be random. Some people working in the field are amazing. They can solve your issues in seconds. Others seem incompetent. And you never know which type you will get when you make the call or open the chat feature.

Maybe that’s why we hate calling tech support. If you knew you were able to get quick, positive results you would be eager to make the call.

But what is the likelihood of that ever happening?