The Daily Peeve / Rant

[fidgiegirl]

My father-in-law bought a Mac. He finally decided, after years of us saying he'd prefer one and find more success with it, that it is the best according to Consumer Reports and he MUST HAVE IT. The ONLY thing I asked if he were going to buy a Mac was to buy it directly through Apple and get AppleCare. Well you guessed it. To save $100 he bought it through Best Buy. So I ended up setting it up (which Apple would have done for him for free) and I am troubleshooting a wireless problem. He did buy the Apple Care but doesn't have it yet (it actually comes literally in a box). Well, I'm thinking he can get on the phone to Apple and figure it out himself. DH and I are the only ones in the family with Mac background and we cannot be helping him with every little problem. He's on the verge of returning it. Good. At this point, I hope he does.

Not sure if I am more mad at him or more mad at myself for not sticking to my limit up front. I told him before he ever bought it that I am not a technician and can't fix every little thing on his schedule (RIGHT THIS INSTANT), but then I'm doing it - wait, attempting it - anyway. Or if I'm mad at Apple for not resolving a HUGE HOLE in their OS! I can't believe so many people are having the same problem that my FIL is having! And I'm a die hard Apple girl! I had a pink iMac when everyone still thought Apple was going down the crapper!

Rant finished. Thank you.

[Tradd]

Fidgie, I SO get it! I somehow ended up being considered *the* expert on our industry-specific software we've been using for three years (I essentially taught myself the system with some very cruddy screen prints). We're going to a new version in several weeks. The company we merged with is going on this software for the first time. I trained our corporate customs compliance person on the software. She let slip, when visiting another office, that I'm the one to go with on questions. I didn't mind a few here or there, but Thursday, I spent an HOUR on the phone with two people in that other office.

I spent considerable time putting together very good, very clear, very detailed screen prints and notes. Why people cannot use these is beyond me.

Thursday was the last straw. I went to my manager, who is going to our regional GM, who will put a stop to this immediately. I've got enough to do.

When said person called me on Friday with several questions, I nicely told her I was sorry, but I didn't have the time to help her. She was OK with that, but I've got enough on my own plate, which includes being unofficial IT in my own department, in addition to learning my own new duties as Customs Compliance manager.

[SteveinMN]

I told him before he ever bought it that I am not a technician and can't fix every little thing on his schedule (RIGHT THIS INSTANT), but then I'm doing it - wait, attempting it - anyway.

After years of attempting to help DOS and Windows users who could not be bothered to maintain anti-virus subscriptions or to not "preview" email rife with malware and never backed up critical files, I finally declared to family and friends that I would be happy to be their tech support as available -- only if they bought a Mac, even a used one. If they chose to "save money" by buying a Windows computer, I would be willing to point them in the direction of training or live help or how to phrase questions for Web searches, but I was no longer going to spend hours of my life rebuilding infested systems or dealing with cr@ppy driver software only to have the work abused by people who didn't care to know better. I still find myself spending more time than I want on fixing Windows issues, but it's been a pretty good line in the sand for me.

[fidgiegirl]

There's also the awkward discovery that he has been visiting - ahem - certain websites that most likely very much contributed to the virus issues he was having on his PC. And no way to alert him to this, because he would die if he knew that I know. *Sigh*

Thanks for the love, all . . . he's vacillating between returning and waiting it out. If he returns it, his PC friend isn't available until Tuesday night to help him set it up, anyway. So he might as well wait it out until I can get on the phone to Apple with this weird wireless issue. I set up one computer. I'm not setting up another one.

[decemberlov]

I work for a printing company and the designer here drives me crazy!!!
I'm especially agitated by her process (or lack of) for sending out proofs to our customers.
We have jobs that come in, get designed and she emails them to the customer for approval. Many times we will have jobs sitting out waiting to be approved for a week or more. She never calls them on the phone to let them know they're in their email. Not everyone is at a desk all day like us checking their email every 5 seconds!! Make a phone call and let them know it was sent so they don't have to go searching through a hundred emails a week or 2 after it was sent!! It frustrates me to no end! The faster we get jobs approved, the faster we can print and bill and get paid! Most of the time I have to take it upon myself to make the phone call. Not my job. When I first started working here they had me emailing the proofs for her!! What designer do you know that doesn't email their own proofs out ???!!! Seriously??!! Luckily I changed this pretty quickly...still very frustrating though.

[treehugger]

Waiting around at home for someone to show up for an appointment (in this case, a re-fi appraiser, but it could be anyone). Why are they almost guaranteed to be late? I have things to do! This is my last day of vacation! *sigh*

Kara

[Azure]

I am sick of hearing my husband say that Tyler has taken on more than he can handle. (Regarding college, marching band & xc). His school work is going to suffer. It's a bad idea. Over! & Over! I am just tired of hearing it!

I realize Ty has taken on a lot. But you know what.... maybe he CAN do it. Maybe he should get the chance to fulfill a dream. He knows what he has to do if it's not working. So just drop the attitude already.

[SiouzQ.]

My left eyebrow is turning white! WTF? So much for symmetry...

[Azure]

I cannot believe that my sons academic adviser is is advising him to sign up for 21 Credits! I am appalled and more than a bit po'd. I can't believe that he would suggest that to anyone let alone a freshman! He also smooth talked DS into changing to a music education major.

DS was heading off to another meeting with the adviser when we left him this afternoon and we haven't heard from him since but I am hoping that he now has a more reasonable schedule.

[Tiam]

I cannot believe that my sons academic adviser is is advising him to sign up for 21 Credits! I am appalled and more than a bit po'd. I can't believe that he would suggest that to anyone let alone a freshman! He also smooth talked DS into changing to a music education major.

DS was heading off to another meeting with the adviser when we left him this afternoon and we haven't heard from him since but I am hoping that he now has a more reasonable schedule.

Sounds like a recipe for failure.