(Strong Roz Chast influence I realized after I'd drawn it.)
So I opened the tablet today. It was still vertical. I looked up HP tech support on my hardtop computer, decided to try the phone since the chat was so impossible.
First person I got after yelling answers to the calm robo-voice was a woman named "Bubbly." I said, "you mean like bubbles?" She said that was her name. She'd never heard of the name Sally before. I spelled it very slowly. I asked if she could transfer me to someone who spoke English since I couldn't really understand her. "No", she said, "I'm all alone." And she sounded all alone out there in the Indian ethernet.
I disconnected, tried to think of something else to do, then gave in, hit redial. This time I got Tom, who was in some loud and lonely tech support chamber. He had a hard time spelling Sally too. After we'd been exchanging information for about ten minutes he told me I'd come to the wrong place, that he didn't know anything about my computer. But at least we had the chance to spend ten minutes together. ggrr. I had been connected to him by yelling into the phone, on command, "TABLET PC." "Thanks, you said Tablet PC, right?" You know how that goes. But Tom said he would transfer me.
This time I got an Amurican, it sounded as if he was maybe located at the Hoboken train station in a phone booth and hated his job. He said he could probably help me but not until after I'd FAXED my proof of purchase. I got chuffy and he got chuffy. I settled down. He said he'd help me anyway.
He directed me to the tablet settings in the control panel and explained where you change orientation from vertical to horizontal. That's all it was... and the fellow in HP chat was going to have me working away on the BIOS and reinstalling drivers.
So I spent a little time working on the snazzy machine, feeling friendly towards it again. I did this drawing of myself in a clam shell, subconsciously I guess it's a tablet. Trust me I'm not sitting on a pearl.
12 comments:
Makes me want to line up liquor bottles and shoot them with a beautiful pistol. But no, I have dishes to wash.
This is getting beyond ridiculous. I wonder if there's a way to get the phone number or address of the mastermind who outsourced tech support to people who seemingly haven't been trained to do the job right. He deserves a few calls for all the headaches he's caused.
I bet if you called in with a different, made-up complaint ("Flames are shooting out of the cd drive!")that they'd tell you to do the same thing.
So glad you've got it working, and I love the Chast-influenced drawing!
I actually had a chance to blast the chat person via a requested survey with a text box to explain what was displeasing.
Until now I've always had Sony computers or Fry's built generics. In the past Sony tech support was very personal and the techs smart.
So this has been a shock-- plus HP has come out with an ad campaign: the pc gets personal again. (I think that's how they word it.)
It is mega nuts that a tech chat person could be working for the company and spouting reckless advice like what I got. Line up the bottles!
Namowal: "Flames are shooting out of the cd drive!" cracked me up.
Jon just told me the picture looks more like my mother.
I don't know whether to laugh hysterically or cry.
Did you draw that in Painter?
Quite water-colory, I can't get that effect in MS Paint. :)
Jesse starts work on a flame-spitting case mod now.
Yes, in Painter. I drew with the pencil, then colored it a bit, and let the automatic painter turn it into something else. I used the junior version of Painter (which I actually prefer.) Sal, have you started using Painter yet?
No, I haven't! I got a tutorial book and will try to start today if I remember. You like the junior better, though?
Sal, I intend to post a view of Junior and Full Version painter, maybe tomorrow if I get around to it. The Full Version is the one to get, I'm sure, but the interface of Junior is much more innovative and friendly.
I must admit I am struggling with the full version's interface!
Post a Comment