Users IT hates to support

Whether you’re working at an IT company, an IT help desk or you've just been appointed as head of your family’s tech support department (you’re the only one in the department), you quickly learn that certain types of tech users are just impossible to avoid, do any of these unbearable tech support users sound familiar to you?

The paranoid – Ever dealt with a user that reads into every possible threat to their electronics and then becomes convinced that they are on the brink of being infected? The paranoid tech support user probably spends countless days just calling and making sure he is protected from whatever scary sounding virus is making headlines, in short they are the hypochondriac of tech health.

The constant buyer – Just whisper something about new technology and the constant buyer will become convinced that he absolutely needs it in his life. Maybe it’s a new piece of hardware like a new smartphone or a cool software update, whatever it is he needs you to magically get it by lunchtime even though he has no clue why.

The personal – This guy treats the help desk like his own personal tech assistant; he’s always asking questions about non-work related devices. Whether he’s asking advice about what new phone he should buy his wife or if you can explain why his laptop is doing weird stuff, he has no shame asking.

The know-it-all – The amateur expect, the user who has just enough knowledge about technology to completely wreak havoc. The know-it-all will try taking matters into his own hands and by doing this he makes the problem ten times worse and guess what you’re going to have to be the one to clean up the mess!

The no skills – This user can’t seem to figure out anything for himself, he constantly calls for the smallest issues imaginable, like the time the spilt some of his breakfast cereal in the keyboard and he wasn't sure if it was anything to worry about or maybe his email inbox is full and he doesn't know what to do.

The defiant – Now this guy sure knows how to make your life difficult, no matter what you do he will refuse to follow basic instructions and then he still can’t understand why there is a problem. The defiant user will ignore your email reminders to update antivirus software, randomly click links in emails and upload files to unsecure locations left, right and centre.

The bad liar – He thinks he is sneaky, he thinks he can be sly and he thinks he can get away with stuff without you. It’s one thing to be a defiant user; it’s another to be a bad liar. Common lines you may hear from him:
“I didn't delete those files, I promise!”
“I have no idea how that pornographic video managed to get onto my computer.”

The super forgetful – There’s always that user that honestly can’t remember anything, he forgets his password more times than you can keep track of and never recalls the most basic things you explained to him more than a million times. When the super forgetful user calls you there’s a 99% chance it’s to ask you about something you've helped him with before.

The search-impaired – Instead of using Google himself, this user would much rather email you constantly about the problem and most of the problems are not actual tech support issues, no he will ask random things like where he can download pictures and which website is the best to use to buy pens for the office.

The complainer – The complainer will find anything to moan about, and most probably blame you for all the issues. Do any of these sentences sound familiar to you?
“Hey, why’s the internet always so slow?”
“I get errors, and no I don’t remember what they said, but I need them fixed immediately.”
“My email account isn't working and this only started happening after I phoned you.”

From the paranoid to the pathological, there are always those ten personalities that can drive an IT pro completely and utterly crazy.

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Written By: Christine Romans
CopyWriter at The Computer Guyz Cape Town