Follow These Tips for Tech-Support Success

Printer won't print? Notebook won't boot? In situations like these, most folks reach for the phone to call tech support. ExtremeTech offers 10 tips for getting what you want from support departments. Here's a fine example:

Tip 5: Don't Jump Through Hoops Earlier we said not to be a jerk to the tech reps. While we stand by that advice, we also say, don't dance for them.

In other words--tech support people often simply read scripts off the terminals in front of them. They're instructed to take you through the most basic troubleshooting techniques. If you know one won't help, don't bother doing it.

We've had tech reps tell us to do all kinds of crazy thing: "Remove the graphics card and clean the contact edge!" (Something far more likely to do harm than good).

Sometimes, they'll tell you to do things you've already tried, which didn't resolve the problem in the first place.

Just say no!

The easiest way to stay out of the hoops they'll want you to jump through is to say, "I've already tried that." So if they claim that a contact must be bent in the monitor connector (even though you've explained that nobody has touched or reconnected that connector in five years), and they want you to inspect the pins (even though that can't possibly be where the problem is), just say, "Done. They're fine."