Share you Microsoft Tech Support Horror Stories Here.

Well, I can answer why Microsoft wants your number, but Dell takes mine when I call so that they can call me back if we get disconnected. My phone was going through a particularly spotty few days the last time I needed Dell support and they called me back no less than six times. Talk about service!

Problem is, EP, I’m using EMAIL support! I guess I should have mentioned that.

And I am using email to give them MORE TIME to research the problem before they tell me stupid things.

After I failed to give it the first time, he sends me an email asking for it “In case we need to reach you for a refund”. I responded with “Why can’t you reach me for a refund through this email?”.

His reason is VERY fishy.

Then, after he told me to change the default printer, I requested he escalate. So he asked me for my number a third time so his manager can talk to me. Again, why can’t his manager talk to me through the email???

I see. Well. Strike everything I said. There is no real reason they should need that for e-mail.

Why are you so reluctant to give them your #? If it were me, I would want the problem solved right away, and so if I get to talk to someone on the phone and convey the urgency or irritation with my voice, the better it is. Email is great, but sometimes talking on the phone (thus having a better personal touch) can be a lot more convincing (in making them get the job done faster).

As I said, I specifically chose email to give them more time to read and understand my problem and research the correct answer. The problem is simple. My email was detailed. And they sent me detailed questions which I answered.

Did you ever talk to India based tech support on the phone? And you think they understand English well? Not even well enough to do their job.

The problem BTW is that whenever I save a WORD 2007 file in the WORD ‘97–2003 format and try to email, Outlook doesn’t open. If I open Outlook BEFORE I try to email a file in that format, it WILL work. The problem doesn’t happen with ANY OTHER Office application.

I understand your frustration. I have actually spoken to them more times than I would like. But even then, I get annoyed and impatient w/ the email method. Because you have to wait for them to reply. And sometimes they ask such stupid Qs…which if they asked me on the phone, i would be able to quickly reply with “WHY is that important?” Haha and btw, I really doubt they are “researching” the correct answer lol.

edit: i use Word 2007 too. Do you mean you save it and try to email it from Word itself? By using the “Email this” option? I am pretty literate when it comes to Microsoft Office 2007 but admittedly I do not use Outlook ever.

This is off topic….but what is so special about the formating in Word 2007 in regard to whatever you are emailing?

I have Word 2007. I have to email stuff to someone who doesn’t have it….so I save and email in the 97–2003 format. I realize that this isn’t your problem, but I am just suggesting your work around the problem instead….

Should it work? Sure. But if you don’t need it to, why cause yourself the unnecessary headache?

As to the tech support trouble…..I buy all of my stuff from Costco and deal w/ the Costco Concierge service and let them deal w/ the other techies for any hardware/software issues.

@PnL, that’s EXACTLY right. I save the file and try to email from Word 2007 itself (SEND->EMAIL) and it hangs there. And I’m afraid you’re right – they’re not researching anything. I can DREAM, can’t I?!

I HAVE workarounds…1. if I open OUTLOOK before I send in Word 2007 all is OK, OR 2. If I use OUTLOOK to send the email and attach the Word file, OR 3. While it hangs I use CTRL-ALT-DEL and cancel the job. Then restart Word 2007 and the problem then goes away.

I sought tech support because I felt it was a problem they had seen before.

Update: I got an email response yesterday that included:

“I apologize for the unconvinced caused,”

hehehe. you will need to let us know when that problem finally gets solved. We should have a Fluther bet on how long it takes :D

So far, one week.

The email I received several weeks ago, about how the problem was escalated and someone would call me, has NEVER reached fruition. They NEVER called me back. I even sent an email asking them “What’s the story”. No response! How FAKE can their tech support be?

This post 11/9/08

call them. seriously.

Thanks, but at this point, I’m content with my work-around. Before I send an attachment in the “Word ‘97–2003” format through WORD, I open Outlook first.

I feel there is a reason why they didn’t call me back – they don’t know the answer.