Thursday, February 09, 2023

why we elders hate computer help on line

 At the beginning of his podcast Dilbert discusses his frustration with his printer's software problem, which took him so much time to figure out that he is trying to decide if he should just destroy his printer and buy a new one.

He says he is just too old to waste a lot of time on such things.

Sounds familiar.

I took hours arguing with my government TSP pension trying to have them find me after they did an update of their softwars and changed my sign in. 

The problem was that they gave you only two weeks to update your stuff and the program was slow.

So after wastsing a few hours trying to get them to find my policy, I gave up and I waited a few weeks and voila, found the problem: the spelling of my last name. Fixed it, but not before I had to have them mail me the password since it wouldn't give it to me on line. So now I get the smaller payment by mail instead of direct deposit.

But my latest computer fight is with McAfee anti virus, which has me listed as having three policies, and I am trying to stop the automatic repayment so that they don't keep billing me. Part of this is that I own most of Joy's business computers and provide her antivirus software,. Long story.

So I am paying for computers no longer in use. 

autonatic assistant doesn't even recognize the word duplicate programs, so after an hour I gave up and just cancelled my automatic payment,


The problem is that I paid for anti virus for Joy's computers, and I don't even know they official names to check which policy covers them. 

the easiest thing would be to just cancel the antivirus, and when she notices the problem, just install the anti virus under the new program. 

My main problem being I can't cancel the old program, but only the automatic renewal part that updated them automatically.

I did this, I think.


Yes, I could ask my grandkids to do this, but alas they went back to college last month and are no longer here.


Ah, but do you think they might have a human being? Yes. they do have one.

And from experience I know this means being put on hold for an hour (long distance rates of course since it is in the US and I am in the Philippines).

Sigh.

even here in the Philippines we are getting all that modern computer stuff for buying and selling.

And the universal computer code stuff is even in our area, where you can scan your computer for cash at the mall, and if you want a McDonald's hamburger, you have to go to a kiosk and order it. So all that money saved by not having a human being has to be paid to the girl who helps you do input your order electronically.

Sigh.

Just wait til China cuts the internet cable south of Taiwan and we are offiine for six weeks like we were in 2006. The Philippines is scheduled to get starlink, so presumably Mr Musk could position his satellites over Luzon if China pulls some stunts, like he did for the Ukraine.

But what about if a EMP, Solar flair, or just an ordinary typhoon wrecks the internet and electricity for awhile?

Back to human beings I guess

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