Am I to blame?

Here I am sittin in front of my laptop. Which despite the name, is sittin on the floor not on my lap. By the time I wrote the 2nd paragraph of this blog, I might have gone back from an installation which is scheduled fer another 50 minutes. Confusin? Don't be. Writin a blog might take a while and might take a long while. So that's why a blog is like a time machine. If the writer can tell somethin which is currently happenin, the readers (if any) will have a chance to imagine what's it like fer that specific time. Be it a minute after, or a month, or a year; this time machine will never fail. So now, I guess you, and honestly myself is wonderin what in hell I'm tryin to say. Wait, I'm still thinkin of a theme here. But all I can feel is frustration. Ok well. We got a theme now. It's about frustration.

Ok I'm wrong. It's the second chapter already and I still have another 15 minutes before I'll be off fer my next appointment. How's my work so far? It's fun most of the time. And sometime it's tickin my nerves. When that time comes, it really made me lose my appetite. Ah, preparin fer another of my 'whinin blog' eh? You better. Because this post is full of it. Or at least I hope it'll be. You see, I write what I thought on the specific moment and yeah, my mood changes in a brief so I'm not quite sure if I'll write what I originally intended to. Let's start with what had happen this past few days.

Work. Ah. Well. What is there to say? It sucks sometime to work. Infact it does show when you're workin with the customers. I'm not the 'customer relation' type of person. I'm the 'sit and do the work until it's done and get the hell out quickly' type of person. Not to say that I totally suck at communicatin with customer, heck no you can ask any of my past customers. But it's just that, I don't quite like it. And when the customer is the hyper-fussy type, the suckiness show. This past few days really showed me why I don't prefer dealin directly with customer or to make it clear, interruption from customers when I'm doin my work. Yeah we have a few hyper-fussy customers this week.

Earlier this month, I installed Streamyx fer a company. They have no IT staff (sign of bad luck) except fer 1 software eng dude. No, I'm not sayin soft-eng dudes are bad. We, the IT people whether in soft-eng, network, sys-admin or any others; most of us know our capabilities. We know what our field of expertise is. But this specific dude lack that specific instinct. So that's where it went wrong. Me, network/internet guy and him, software guy. Talkin bout network. Which quickly turned to minor debates. Inflictin messy mis-communications. Delayin my work. Boilin my blood.

He have a workin Streamyx installed. His company upgraded to a Enterprise package consistin of 1 fixed IP Address usin another telephone number. So I checked the new line, activate it and put the new modem fer the line. I asked him to test the connection and it was fine. Good. No? Nu-uh. Not yet. He got confused. Well he didn't mention that he IS confused but I know. The problem (if it's safe to call it a 'problem') is that he want to transfer the new Streamyx, replacin the old line. Well actually the solution would be to put the new line to the old modem, minor reconfigurin the modem with the new Streamyx username / password. But he kept buggin me bout LAN address which is controlled by the internal DHCP server (it's either the server or the modem/router itself.) plus some other non-related issues which can be easily solved. There was a few intense moment. Everytime I explain a solution fer his 'problems', he kept spewin nonsensical questions which made me wonder what's the relativeness of his new questions with the solutions I provided earlier. To make it worst, he is lost in his own words too. It's like he's ignorin my answers and recyclin his questions with a new additional scenarios just to make it look like the situation is really bad and there is gazillion issues. I had another customer waitin with the distant about more than an hour ride and the appointment is suppose to be in another 15 minutes. Yeah I was delayed too long already.

Ok I just got back from my last appointment fer today. Phew. Yeah it took me 5 paragraph before I got the motivation to go. Heh. Where was I? Oh yeah the delayed thingy. So after my numerous explaination and tips, he finally see a bit of the light. The questions didn't stop though. From the long tortures of listenin to his questions, I noticed that he's concerned about what replacin the line into the old DSL modem would do to the existin LAN configuration which is near to none. So I gave the same answer, yet again, which is "just put the new line to the old modem and reconfigure the old modem with the new Streamyx's login username / password" until he said somethin like "ok why don't you put the line and configure it". That's when I think I knew what's goin on. He don't know how to configure the modem.

I'd gladly help him out if he asked fer it 50 minutes earlier. But he held me fer too long already and my next customer is waitin. Fer your information, we the Streamyx Installers, our duty is to check the DSL line/signal, activate the account and test the connectivity with the DSL modem that we provide. Other than that, it's solely depend on the customer. Even if I could tweak the old modem and all, the risk is too much. I can't afford to be held responsible if anythin happens to the current network. To keep it simple, it's the internal IT staff's duty to do that. Imagine the server goin down, and blamin it on me because I was the one who laid my hands on the modem. Even if the trouble don't have anythin to do with the modem itself. Get the picture? Hey it happened to other installer before and that's why it's risky. So I tell him that and then he said, "I'm just a software engineer and I don't know bout router/modem and stuff". The magic words. One of the few things I can totally agree. It's only that he realised it 50 minutes too late. So I asked him to give the company who installed the servers fer his company a call and sort that out. I gave him a copy of the "work order" which contains all the nescessary informations needed about the Streamyx package and I left.

Then I have this other customer who when I check his computer, lack of a network card. The DSL modem we provide require a network card installed. So he started to blame me fer not mentionin it earlier when he's fillin the registration form. "Bling!". It went through me like a wasp sting. I'm the installer, not a reseller. Reseller is the one who must provide the adequate information on the requirements and such. So I tell him just that. Ironically, to think about it, I am tellin him about the required bits ain't I? So he told me he need the Streamyx quickly. Well yeah I hate repeatin the same premise twice too because if the job ain't done, I can't claim the money. It's not like I love goin to the same house a few times because it'll waste my time and the bike's petrol. So I gave him an option, he can take his computer to his favourite PC shop and get a network card installed, or if he prefer it, I can sell, install and configure a network card to him fer just RM50. He opted fer the 1st choice so I asked him to call me back when the PC is ready.

A day later, he called and I came to his house again hopin to finally get the job done. Guess what? He have this smile on his face, with the computer's CPU open and a network card next to it. Yeah he just buy a network card and want me to install it. Great. Such consideration. I felt like a fool there. Quickly I get the job done and hope that it'll be the last time I'll be facin a customer like that.

A few days later, the man call me up. Sayin that he had to reformat his PC (heh..) and now he don't know how to log into Streamyx. For your information, if the default installation is changed, like reformattin the PC, deletin the dialer, changin the modem etc; it'll no longer be the installer's responsible. The regulation is stated in the "Acceptance Form" which the customer is required to sign and given a copy to keep. How naive I was to actually think that anyone would read it. So I tell him that I'll gladly give a phone support fer that. He agreed and he call up his son fer me to teach. New dialer is made and it's all singin and dancin (I'm quotin what a customer of mine would say fer things that's ok). Well, not exactly. 3 days later, the same guy gave me a voice message early in the mornin. He said "Are you comin or not?" and I don't like the tone. 1st, I don't remember settin up a date to come to his house, and another thing is why he waited fer another 3 days to call me back. Another successfull re-formation of the poor PC? I don't know and I don't like it. So I called him back and explain the situation to him. It took me more than RM6 worth of my mobile airtime and still he's not satisfied. When I told him that I have to charge him if I came to his house, he argued that I was supposed to state that 3 days earlier. Heck we never have a conversation about "goin to my house" before. Then he said that he'll pay but he want me to come on the same day. I told him that my schedule is packed that day and because it's already Saturday, I can only come on the next Monday. I can sense he can no longer contain his temper when he said that "I'll report this to TMNet and you don't have to come, I'll just cancel the Streamyx". He was blackmailin me? A threat? Nice one. I just give him an "ok" and until now, it's the last time he ever contacted me.

Recently I got a phone call from an IT company. Which later I was told that they provided a VPN router fer the company I installed earlier. Yeah the same company with the soft-eng guy. Now this dude have a problem with his VPN router. He have to set a gateway IP address in it and he don't have the specific information. Sadly, even I don't have that information. Now this dude is persistent. He kept sayin that I have it and don't want to tell it to him. What the... All the information I gave, the work order, that's all that I have. And furthermore, a buddy of mine says that gateway IPs is randomly given eventhough the WAN IP is fixed. *I'm not quite sure fer Corporate package though. But I've installed to much bigger companies like Sharp Roxy and such, and they never have any issues whatsoever.*. So I told him to call up the Customer Center and ask if the technical staff there can help. With a grudge, he followed my tips and that was not the last time I heard about him.

Earlier this afternoon, the same guy call and asked me the same thing. The information I don't have. And he even threatened to complaint about my secrecy about the gateway IP. Pffttt. Then later that evenin, TMNet called me and asked me to come to the same company tomorrow because there's an error with the 'docket'. Yeah. Great. We're to clean up everyone else's mess. But heck I want to see that IT company guy who supplied the VPN router. I can't wait fer that and I'm tired of ignorant people. I'm tired fer bein blame of everythin which is not my fault. Or is it really my fault?

I guess I'm the one who to be blame. Maybe it IS my fault. To think of it, it might be true. Say, it's my fault that you don't know anythin about networkin. I could've stayed fer a few month to teach you about it until you're competent enough. Well it's my fault that you don't know much about configurin a DSL modem right? It's my fault that your PC got reformatted too. I should've known better than assumin that you can possibly know that your PC won't get any malicious programs. I should've stayed with you and guide you when you're surfin the big bad internet. I should recite the content of the 1 page Acceptance Form every mornin to you. At least I should give you a 6 month basic computer course so that you can use windows XP and Internet Explorer. It's my fault if your modem got struck by lightnin. I should've went to your house to unplug the telephone wire everytime the weather gone bad because eventhough I say the tip everytime after every installation, I must realise that you might not remember that at all. It's my fault your VPN router is complicated. I should've written a more easy OS fer your VPN router instead. It's my fault for not recoverin the memory of your new password which was recently lost. I should've dig deep into your mind to recover it. At least I should give you a call to remind you of your new password everytime you're goin online. It's also my fault that you need a computer to use Streamyx. I should at least buy you a computer system so that you can join the internet and enjoy the wonder of bein online. I'm so sorry. I'm a bad person.

There. I'm relieved now. It's a good feelin to actually realise our weaknesses aye? It feels good to know our mistakes huh? I should be more considerate. Later.