Imagine dealing with a customer who wants you to get their issue fixed right now even though they’re paying for the lowest level of service possible and are located 99 miles from your office. Would you humor the customer or refuse to go out of your way to make their life easier?

In this story, one tech support employee is in a situation like this where a customer is upset because he’ll have to stay late even though he doesn’t get paid for overtime. But he gets even more frustrated when the tech support employee tells him about another problem he discovered.

Let’s read the whole story.

We’re a state agency, we don’t get paid overtime.

Background: I am a Derp Service Provider and provide field support to basically everyone with a Derp computer within 100 miles.

I make my appointments shortly before 9AM to fill my schedule, which is usually 9-5, sometimes later, esp for server calls. If you miss my morning call, chances are you are scheduled for tomorrow unless you pay for [Uber] level support from Derp or if I have an opening for some reason when you call me back.

So, it’s around noon when Jake from [State Agency] returns my call to schedule an appointment.

pokemon themed ringtone
Me: Afternoon, Manyinterests speaking.

Here’s how the call went…

Jake: Yeah, this is Jake from [State Agency] – I’m returning your call.

Me: Hey Jake! Thanks for giving me a call back. How are you doing?

Jake: So, when are you going to be here?

Me: Just give me one moment here to pull up your work-order… I see we are going to be servicing a Derp Bad-Book Laptop at 123 Dirt Road in NowhereVille, is that correct?

— I also see Jake has our lowest level support agreement, and his call is the newest (lowest priority) in my queue. He is also 99 miles away. —

He explained the situation.

Me: Let’s see. I have an availability tomorrow morning in NowhereVille, say, around 10AM, if that works for you.

Jake: What?! You’re supposed to be here within 4 hours of the parts arriving – We need this done today. This is the CEO’s laptop!

Me: My apologies, but I am seeing here you have [poop] level support, not [4-hr Uber] support. I will double-check the Derp system to verify this info…

Jake: No. I have [poop] level support, but I need you here now.

Me: Ah, I see. Well. My the earliest availability in NowhereVille today would be around 5PM.

Jake didn’t want to wait until tomorrow.

Jake: That’s no good. That’s quittin’ time.

— Jake rants for a while about how Derp technicians are always putting him off and blah-blah-blah, demands I resolve the problem to his satisfaction. —

Me: I understand your frustration — However, it is simply a matter of geography, there is not much I can do for you right now. If I have an earlier opening in my schedule today, I will be sure to give you a call. In the meantime, I can, however, contact my area supervisor for you and see if anything can be done for you. In either case, you can expect a call back from me later this afternoon with an update.

Jake: Okay.

click (beep, really)

He decided to keep his supervisor in the loop.

I know my supervisor will not care about this guy in the slightest, as we still have 5 days to meet our [poop] service level agreement with him, but I write her an email anyhow, just letting her know this guy is ticked off.

Later in the afternoon I had restored a server faster than expected, freeing up a little more time in my schedule.
I give Jake from State Agency a call to update him on my schedule and let him know my manager was unable to provide another tech for the job.

riiiiiiing

Jake: [State Agency] IT, this is Jake.

Here’s how the conversation went…

Me: Hey Jake, this is Manyinterests, the Derp Service Tech. I’m calling to let you know I’ve got an earlier opening in my schedule today and could probably arrive at [State Agency] 4:30-4:45.

Jake: Ugh. — Okay. Well. If you can get here at 4:30, I will stay, put in the extra hours to get this done, because it is important.

Me: Okay, great! I will see you then.

So, once I arrive at [State Agency] at 4:25 — The building is locked with RFID security. Jake is not answering his phone. Great.

Jake wasn’t answering the phone.

The Derp policy is to wait 15 minutes, then leave.

I attempt to call Jake 5, 10, and 14 minutes after arriving. Of course, he answers on my last call at the last possible minute.

Jake: Hey, are you here yet?! I’ve been waiting for you!

Me: Yes, I am outside the door. It’s locked, and I, of course, do not have an ID badge for entry.

Jake: Be right there.

Jake said something kind of crazy.

So Jake comes, unlocks the door. We head for the cubicle where the Bad-Book Laptop is.

Me: I appreciate you being flexible with my scheduling, Jake.

Jake: Yeah, well. We’re a state agency, we don’t get paid overtime. I don’t know who’s gonna be paying my overtime. Derp is gonna get a chargeback for this because this is absolutely ridiculous.

— Wait, what? Does this guy really thing that DERP is going to pay HIS overtime because HIS employer does not pay him overtime?! Chargeback ??? He did not pay for this service, it’s “free” as part of [State Agency]’s service agreement. —

I ignore the comment.

There was a problem.

We arrive at the Bad-Book laptop.

Jake: There it is. I gotta go to the executive’s office and talk to them about something important.

I am here to replace the Bad-Book’s motherboard and Keyboard. However, I notice the keyboard I have is not identical to the one currently installed in the Bad-Book. I am thinking “Aw man, wrong part. I can only imagine what jerk is gonna think about that”

So I attempt to call Jake to let him know (I have his mobile number, not an office line)

No answer.

Where did Jake really go?

I walk around a bit to see if I can find him or someone who knows where he is or point me in the direction of the executive’s office.

I ask one of the few employees who are still around.

The employee is confused and informs me the executives leave every day by 4 without exception, and, in fact, were not in the office at all today, but points me to the office anyhow.

I go there, door locked, nobody’s home.

Jake finally reappaers.

I am convinced now (as if I needed this evidence) that Jake is a complete jerk who feels like he has the need to inflate his ego and importance. So much so, he needs to pretend that he is so important that he talked to executives about important things! LOL

In light of this, I just decide to proceed with the motherboard replacement and deal with the KB issue afterwards. Just as I’m finishing that, Jake shows up.

Jake: Does it work?

Me: Just finished up here, the system boots up fine now, I just gotta [do stuff to finalize mobo replacement] — However, as you can see, the keyboard I received appears to be the wrong part. I will have to call my dispatch at Derp to send the proper one.

But Jake claims it’s the correct keyboard.

Jake: No, that is the correct one. We want to switch our Bad-Books to that style keyboard.

Me: I see. Well. In either case, I cannot install a part that does not have an identical part number without confirming with my superiors at Derp.

Jake: No, trust me. This is the correct part. They sent the wrong part before (by “wrong,” he means the correct factory-installed option) I spent over 2 hours on the phone with Derp support getting them to send the one I want.

— Why in the world would you think your warranty entitles you to change your parts out for more expensive options? No. That’s not how it works! —

He tried to explain the situation.

Me: I see. Well. In either case, the existing keyboard bezel will not fit this model keyboard and I will need to call this into Derp, anyhow.

Jake: Here, I have this other Bad-Book here with the correct bezel that Derp will be replacing for me. Take the bezel of this one, it does not matter, they’re replacing the whole unit.

Me: Unfortunately sir, as a matter of policy, I am not allowed to touch any equipment or install any parts that are not explicitly listed on my work order without authorization. I will need to call Derp.

Jake: UGH! How long will that take? Just be quick about it.

Derp made the resolution very clear.

— So I call into Derp to straighten the issue out.

My field rep at Derp informs me that I do, in fact, have a wrong part and I am instructed to not replace it. Further, the rep informs me that, because the client previously had “wrong” parts sent to him, (confirmed with the rep by serial/part number they the previously sent parts were correct and identical to the factory-installed KB, but he wanted a different one) the only resolution available at this point would be to send the system to Derp directly for repair.

This is typical of Derp to save money on sending techs over and over to service “problem” systems with [poop] level service. —

After getting off the phone with Derp, I explain the situation and options to the customer…

Jake tries to convince OP to let him keep the parts.

Me: Jake, unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to get that bezel dispatched out here. The only resolution we can offer at this point is a Derp-Direct repair.

Jake: Just forget it, leave the parts here and I’ll do it myself.

Me: Unfortunately, I can’t do that for you. Derp will be expecting me to ship this part back to them.

Jake: Fine. Send the box. It better be here by tomorrow.

It’s way too late in the day for the box to be expected tomorrow…

I think OP is being vague on purpose.

Me: The box will be sent tomorrow.

Jake: So it’s going to be here tomorrow, right?

Me: The box will be sent tomorrow.

Jake: Okay, and so it’s gonna come back with that kind of keyboard, right?

Me: The Derp-Direct technicians will ensure the proper hardware is replaced.

Jake finally let OP go.

Jake: But we’re getting the keyboard, right?

Me: The Derp-Direct technicians will ensure the proper hardware is replaced.

Jake: Okay, the box better be here tomorrow and when it comes back, it better have the right keyboard.

Me: Okay.

Jake: You know the way out.

I told this story to my co-workers, now the phrase “We’re a state agency, we don’t get paid overtime” runs around as a joke here now and then.

I don’t think Jake is going to be happy when the box arrives.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

This person shares how overtime works in their country.

Another person shares a phrase that they’ve started saying in their office.

This is the million dollar question!

A government employee weighs in.

That customer was really trying to take advantage of the situation.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.