Being tech-illiterate can cost you.

This tech support worker was helping some clients install simple software, but some of them couldn’t understand the simple instructions. So they flew him 500 miles to do the job for them.

Read the full story below.

Had to fly to customer site to install software

This was from several years ago. We produce custom desktop software for customers. These particular customers were especially tech-illiterate and didn’t even have an IT department to speak of, despite being a major manufacturing corporation.

Our software isn’t anything super crazy: download our run-of-the-mill installer, open it, click “Next” a few times, and you’re done. Sure, there are advanced options, but most people would be fine with the defaults.

Support had a problem with three people trying to install it. No amount of “click next” was getting through to them.

They were seriously questioning the advanced options they thought they had to set, and talking them out of changing the defaults was an exercise in futility.

The conversation between the customers and this tech support went like this.

Them: “It is asking for a path to install.”

Support: “Just leave it as it is. Click ‘Next.’”

Them: “But what do I put for the path?”

Support: “What is it set to now?”

Them: “C colon backslash Program Files backslash—”

Again, same answer.

Support: “That is the correct path. Click ‘Next.’”

Them: “But I should set the path, shouldn’t I?”

This circular conversation went nowhere.

Finally, the customer had a great idea.

They flew him in for a very simple task.

Them: “Can you send someone out here to help us?”

Support: “The nearest person is 500 miles away.”

Them: “We will pay whatever expenses it takes. We just have to get this thing installed before tomorrow.”

The next thing I knew, I was boarding an airplane bound for their city.

Sounds like easy money!

Two hours later, I was at their office. Twenty minutes after that, after hitting “Next” a total of six times (three for each one of them), I was done.

The application worked fine.

They drove me back to the airport, and I came back home that night.

The only good thing was that they dutifully paid the thousand-odd bucks for the flight, plus the premium hourly cost.

Not bad money for a few clicks.

Other people are piping up in the comments on Reddit.

A hilarious comment.

Another funny remark from this user.

This makes sense.

Feels good, says this person.

A fair point.

Questioning the expert can cost you thousands.

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.