Technical support can test anyone’s patience.

In this story, a man was working an overnight shift, helping customers with website issues.

One caller insisted his site was down, though it worked perfectly fine on multiple devices.

He eventually learned what the real issue was, so he patiently assured the customer that everything was fine.

Read the full story below for all the details.

My website is down and I am loosing $1,000/hour

After recovery from my stroke, I was in desperate need of work.

So desperate, I took an overnight shift at a web host for tech support.

Most nights it was pretty calm.

And people who called on my shift were usually just looking for more help with their website than troubleshooting.

This man received a call from a frantic guy.

The night staff had the time, and it helped break up the monotony of the shift.

Occasionally, I would get gems like this. I got a call, and the guy was frantic on the phone.

After finally getting him to confirm his username and password, I asked which website of his was down.

I typed the URL into my web browser, and surprise, I got his website with no issues.

He checked the customer’s website on different locations and found no issue.

Next, I VPNed to my home computer and pulled it up there. No issue again.

This is where we got into basic PC troubleshooting.

(Reminder: this guy was supposedly losing $1K/hr because his website was “down.”)

It is at this point that we got into basic PC troubleshooting, and the following transpired.

The customer said his screen was black.

Me: Okay, are you using a Mac or PC?

Customer: PC.

Me: Can you click on the Start menu and type in CMD?

Customer: I cannot. The screen is black.

Me: (Deep breath) Is there a light on the front of your monitor and/or your tower?

Customer: No.

The customer said he couldn’t tell if his computer’s cable is plugged into the device.

Me: (Deeper breath) Is the cable plugged into the back of the device?

Can you trace that cable back to make sure it is plugged into the wall?

If you have a power strip, can you see if it is in the on position?

Customer: Rustling… I think it is, but cannot quite tell.

He assured the customer that his website is up.

Me: What do you mean you cannot tell?

Customer: I can’t tell. It is dark.

Me: Dark? Can you turn on a light?

Customer: I could get a flashlight, but there is no power.

Me: I assure you, sir, your website is up. You can check it again when you have power back.

Let’s read the responses of other people to this story.

Another tech support employee speaks up.

This user shares their personal thoughts.

This one is curious.

Finally, short and funny. Lol.

Just because the power is out doesn’t mean your website is down.

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