Dongle Problems

Me: “Thank you for calling [Company] service desk. This is [My Name]. Can I have your first and last name?”

Caller: “It’s [Caller].”

Me: “Okay, I’ve got you pulled up here. What can I help you with today?”

Caller: “I have had three total wireless mouse and keyboard combos shipped out to me to replace my old ones that broke. This is the fourth time I’ve had to call in because they send the mouse and they send the keyboard, but there hasn’t been a USB dongle a single time with them. I don’t know if the person shipping these things out is just checked out for the day all day, every day, or what, but this is getting insane.”

Me: “Okay, can I just get a few minutes to pull up some of your order information here and verify everything?”

Caller: “Yeah, whatever you got to do, but I need to have this issue resolved. I have work I need to do.”

Me: “Okay, just a minute, then.”

I proceed to verify that she has indeed somehow made it through three different IT people and had three combos shipped to her now before coming into my queue.

Me: “Okay, I verified everything here, and I’d just like to verify something with the device you were just sent. Could you open the package and remove both the keyboard and mouse?”

Caller: “Yes, I already did. There is nothing else in here.”

Me: “Okay, and now could I get you to take the mouse and look on the bottom side of it for anything that may look as though the USB dongle was placed into a slot to be held during shipment? It may be pressed into the bottom of the mouse length-wise or width-wise.”

Caller: “Yeah, I don’t see anything like th— Wait, is this it right here? Has it been here the whole time?! And I’ve had two other combos sitting here for a week and it’s been there the whole time? Why didn’t the other two people tell me to check there?!”

Me: “I’m not sure, ma’am, but if it was indeed there and you can confirm it is there on the other two combo sets, as well, I can get you two return labels sent to your printer to be sent back to us.”

Caller: “Please do, and maybe next time they should make the user aware that the USB dongle is inserted into the bottom of the mouse?”

Me: “I’ll mark that down as feedback for your previous incidents. Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

Caller: “No, that was everything, thanks.”

Me: “No problem. Have a good day. Bye.”

It was a completely perfect display of all-around failure. The end-user seemingly didn’t have the ability to process that, by the third package, they maybe should investigate the items and see if the dongle somehow is placed within them instead of assuming that the SEALED MERCHANDISE PACKAGE YOU WERE SENT WAS MISSING A USB DONGLE ALL THREE TIMES?

And then there’s the fact that I work with people who don’t know to check those places for USB dongles on wireless devices… and would rather set the lady up for additional shipments.