Powerless To Help
My young cousin has started in our tech support department. I get a call from him around 7:30 pm, while I am off shift.
Cousin: “Hey, [My Name], I’ve been working on this for a couple of hours. Can you help me fix it?”
Me: “Yeah, sure. Tell me your problem.”
Cousin: “Oh no, I mean, can you come out here? The user can’t get her monitors to work, and she promised her boss she’d be able to log in tomorrow.”
It’s a forty-five-minute drive to that side of town. Plus the time to fix it, plus the drive back, on a school night. I’m seething inside. All of a sudden, this is my problem?
Me: “No. Not really possible. How about you explain what’s going on, maybe FaceTime?”
Cousin: “Understandable.” *God bless him.* “She has two monitors hooked up to her laptop. But it routes through this… box.”
I’m worried now. This sounds like some cracked setup I’ve never put eyes on before. Splitter maybe? Need to start with the basics.
Me: “Okay [Cousin], I’m going to send you a Zoom link so that I can see the problem.”
Cue a few minutes of logging in, sending a Zoom link, etc.
Me: “Okay, what kind of cable is coming out of the laptop?”
Cousin: “USB-C. Like my phone uses to charge.”
That box has me worried.
Me: “And that goes into the box?”
Cousin: “Yup. I think it powers it?”
Me: “Okay. Let’s take a look at the box. What is the input labeled as? And also, potential outputs? Let’s get an idea of what this is doing.”
Cousin: “Okay, it’s a Dell, made in China…” *Bless his heart, being so detailed!* “Here is the back, USB… Ethernet… power? Power!? Wait what!?!”
My internal screaming has turned to laughter.
Cousin: “Wait, [User], you said this was powered from your computer? Where is the power cable?!”
I s***you not, this was her response:
User: “Oh, you mean this?”
Cousin: *In the purest form of relieved exasperation.* “Yes, I mean that!”
One minute later, everything is working. Before I end the call, I get his attention:
Me: “[Cousin], that was fun. I know you’re a little frustrated right now, but today you learned our most important lesson. And [User], please don’t take this the wrong way, but [Cousin], always verify the basics yourself, NEVER, ever trust the user.”
User: *To her credit, nods and says.* “Oh yeah, no, he’s right.”
