They’re Crossing A Line

Me: “Hello, you’re through to [Tech Support]; [My Name] speaking. Can I start by taking your name, please?”

Caller: “Hello? I have lines on my screen; how much to fix, please?”

Me: “Right, okay, not a problem. I’d love to help you out, but I need to take some details from you first, please, so I can update my system.”

Caller: “Oh, okay. I have lines on my screen, though.”

Me: “Okay, that’s great. I understand that, but I want to get your details down first, before we start.”

(I eventually give up trying to take her details down. We have some difficulty communicating, as English is not her first language.)

Me: “What we can do is get your SMC reset; it won’t delete anything. It’s a great place to start to troubleshoot these lines that appear on your screen.”

Caller: “No, no, no, no, no! I have lines on my screen! I have Apple appointment; I want price from you for fixing my Apple.”

Me: “Okay, that’s great, but I won’t be able to give you a price because I do not repair the devices; take it into the store and they will tell you. But I can try and do some more troubleshooting with you to see if we can fix it with you on the phone now, and it could save you a journey.”

Caller: “Okay, but I have lines on the screen, though.”

Me: “I understand that. Can you tell me what they look like. Are they vertical lines or horizontal lines in the graphics on your screen?”

Caller: “Yes, they are like that, but I want to know price for repair. Or do you just replace Apple?”

Me: “No, we wouldn’t replace the item; we would repair the device. We can try to reset some information on your hardware side of things to see if this can help at all. We can try this now if you would like—”

Caller: “Oh, okay, but I have cracks on my screen, not graphics lines.”

Me: *sigh* “Why did you not say that to begin with? Please go to your appointment and speak to the experts there. Thank you and goodbye.”