The higher the tech, the greater our frustration
September 27, 2008
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Trish Crawford
LIVING REPORTER
Note: This article has been edited to correct a previously published version.
The first thing a Nerds On Site techie says when he arrives to fix your broken computer is, "I'm sorry."
No, he didn't sell you the thing or break it. But he feels your pain.
Company CEO Charlie Regan says the industry needs to apologize for saddling consumers with high-tech equipment they can't operate, that frequently breaks down and is difficult to fix.
"The stuff should be working better," he says in an interview. "I'd get upset. "
Maritime playwright Carol Sinclair was certainly upset this month when, after weeks without the Internet, a technician arrived but was unable to fix the problem. Things got heated, especially when the technician said it was her computer that was the problem. Police ended up charging Sinclair with forcible confinement and uttering a threat.
A U.K. survey by ICL, an e-business services company, reports that 68 per cent of the 200 people surveyed found computer glitches more stressful than a weekend with the in-laws, while 38 per cent found it worse than being stuck on public transit.
In Scotland, a similar study found slow download times were more annoying than noisy neighbours or being stuck in a queue.
The experts say we need more consumer-friendly equipment with some diagnostic capabilities, more technical support from vendors and greater computer literacy in the general population.
Regan, whose company has a team of more than 500 technicians in Canada, admits that the vast majority of everyday people using computers have no training or technical skill and yet are expected to perform complicated functions, from installing programs to establishing Internet access and fixing crashes.
"It's like an Ikea project but it's a little more important than a shelf," he says. "There's no question the industry needs to catch up."
Computers are like race cars, demanding a high level of repair and maintenance, says John Di Marco, IT director for the computer science department of the University of Toronto.
What most of us need are family sedans, he says, with a handy mechanic at the shop who can fix things when they go wrong.
While both cars and computers are complex machines, the public is unrealistically being expected to handle a computer's operations.
"You have to fix it yourself and the phone is the de facto repairman," says De Marco, adding that no mechanic would tell someone over the phone how to climb under their car and repair it.
We're forced into this position because taking your computer to the shop involves days without it, he says. Alternatively, on-site visits can be expensive and hard to get. "The consumer just wants the computer to work."
All of this is the result of computers spreading into the everyday world of work and leisure without a corresponding increase in technical education, Di Marco says.
"Twenty years ago, computers were the realm of technical people. Computers were designed for technical people who knew a little bit about how to repair them. Now, they are something people use from day to day. It raises the stakes."
Being an expert doesn't mean things necessarily go smoothly. "Even skilled people get frustrated with their machines from time to time."
Although he's never seen a colleague hit a machine or swear, Di Marco says they frequently do stand up and walk away to calm down.
One person even has a foam brick at the ready, should the need to throw something prove overwhelming.
Isaac Tangir, service manager for Computer Systems Centre on Spadina Ave., says customers do get angry – not at the staff, at their own equipment.
"We're just delivering the message."
Software is the source of most of the problems, he says, as people have downloaded something that is affecting how the computer runs. Roughly 25 people come in each day with problems traced to this source, he says.
"There are a lot of bells and whistles that come with a computer but sometimes they don't work so great."
It can take up to 36 hours to fix a computer and loaners don't always help because all of the person's work or specialized programs are on the broken piece of equipment.
Tangir has three pieces of advice for consumers:
Get the extended warranty, especially one that covers damage you do, such as spilling liquid on your keyboard. (If that does happen, turn the keyboard upside down. Fast.)
Take a short course in basic computer operations.
Back up everything, or at least burn your important data onto a CD.
Christy Lawson, marketing manager for Dependable HomeTech, which has 400 field technicians in Ontario, says in an email that it's only natural people get anxious when things go wrong.
"Today, people's lives are so intertwined with technology that when their computer goes down, it's literally an extension of themselves that is inaccessible."
Toronto Star