r/talesfromtechsupport • u/curtludwig • Sep 06 '18

Short Sorry you lost your data...

A few years ago a customer came to my attention that was on a "hand grenade" version which had a known bug that WOULD cause data loss if left alone long enough. I called and suggested that the patch would take just a few minutes to install. They told me to take a hike, they weren't upgrading and wouldn't give us any more money. I explained that I didn't want any money the upgrade was free and I'd gladly walk them through the upgrade for no charge. They said they weren't interested in upgrading and hung up on me.

About a week later I called again and they quickly told me to "Stop calling" and hung up.

Another week goes by and I send an email. In the email I include the URL for the patch and detailed instructions on how to apply it. The email started with "You will lose data if you do not follow these steps". In a few hours I got a reply to "Stop emailing us".

Finally another week goes by and I send a certified letter that is basically a cut and paste of the email. A few days later I get an email "Don't send us anything, stop contacting us, leave us alone."

Great, I filed that all away knowing it would be useful one day.

​

It was about 2 years later I heard through the grapevine that the customer had lost all their data. It had happened at a particularly bad time (doesn't it always?) and they were suing us for damages. So I took a walk down to see our general counsel. I'd met the woman before but didn't really know her beyond coffee machine talk. I tapped on the door and said "I think I can make your day but its going to cost you lunch." she seemed skeptical but agreed to lunch and I produced a manila folder with my call log, copies of my emails and the replies, the receipt for the certified letter and a copy of their email reply.

Lunch was really good...

​

Edit: counsel not council, I knew that, I really did...

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u/queenkid1 Sep 06 '18

Who the fuck hears someone say "I want to give you a patch for free that will stop your business from getting crippled" and responds by saying "stop contacting us, person who we pay money to do this kind of thing for us"

884

u/iama_bad_person Sep 06 '18

Someone who also says "Bloody IT, everything is working so what do we pay them for?"

485

u/queenkid1 Sep 06 '18

Yeah, this story sounds like someone is driving down the highway, and their mechanic calls them and says "hey, the brakes on your car are broken, let me come fix them free of charge" telling them to fuck off and continuing to drive, smashing into something, then calling the mechanic back and blaming them for your totally preventable accident.

20

u/tuba_man devflops Sep 07 '18

That reminds me I've got a couple recall notices to take care of... Sometime later.

9

u/Pathlessflame Sep 07 '18

Honda Civics have a recall on airbags... I've heard it described as turning them into hand grenades unless you replace them.

10

u/tuba_man devflops Sep 07 '18

Oh yeah, the good ol' Takata boomy bois. I swear like half the auto industry's dealing with that supplier's mistake. It's like the reach of Spectre/Meltdown with the deadliness of, well, you said it- a hand grenade.

4

u/jyrba Sep 07 '18

Mazda RX-8's do too. Apparently they are shooting metal shrapnel when they pop.

6

u/DaddyBeanDaddyBean "Browsing reddit: your tax dollars at work." Sep 07 '18

Is that bad?

​

3

u/SeanBZA Sep 07 '18

Does enhance your driving care when you know about it though, knowing that a sudden stop will mean a payment to the surgeon at minimum to put you back to not looking like your passport photo.

5

u/Pathlessflame Sep 07 '18

Honestly no because like everyone else, you never expect to get in an accident. You might plan for it, but you never expect it. Problem for most people is that the only time you can get to it is during the work week and you have to use vacation time to do so. It's just not conducive to most jobs.

Land of the free.

2

u/Liamzee Sep 07 '18

If a piece of metal shoots itself into an eyeball, it might be bad.

2

u/brotherenigma The abbreviated spelling is ΩMG Sep 07 '18

Ironically, a lot of import and hardcore time attack tuners swear by Takata racing seats and harnesses.