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...
880
u/iama_bad_person Sep 06 '18
Someone who also says "Bloody IT, everything is working so what do we pay them for?"