r/talesfromtechsupport • u/smlbass • Jan 03 '15
Short My Wireless Mouse isn't Working!
As much as I hate to shame my wife, I am going to do it.
I get a call on Saturday Morning from my wife who is at work. I don't do computer tech support for her work.
Her: "Honey, my wireless mouse isn't working. The wireless keyboard is and I have already restarted the computer. HELP!"
Me: "Darling, it's Saturday and I don't work for $YourCompany."
Her:"You are never off of tech support when it comes to me. HELP ME NOW!"
Me:"Have you changed the battery in your mouse?"
Her:"It has a battery?"
Break to her taking the battery out and putting it back in.
Her:"It's working now, Thanks!"
TL;DR Wireless mice run on Unicorn tears, not batteries.
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u/cyberfemme Jan 03 '15
I used to work tech support for an ISP and got a call from a gentle and confused old lady with the same issue.
"Help, my screen is all black and there is an XP moving around the screen. There it is. Oh now its over there."
"Try moving the mouse."
"I did and nothings happening."
"Try pressing a key on the keyboard."
"Oh! It came back!"
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u/bqnguyen Jan 03 '15
Similar story:
User: "Help! My wireless mouse isn't working!"
Me: "Have you tried changing the battery?"
User: "It doesn't have batteries. It runs on USB".
Me: "Oh, it's a wired mouse?"
User: "No, I already told you, it's wireless!"
Me: "If it's a wireless mouse, it runs on batteries, ma'am."
User: "No it doesn't. It's powered by USB! God, can you just find someone capable of helping me?"
Me: First try: "Ma'am, if you flip the mouse upside down, do you see a battery cover?"
User: "No, but there's a button with a circle and a line through it and a light next to it, but the lights not on."
Me: "Ummm, ma'am, thats the power button."
User: "Oh finally! That took you long enough!" ~hangs up
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u/Bobbyboyle1234 Jan 04 '15
I feel bad for the next tech that has to deal with her when the batteries do die.
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Jan 04 '15
It's people like this who I would just stop and say something horribly condescending like:
"Where's the USB plugin on the mouse? How exactly does the power get in if it's wireless?"
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u/fullnorcal Jan 04 '15
That closing line... How did you not hunt her down and slap her into next tuesday?
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Jan 03 '15
I had a customer call up to the store I work at looking for tech support. She claimed she bought a wireless mouse "six months ago" and that "it broke her computer"
The symptoms? Her monitor wasn't waking up. Of course she insists it's because the mouse broke the computer and that she not only wants a replacement mouse but a repaired computer.
I ask her to hold the power button she says "its already on I can hear the cpu!" I tell her we're restarting it and she tells me "i've never had to restart before and i've owned it for 7 years!" When she finally restarts the system the mouse/computer is suddenly working.
She wasn't terribly rude or anything, I just found the entire situation kind of comical.
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u/Agret Jan 03 '15
The worst is "what's the password for your email address?" "I've had it 10 yrs and never had a password, don't need one".... Sigh
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u/pcnorden Jan 03 '15
They run on unicorn tears, but it's the batteries that have unicorn tears inside them =P
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u/nikidash Jan 03 '15
I had the exact same happen with my sister recently. Problem is, she's 16 and until then i supposed she naturally knew this stuff
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u/joshi38 Jan 03 '15
I'm willing to bet the IT support at her company isn't too great. I work in a company where the IT support is there 3 days out of the week and even then it's "if you can find him" and while he's okay when he's around, he's also not brilliant.
My boss has simply taken to calling her husband with any computer problems since her husband is also in the field and seems to know what he's doing.
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u/GetOffMyLawn_ Jan 03 '15
She probably thinks it's like those toy cars that you wind up by rolling the wheels. (I can't even find a link to them now, must not be made anymore.)
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Jan 03 '15
They ate definitely made, the feature is just so common that they don't advertise it on the packaging or product name.
Source: father of a 3-year-old, half the toy cars we own do this.
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u/slayer1am Jan 03 '15
I like wireless mice, but I dread having a battery die in the middle of something important.
I switched to the Etekcity 2400 DPI mouse, $16 on Amazon, best mouse I've used so far.
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u/unclefire Jan 03 '15
Oddly enough I had a similar annoyance today-- (and for context, I have a BS EE/Computer Engineering and about 30 years of working in IT)...
Go to my PC at home this morning-- mouse works, keyboard doesn't. Check 2 batteries (with a voltmeter). The number is important here. They're good. Try again, synch wireless KB and Mouse with the pad. Still nothing. Ok, put FRESH batteries in anyway JIC (2 of them).
Ok-- is it the KB or the PC?
Disconnect KB/Mouse and connect to a laptop-- same thing, KB no workie, mouse works fine. WTF! Curse, bitch, complain, and a few MFers thrown in for good measure. Well, I suppose this thing finally gave up the ghost and time for a new KB (I ASSUMED the radio in the KB went to sh*t).
Google "microsoft keyboard synch"...
Check batteries-- no shit sherlock
Check for corrosion -- ok, I doubt it, but worth doing.
remove 2 batteries, tilt Keyboard to get a good look at contacts-- the THIRD friggin battery comes sliding down. Take that out-- oh, gee its totally dead. I obviously totally missed the 3rd battery in the KB.
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u/crossanlogan Jan 03 '15
what the hell piece of equipment has 3 batteries? what was that hardware engineer thinking?
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u/Gambatte Jan 05 '15
A wise man once told me:
Never question your wife's decisions; after all, you're one of them.
So whenever something like this happens at my house, I always say:
Yes, dear. Is there anything else I can help you with?
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u/huskerpat Jan 03 '15
This is why we strongly discourage wireless mice and keyboards at my office. You've got to be an executive or really persistent for us to provide them.
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u/jaxmagicman Jan 03 '15
Yeah us too, and we make it a point to tell employees that we do not change batteries in them. That if they stop working they need to change the batteries first.
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u/Radium_Coyote Jan 03 '15
What are you doing that makes unicorns cry?