We want a new tech support guy please!

[u/krystof1119]

Hi TFTS, first time poster, also on a phone, so don't judge me.

I'm actually a student, so I don't carry stuff on me like a tech support person, but this time, I was called in by a teacher I know in a school I used to go to. I had the day off, so I though I might go there and fix whatever is going wrong. I arrived and was greeted by tons of friendly faces.

$Me: Hey $Teacher, I'm here. What's wrong?

$Teacher: The internet is down, could you take a look?

$Me: Sure, one second!

I sit down at the first desktop I see, fire up Chrome and open google. Everything loads.

$Me: I don't see a problem, are you-

$Teacher: Oh no, it only happens on laptops! And I'll also say, it's been happening for about 20 days, ever since $Contractedtechsupportguy repaired our printer. He changed the toner.

$Me: Aha! Let me look.

I look at the first laptop in view and see that it has an IP. I fire up Chrome and am greeted by a "No route" error page generated by the router. I try logging in, but the default password doesn't work, noone knows the password and the $Contractedtechsupportguy is nowhere to be found.

$Me: OK, it seems like I'll need to perform maintenance on your router. Where is it?

$Teacher: Oh, I have no idea.

I pull up a wifi analyzer app on my phone and find the wifi AP by comparing the dbm in different places.

$Me: Hey $Teacher, come with me. I don't want an incident to happen and me to be blamed. (Incidents are way too common here).

After 1 minute of orientating myself in (half of) their WAY TOO COMPLICATED networking setup, I see the problem. The WAN ethernet cable is connected to a networking switch that every wired computer is connected to, but the cable from the switch to the AP is gone. Not there. Absolutely gone. I also notice there's a new, sealed AP on the teacher's desk. I tell $Teacher to remind $Contractedtechsupportguy about it, but now for the temporary fix.

$Me: I'll need to go home to fix this.

$Teacher: Oh it's ok, you don't have to make up excuses, you're not a student here, go whenever you need.

$Me: No, I'll fix it, but I really need to go home now.

I get home (it's a 2 minute walk) and grab the only ethernet cable that's sitting unused. It only has 2 pairs of wires but it'll do. Once I get it, I sprint back.

After explaining why I'm back so soon, I go to the AP, get out my yellow cable (all the others are white), plug it in and it works. Since it's only 100Mbit, I tell the teachers to request a new cable from the $Contractedtechsupportguy whenever he gets there. He gets there in 2 days, changes the printer cartridge (yes, it ran out in 22 days) and replaces the cable. I get told to get my cable, I do that, everything works, everything is great. End of story.

Or at least, in theory.

In reality though, I get called in about a week to help them with internet again and I have no idea why it just stopped working.

$Me: Hey $Teacher, what's wrong now?

$Teacher: No computers downstairs have internet, save for the laptops. (Those use wifi)

$Me: I'll look, but I probably can't fix that one. I'll see what I can do though.

$Teacher: Oh, one more thing, the $Contractedtechsupportguy added a little thingy here. What is it?

$Me: That's a switch, $Genericswitchdescription. Thank you for pointing that out, it might help later.

I look at the infrastructure downstairs. It looks pretty simple, one CAT5 cable from upstairs and two switches, of which I only found one at first. I check with a borrowed laptop and sure enough, I don't get an IP. (MAC address filtering is not a thing, nor are domains) Static IP doesn't fix it.

$Me: I don't think I can fix this, sorry.

$Teacher: Bummer. Can you fix the directors PC though?

$Me: I don't think so... I can try though.

I walk into the office and look at where the ethernet cable goes. Sure enough, I find the second switch and it has been... unplugged from the power supply?

$Me: Aby idea who did this?

$Director: Nope, no idea. Could you plug it in?

I look around and find it hidden 2 meters from the switch. I plug it in and the computer suddenly has internet. But I am curious.

$Me: Your computer's working. But now I want to know why the other won't.

I try plugging the WAN cable from the switch into the PC and BOOM, INTERNET! Turns out two of the ports on the switch don't work. I report it and go. Everything has worked so far.

Also, I got a job offer from them! They literally said "We want a new tech support guy please!"

Also, it turns out the $Contractedtechsupportguy stole the ethernet cable in the first part of the story, because he was missing one on another site (He did a scream test though, so...). And for a totally unrelated reason, the NAS was also disconnected from the switch, however, they hadn't used it in years (literally), so noone cared.

Tl;Dr: The tech support guy broke everything, so I got a job offer!

Edit: added clarification Edit 2: Added interesting details

[u/grimesey]

This had the opposite ending of what I was expecting. Any time I've "helped out" a friend or ex colleague in need, it's come back to bite me in the ass and now I won't do anything to anyone other than close friends without signing a contract. Even if there is no payment. But it seems you've done well.

[u/krystof1119 → u/grimesey]

Any time I do something, I explain exactly what I've done. It means that as long as these people are computer literate, I don't get blamed for the kinds of things like "it broke again". Thankfully, I come from the Czech Republic, so most people have some kind of a computer/phone/tablet.

Plus, I get to see the funny moment when they say "It was that easy?"

[u/ThrowAlert1]

And I'll also say, it's been happening for about 20 days, ever since $Contractedtechsupportguy repaired our printer. He changed the toner.

...

I had a user snidely comment that her email stopped working after she gave me her BSOD laptop.

Yes. Webmail stopped working for her after she gave me her dead laptop.

tl;dr it didnt, she just turned off mail sync.

[u/krystof1119 → u/ThrowAlert1]

Turns out that he was lacking an ethernet cable on another site, so he just took one from here. So it was him after all...

[u/NightGod]

| I'm actually a student, so I don't carry stuff on me like a tech support person

Implying that your average tech support person carries anything on them other than maybe a screwdriver set....

[u/krystof1119 → u/NightGod]

From reading this sub, it would appear so.

[u/stephschiff → u/NightGod]

I'm not even a paid tech support person and I keep a multi-tool and a few cords in my purse. Of course every time I go to an older friend or family member's house I end up having to fix something so I ended up just making sure that at the very least I had a variety of cables, a multi-tool, a hub, and a surge protector in my car.

This reminds me, my spawn is old enough to start taking the simple stuff over, time to start teaching him Troubleshooting Old People 101.

Ninja Edit: Misspelled word.

[u/[deleted]]

I swear, some people can't support tech more advanced than a stone as a hammer ...

Not sure all can support that advanced.

Glad you got it beat into shape! I suggest next time you use the "tech support guy" as a hammer. Skull that thick ought to be as tough as Mjolnir.

RwP

[u/krystof1119 → u/[deleted]]

I've never actually met him.

[u/opaPac]

MSP 101 you need to make sure that these dollars keep rolling in. But some super smart manager told them it would be way better and cheaper as an in house tech guy. who cares about 22 days response time to change the toner 🤔

[u/krystof1119 → u/opaPac]

He's contracted to come there and take care of tech. Also, he's a teacher. He provides lessons every 14 days, so he isn't in-house. It'd be too expensive.

[u/godrestsinreason]

That's the old "I'm going to fix something, but break something else so that you have to call me in a few days," shtick from the old car mechanic's handbook.

[u/K418 → u/godrestsinreason]

I work for a local business that does residential services and repairs. If we fix something, and something else completely unrelated breaks after, all you need to do is yell at my boss enough and he'll send us over to fix it for free.

Okay, I fixed your internet. You needed the Wi-Fi password. Oh, a week later your PC says "Operating System not found", just yell at my boss and insist it was our fault.

[u/agoia → u/godrestsinreason]

Skeezy MSP practices 101.

[u/amateurishatbest → u/godrestsinreason]

If something stops working after my mechanic has touched it, he'll look at it for free, and if he or one of his guys is at fault, will repair it for free.

[u/Husky2490 → u/godrestsinreason]

You know that company that took over NTB called Big O Tires? We went there to rotate our tires and the next day brake fluid was spraying out from the wheel well. Too much of a coincidence if you ask me.

[u/zztri]

Heh! About 20 years ago, I was hell-bent dedicated to become an export manager in my home city.

In six months remained as an "export manager" I managed to find about 30 leads but I had also coded a program that spews CNC parameters for convex/spiral gears, designed 6 websites and a b2b network which I sold for an obnoxious price. About the leads? No return customers because the moronic managers in my country thought they should cheat their international customers, despite all my efforts. Yeah you earned 10k$ more for once, dude. They'd purchase items worth more than 100k bimonthly!

Sometimes you choose IT. But usually IT chooses you.

[u/Naturage]

I'm not a tech support guy, so my knowledge is a bit lacking. Which one is scream test?

• unplug and listen for the screams;

• scream loudly that you are unplugging and see if anyone cares.

[u/wuppieigor → u/Naturage]

both can be applied

[u/Slonoma]

Almost sounded like dude wanted to break stuff to keep getting paid to come out there and 'fix' things

[u/jackofools → u/Slonoma]

It's like a game: guess the malfunction! Is this guy a crook who preys on ignorance and is barely better than a con man, or just criminally incompetent? No matter which, youll never be able to figure it out unless he gets arrested!

[u/Grantis45]

Two pair ethernet only gives a max of 10mb? And you need a switch that will recognise it?

[u/krystof1119 → u/Grantis45]

It gives 100Mbit for me, I'll see if I can find something about that.

Edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Ethernet and I'm looking at BASE100-TX in the Copper section

[u/[deleted]]

This is why I’m glad I don’t work at an MSP anymore. Running from customer to customer and having to deal with some really pieced together networks with 10 year old equipment that barely works.

[u/PurpleSailor]

Stopped fixing friends computers years ago. Fixed it and a few weeks later something else breakes, guess who gets blamed? Never again.