keyboard issues - resolved!
Just had a lovely positive experience digging through the innards of my laptop this lunchtime.
Remember my problem? Well, I finally dug out my invoice from Dell so I could confirm the machine was still under warranty, and got on the phone ... navigated through the usual helpline options ... and ... spoke to someone who initially didn't understand my problem. Let me outline the problem, and then you can probably sympathise with him: A slightly annoying thing about the layout of my keyboard is that the delete key is at the bottom right hand side, instead of the top, which means it's right beside the "INS" key which activates the OVR overwrite function in Microsoft Word. Now it wasn't just that the down-arrow and the right-arrow had combined functions, but the Del button and the Ins button had done the same thing: every time I deleted a character in Word, the overwrite function was activated too: you can imagine how frustrating that was. The thing is, I've never been able to find a use for Ins in, say, Notepad, so I tried explaining how the problem manifested in Word. Bad idea: one mention of the M-word and I was getting told patiently that this was the hardware helpline and if I had a problem with applications I'd need to go somewhere else. Ok, I might not have the world's most competent grasp of computing issues, but I did know this much.
Anyway, after I managed to convince him on that point, things speeded up. He talked me through taking my laptop to pieces, I nervously disconnected some scary bits, and, in short, the problem was fixed! Yay! With a little bit of help from James and a screwdriver in the background I should add. But mainly, what a nice chap he was on the end of the phone, guessing the problem, explaining the procedure calmly, and above all sparing me the nightmare of spiriting my laptop away for the repairs instead. Otherwise I might have had to start inhabiting my office again on a regular basis. Phew.
Remember my problem? Well, I finally dug out my invoice from Dell so I could confirm the machine was still under warranty, and got on the phone ... navigated through the usual helpline options ... and ... spoke to someone who initially didn't understand my problem. Let me outline the problem, and then you can probably sympathise with him: A slightly annoying thing about the layout of my keyboard is that the delete key is at the bottom right hand side, instead of the top, which means it's right beside the "INS" key which activates the OVR overwrite function in Microsoft Word. Now it wasn't just that the down-arrow and the right-arrow had combined functions, but the Del button and the Ins button had done the same thing: every time I deleted a character in Word, the overwrite function was activated too: you can imagine how frustrating that was. The thing is, I've never been able to find a use for Ins in, say, Notepad, so I tried explaining how the problem manifested in Word. Bad idea: one mention of the M-word and I was getting told patiently that this was the hardware helpline and if I had a problem with applications I'd need to go somewhere else. Ok, I might not have the world's most competent grasp of computing issues, but I did know this much.
Anyway, after I managed to convince him on that point, things speeded up. He talked me through taking my laptop to pieces, I nervously disconnected some scary bits, and, in short, the problem was fixed! Yay! With a little bit of help from James and a screwdriver in the background I should add. But mainly, what a nice chap he was on the end of the phone, guessing the problem, explaining the procedure calmly, and above all sparing me the nightmare of spiriting my laptop away for the repairs instead. Otherwise I might have had to start inhabiting my office again on a regular basis. Phew.
posted by cath at
2:03 pm
3 Comments:
Wow that is amazing! I'm surprised a computer company would ever tell you to take your computer apart. I remember in the 1970s my Dad, having recently moved from England, asking in a Tain electrician's shop to have Mum's iron repaired, and being most surprised to be instead told how to do it himself. Nice to know that there are still some people around with the same non-money-grabbbing mindset :-)
By
PeterinScotland, at 6:34 pm
Yeah I know! Actually the laptop I had before this, different company but same thing - a guy on the helpline told me to fix the problem by putting a wee bit of superglue in the critical area ... i was highly sceptical, i mean it was an obvious solution but I didn't want it wrecking my warranty! But he put it on the file so that if it didn't work, it would be his fault not mine. Can't remember the eventual outcome, i think the machine died anyway of other causes.
But i think it's great that they're willing to fix problems like this - i dragged my heels for days because i couldn't face transferring all my work off this machine if they were going to take it away for servicing ... it's happened before and it always involves couriers to farflung parts of englandshire and 7-10 working days etc etc.
Btw that issue with transferring my work off this machine ... in case anyone was starting to think i hate my office, honestly i don't, it's just that the department magically provided us all with desktops just after i'd gone and bought this laptop ... so there's limited space on my desk in the office and i'd have to juggle all the files around, it's just too much hassle im afraid :S :S Most stuff i can do from home anyway so it's six and half a dozen really :)
By
cath, at 12:38 am
I remember when I got my first computer there was something wrong with the modem inside it so I phoned the helpline and got a very helpful chappy on the other end of the phone who 'authorised' me to take apart the processor thing and told me how to fix it - there was phone in one hand and wielding a screwdriver in the other, and as there would have been long silences on the phone I tried to fill up the silences by being chatting to helpful chap. Unfortuntately, my flatmates found the whole situation immensly hilarious and were in stitches and it was all I could do to hold it together until I came off the phone and could burst out laughing!! Not recommended!! I did feel rather chuffed with myself mind you, once I'd got the back of the processor back on :-)
By
Anonymous, at 6:20 pm
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