Years ago when I still worked support, I was working for a large insurance company that was helping its agents computerize their field offices. We would receive the computers in house, color code everything for the agents and then have the machines shipped to the agent. They would hook everything up and power everything through a single power strip that was usually setup to control the power to all of the devices together. We then provided phone support to these people as they got used to
Well, at around 4:30pm in the afternoon I get a call from an irate agent because his computer won’t turn on. He has been turning the switch on the power strip off and on for 45 minutes with no luck. After going through some basics the following conversation took place and I will never forget it:
Me: “Sir please reach down the right hand side of your machine.”
“OK”
Me: “Do you feel a switch there?”
“Yes I do”
“What position is the switch in?”
“It is down”
Me: “Please flip up the switch.”
“Wow, my computer came on!”
Me: “Welcome to the power switch, have a nice day.”
Apparently one of his office staff folks had used his computer and turned it off (the right way) with the actual power switch and he had no idea what to do about it. Sigh…
[Picture Source: Tom Raftery (CC)]
