IT Technicians are not Gods

We, the IT nerds of the world, are not Gods.  We don't magically know what's wrong.  We don't magically fix it.  There is frustration.  There is failure.  There are times where any one IT nerd cannot fix the issue, and they themselves have to go for help.

So, that in mind, let's listen into this latest tech support call:

Mother: "Could you bring up my account?  I'd like to see what I'm actually paying for."
Tech: "Okay, one second."
Mother: " I'd like to see if I'm getting the phone and the internet. "
Tech: "Yes, you're getting the internet and phone bundle."
Mother:" My daughter's phone hasn't been working for months, I'd like to cancel the phone."
Tech: "Okay...? What seems to be wrong with it?"
Mother:" It rings, but she can't talk on it.  The sound doesn't work.  She called in before, and someone came out when she wasn't there."
Tech: "Did she try another phone?"
Mother: "No I don't think so."
Tech: "I could do some diagnosing on the server side, and some diagnosing over the phone with her, but it might end up requiring a service call."
Mother: "Would the service call cost anything?"
Tech: [pauses because this is the worst part of every conversation]
Mother: "No!  I'm not paying on more penny to get this working."
Tech: "One second, let me explain how it works."
Tech: "After the thorough diagnosing, if we feel that a service call would be needed, we would schedule one.  However, if we got on site and there was an issue that was not a problem with our equipment, then there would be a fee."
Mother: "I'm not going to take that chance on something that hasn't worked yet, especially if it might be something like she didn't know she needed a battery."
Tech: [Not able to stop himself] "She wouldn't know she needed a battery?"
Mother: "Yes, she's busy, she wants to use the phone, but that's why she hasn't tried to fix it more."
Tech: "And does she have a room mate that could diagnose it?"
Mother: "Her roommate doesn't give a crap about the phone."

What the tech wants to say next is "apparently neither does your daughter."


The point of all this is:
If you have a problem with your internet, or phone, let your service provider know.  They have an entire network to look after, and it is a difficult task keeping up on the "electrons behind the curtain," much less monitoring every apartment and house we serve.

I mean, would you (and that mother) have preferred this situation:
Tech1: "Looks like the audio bug we install in 90210 Coastie Av Apartment 777 seems to imply that the tenant's phone audio is not working."
Tech2: "One second I'm too busy watching this girl do her yoga videos on the spy camera we installed to make sure her cable was working."

Okay, now that's a bit overboard I know.  But the point is.  You can't fear that we are watching everything you do, AND expect us to know whenever your service breaks down.