back to article Fancy an earful? Click here for tech support

If you're at a loose end this afternoon and fancy copping a bit of an email earful, try throwing a query over to technical support at CCTV outfit Gadspot.com.* The reply is likely to surprise and delight, as one Reg reader found out: Hi Would like to download latest firmware for a GS1600. Your website not clear on how to find …

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  1. Will

    Not impressed

    "we refuse the right to sever you. For being mean."

    Not exactly up to BOFH standard, is it?

  2. Gavin

    Go Rufus

    If getting sacked wasn;t on the cards most my customers would get this treatment.

    Remember customers sincerity is all lies i tell you, LIES, in fact we actually want to see you maimed and dying in horrible ways. Well using your brain is usually enough but seeign as miracles never happen maimed and death is more fun.

    also remember that most people are stupid and retarded and do want spoon feeding with answers,they have little regard for learning they are not only stupid but happily ignorant i think Rufus is well inclined to answer in this maner.

    My apologies for anyone with braincells that function

  3. George Johnson

    Not a good move

    In this day and age when information can literally move at the speed of light, Mr Rufus has effectively made the entire company look very shoddy in front of a worldwide audience. Quite an achievement! We are always getting warnings about never talking to external people, without having first spoken to our compliance dept., here's a very good reason why!

  4. Andrew Johns

    gadspot has a live chat box thing

    someone please ask to speak to rufus and then talk in broken english for teh lolz

  5. Gabriele Bozzi

    Send him to us!!

    I want him here!..

    With 1100 corporate users not "reading the fine line" and in need of being "spoon fed" we all agreed here tech-supp. would raise towards new heights of service accountability.

    Oh.. And about Rufu's linguistic and diplomatic talents: did I mention I work for a multinational? It happens that this is indeed the kind of atrocities embedded in our incident requests.

    Waiting for you Rufus.

  6. Tim Read

    Down boy!

    Rufus is a muppet. The Downloads link may indeed be on the front page, but the link to the firmware that the customer wanted is not a live link, so it's useless... unless, as the customer did, you view the page source and work it out. Not straightforward. Methinks Rufus needs to chill out and maybe go on some customer service training. Insulting customers isn't good business practice.

  7. Mr D

    To be fair....

    Rufus is correct, the download button was not that hard to find... even without instructions.

    But aside from that, I dont think we shouldbe judging him too much ... he may be not all there or possibly abusing substances...

    Still I shall start getting some emails to them to try and get a repsonse....

    Spam ftw!

  8. Stuart Barnett

    Do NTL own this company?

    ... Or at least 'Rufus' should apply. He'd fit right in.

  9. Jan Buys

    Good lord

    That's all I can say about it.

  10. Steven

    Work experience kid?

    Jesus I've worked with some dodgy techs over the years but I've never seen anything quite like that before!

  11. david skinner

    Well.....

    I had a quick look and the downloads option is on the site, but that doesn't give a company the right to be abusive to customers.

    I used to work in customer service and had to be as nice as nine pence to someone shouting either down a phone or over a desk but if I replied like that I would have been sacked!

    And for your complaint to end up in the hands of the person you are complaining about is just plain stupid!

    Looks like Rufus won't be selling and products to anyone he thinks is mean.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Is this the owner......

    After looking up who registered the domain name and searching the web for their name, I found this link:

    http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=14506590

    As you can see on the left hand side it says the company she owns 'gadspot'!

    Her email is judy@gadspot.com.

    I wonder how well she knows her staff!!

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    They have a point you know

    Rufus was only saying what everyone else was thinking, albeit in a very unprofessional way.

    There is a downloads section clearly labelled "downloads" on the left hand side as Rufus so graciously pointed out.

    I hope we see more of Rufus's comments as he made me laugh.

    I wont be buying anything from Gadspot.com though - the staff don't see to be thrilled about providing good customer support and there is no excuse for addressing a customer in this way - no matter how lazy and stupid they might be

  14. david skinner

    Live assistance?

    Also just noticed on the site the message:

    "Live assistance, Please leave a message."

  15. Andrew Moore

    Hmmmmmm...

    Methinks that there is only one person working at that company...

    "NOW GO AWAY OR I SHALL TAUNT YOU SOME MORE"

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    We love you long time

    Dear Mr Register

    We are at Gadspot believe that being you mean to us. We lay about our website carefully in picking easy access to good customers. Products from Gadspot are offer in same daylight professional as is our Rufus automation technical reponse technician. If you have no good words of kind to offer then please ask you of Gadspot to stop ... or may the flees of a thousand camel humbs infest you of your mullet.

    Regards

    Rufus

  17. Sam

    Re: Not Impressed

    >Not exactly up to BOFH standard, is it?

    Maybe BOFI standard :)

  18. Chris Derson

    Had to check...

    ...and there is no download section in the LHS menu bar thingy.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Rude

    I thought the original email was far ruder than necessary. Especially since 4 seconds of looking identifies a download link on the front page.

    I think the reader might benefit from learning how to make negative points while remaining polite and non-antagonistic. He'll get far more help if he did <he say's in a non-polite, antagonistic tone>.

    Glad he doesn't work here (which isn't Gadspot BTW).

  20. Steve Roper

    Good on him!

    I have to say "Good on him!" I wish I could come out brawling like that with some of the customer inquiries we get. Mind you, I'd hope my English would be better though.

    It's really amazing how many idiots just DO NOT read FAQs, site maps and on-site guides. Our ecommerce website gets swamped with tech support inquiries about "How do I do this?". Now our site, in addition to comprehensive user help pages and even downloadable manuals, has a click-and-foldout help feature right next to EACH AND EVERY user function on the site, each clearly labelled in red-underlined bold text, "Show / Hide Help". When you click "Show Help", a detailed paragraph of bright red text appears, explaining in simple step-by-step terms what everything does and what to do, even down to using the shopping cart. As the senior designer of this site, I'm proud of this feature, it took us weeks to set up and implement. I've had some positive feedback on this, yet it has hardly made a dent on the stupid questions we get and the obvious mistakes people make using the site, simply because they DON'T READ THE F_ING HELP!

    To combat this, I have now created a stock email to respond to these inquiries, that simply says, "Dear Customer: Thank you for contacting [ our company ]. In answer to your inquiry, [ Copy/paste relevant help text here ]. Please click the underlined 'Show / Hide Help' link next to the feature you are inquiring about. This will provide comprehensive information for you instantly, instead of your having to wait for a response to an email. If you have a question that is not answered in the online help, we will be glad to provide further assistance."

    What I'd really like to say is, "Dear F_wit: Go to school and learn to f_ing read. Then review your upbringing to find out why you are incapable of following simple instructions. I'm sure the national IQ will improve as a result of your efforts." Oh, I wish, I wish...

    Good on you, Rufus. Go get 'em!

  21. Robert Lee

    Whats new ??

    Simple case of profits before everything else.

    They pay peanuts, and what do they have ? monkeies on the other side of the phone.

    I have to deal with so many different companies daily, and the stories I have can be written into a hardback.

  22. Luke

    At least...

    Dispite all the awful grammar and spelling, and the fantastic attitude displayed by our dear Rufus, at least he bothered to read the original email, which is no mean feat judging by some of the customer "service" that I have been subjected to of late.

    He even took the trouble of writing out a reply, and did not just use a automatic template email based on a few key words picked out by CrapService (tm) for Outlook 2007 – (although looking at Rufus' replies, perhaps this is why many companies use template emails....)

    In one such case I emailed a company to inform them that the My Account page on their website kept looping back to their homepage and so could they fix this and also change my order while they were at it. The email I got back basically told me that if I wanted to change my order, I would need to go to the My Account page.... each subsequent email I sent was met with a similar keyword-based template email that completely missed the point. Some of these companies would be *lucky* to have Rufus on their service desk....

  23. Simon Greenwood

    Sock puppet hardware store

    To quote Mark E. Smith. It's probably a one man operation running a dropship service. It's the reason why I only deal with places like Dabs these days - a large number of equipment 'vendors' don't seem to comprehend the need for support or indeed coherent communication.

  24. Dan

    Brilliant...

    "For being mean." Jeez, that's him told...

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Downloads in left-hand column

    I had no problem finding "Downloads" in left-hand "Categories" column and then GS1600/1600H.

  26. Adrian Williams

    Rufus is right about one thing...

    ...there is a downloads link pretty much near the bottom on the left hand side.

    This is a pretty common problem with websites. What is a highly usable ergonomic website to the designer is as clear as mud to the user. On cluttered/obtuse pages I tend to resort to text search on the page to find the link to what I am looking for.

  27. Martin

    Tech support gets younger everyday

    Well, it seems that tech support employees are getting younger everyday. The attitude shown and the grammar and spelling used as well as the phrasing ("For being mean.") would seem to indicate that this tech support worker is a petulant child.

  28. Chad H.

    Wait a sec that spelling....

    I'm suprised he didnt mention he knows this man who recently died who has £100,000,000 (ONE HUNDRED MILLION POUNDS) THAT CAN BE TRANSFURED INTO YOUR BNK ACCONT TODAY, PLEAZE PROVID YOUR ACCNT NUMBA TO BEGIN THE TRANZFER.

    I understand that it gets annoying when customers dont see what is painfully obvious to yourself, but this guy is out of line.

  29. Ned Fowden

    well done Rufus

    Shame about the dodgy grammar, but come on, he's only saying the things that almost all customer facing people want to say but actually simper a snivveling response instead.

    rise up my customer service brothers & sisters, let honesty be the way forward

  30. A. Lewis

    Apart from the terrible English, I like 'Rufus'.

    He's brave enough to say what most techs, faced with abuse from stupid users, are thinking.

    Had he phrased it better, I think it would have been a perfectly acceptable response.

  31. sabroni Silver badge

    The correct response

    would be to ask the user what platform and browser they're running on. If it appears ok to you and not to the user chances are that's the root of the problem. Maybe he's running a beta of safari on vista?

  32. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hail King Rufus !!

    You tell 'em son !!!

    This whole World is far too PC now and I defy anyone who has worked in support not to have loved to have done that.

    This boy has kahoonahs the size of melons.

    Keep it up Rufus and lets give him his own feature spot on here !!

  33. C

    RE:Fancy an earful? - bad link, bad HTML, and RAR

    Ok these 'muppets' are idiots ...

    Firstly: as the customer said in his email the download link isn't clickable. (Try looking at the download page for the GS1600)

    Secondly: if you know how, you can find in the page source code that it is commented out.

    Thirdly: the download is a RAR file, and I don't know many users who have any clue what THAT is ( I personally use them for better compression, spanning etc. ). Winzip, or Windows won't even touch it.

  34. Euan Webster

    One man band

    I reckon you'll find this is a husband and wife company, so no matter how much you complain you'll only get Rufus on the end of an email.

    I love the fact that he quite happily sends out abuse and doesn't give a damn. Wish I could do that to some people without finding my P45 on my desk!

  35. Mark

    Absolute genius!!

    I dont know whats funnier, the bad english or the way Rufus takes everything so personally.

    Perhaps he designed the website? He apears to be working in support, customer service and the complaints depts.

    A course in how to accept (negitive) feedback might help keep the stress levels down...

    Just a thought.

  36. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    FoTW

    Rufus should be given a Flame of The Week award.

  37. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Poor customer service

    Poor Rufus....needs some lessons in customer support.

    I do think the customer felt he had a legitimate concern, however, the link really wasn't that hard to find. I got to the firmware download link within seconds.

  38. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Rufus

    Rufus needs to understand that, yes, he is there to serve people who either do not or will not read the fine print, and who want or need to be spoon fed. Whether the customer is right or wrong in this regard is totally irrelevant. Rufus's behavior was unprofessional and poorly served his employer. At a minimum, he needs to be trained in how to deal with customers in a professional and courteous manner. If he cannot do that, he needs to be transferred to a job where he doesn't need to interact with the unwashed millions, or to find other work altogether.

    Without knowing every detail of this, it seems that the customer was actually doing this company a favor by pointing out a deficiency in their Website and making suggestions as to how it could be improved. His comments about it being poorly laid out could be seen as offensive, but he also specifically indicated at least one place where it was broken. The Webmaster would have an easy time finding and correcting that error.

    Finally, I am on Rufus's side when it comes to writing "server" when intending to write "serve". I do it all the time. I think I type "server" so often that when I occasionally want the shorter word, my fingers still keep going...

  39. Haku

    Maddox

    If I owned a company where I couldn't care less about the customers I would hire Maddox to write all helpdesk reply emails. Rufus could learn a thing or two from Maddox.

  40. Tawakalna

    is many many good support!

    happy yes is good support Rufus guy, using Windows XP operating system, please be rebooting your pc, no we are sorry you are using wrong operating system please be referring to your supplier. happy day your expressway, good wish!

  41. J

    Agreed

    Yeah, it's all too PC nowadays. So let me point out that if you work in "customer service", it just means you're the lower rung in the great ladder of being, and could not find any good job. Not good enough for R&D or anything else, and barely literate to begin with, so just sit here (somewhere offshore, most probably), follow this script blindly and we can say our company has customer support. Sure, not every case is like that, but so what? Life is not fair and you'll be judged with the average.

    Yep, the link to downloads is there, although I had to look twice (and I *knew* it must be there because I read it on the article). Now, moron, go and follow the download link, scroll down and try to download the firmware for the GS1600 / GS1600H. Don't reply before you do that, please. Now go and have a chat with Rufus, or the kid in MySpace who says she owns the company, or whatever.

    Good thing I don't work in "customer service"... :-)

  42. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    a

    Seems to me that the problem with "downloads" is that it is shown as a category, and so many will not spot it as they skim the column, and indeed the page, looking everywhere for where it may be. I think the page could do with a bit more consideration.

  43. Alex Edwards

    Yay Rufus

    Has anyone tried to find the download button?

    It's dead easy - all you have to do is be able to read :)

    I had a scan over the site - it seems to be full functioning to me, I even tried to think like a 'user' .... but hey. I bet Rufus gets it bad from his boss...mores the pitty - we need good folks like him to stand up to stupidity :)

  44. John A Blackley

    No wonder

    No wonder people in the UK are so constantly p***ed off! Reading all the "You go, son" and "Only saying what others are thinking" and "Stupid customer" comments here made my jaw drop.

    Simple economic fact: If you are employed in a customer service role, it simply does not matter what your opinion of the customer is. Further, if your opinion of the customer is negative, you are never - never - allowed to voice that opinion and certainly not to the customer. Violate these simple rules and you are unemployed.

  45. yeah, right.

    Commenters showing lack of brain cells.

    OK, so the original email said that finding the FIRMWARE for the GS1600 was difficult. Did anyone who commented that Rufus was right actually try to GET the firmware for the GS1600? The link is dead, as in it's commented out if you view the page source. The FAQ is useless, as it points to the previously mentioned error-filled download page.

    I find the original email quite normal for a frustrated customer who has to use yet another poorly designed website. Although I sympathize with Rufus, his response was totally out of line. If he's going to insult customers, he should be doing a much better job at making them feel small, stupid and useless. He should also pick targets who don't have valid complaints. I'm guessing Rufus is one of the owners of the company, and therefore has nothing to fear about getting fired.

  46. Eric Barnett

    Do any of you people actually READ the previous posts...

    Before shooting off your mouths???

    It was mentioned once previously and let me restate.

    The download button on the main page IS there. However the download link for the firmware for GS1600 / GS1600H is dead. That's what the user complained about.

    Shame on you people for cheering for Rufus. If he was in my company and was caught replying like that to a customer he would be sacked in short order. People running tech support often forget that we are here to SERVE our customers, no matter how annoying they are. If you don't like SERVING people then please get the Hell out of the industry.

  47. De Saegher

    chat with the nice people

    You are number 1 in queue. Please wait for a site operator to respond.

    You are now chatting with 'Kit'

    Kit: Hello. How may I assist you?

    Rufus: Hello, I just read a wonderful articel at the register about your coworker Rufus.

    Rufus: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/13/technical_support /

    Rufus: Is he available?

    Kit: Hi Rufus,

    Kit: How are you today?

    Rufus: Fine, thank you. How are you yourself?

    Kit: Unfortunately he doesn't work here anymore

    Kit: I'm doing well thank you

    Kit: How may we assist you today?

    Rufus: That was all, thank you.

    We had some further chats, Kit appears to be a very nice person, but our beloved Rufus is gone. My guess is he was promoted to make this place a better world for us all.

  48. Entropy

    So, he found the commented link in the source....

    But he couldn't find the download link in the first page? How did that happen?

  49. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Oi Eric

    With what most companies pay support staff and considering the conditions they are asked to work under, do you not think most of them would rather 'get the Hell out of the industry'? The reason companies employ support staff on low wages and in poor conditions, is because people are too lazy to think for themselves half the time, consequently driving up the number of 'support' calls that need to be answered and driving down the quality and value of the service. It's a McJob basically and there's nothing to be done about it without bringing down profit margins or increasing the cost of products and services. People want their cake and eat it, from the top to the bottom. However, gadspot is seemingly a tinpot company and I would have done a bit more research before buying something anyway.....rant...rant...rant

  50. Jackie Wanner

    Most people don't read through anything including the article

    If any of you who say you bothered to check this situation out need tobe more attentive. Yes a download link does exist. The firmware download in question doesn't work. The tech can't even form a sentance and if I had to talk to him in person I would ask to speak to his manager or return the product in question. People like Rufus give all technicians a bad name. He should be reprimanded for his response if not fired.

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