‘Update my website!’: Client calls IT support after engineer's report doesn't match the facilities description of their website

Author image for Eleonora Bader
Eleonora Bader
Jan 3, 2024 12:00 PM EST

People working in technical support have seen a lot of funny cases over the years, and this case is definitely one to remember for the IT manager involved.

OP was working for a large pub company based in the UK, in which their chief role was second-in-line support for retail applications. One client opened a ticket after an engineer had come and checked the facilities of their establishment, only to send out a faulty report, leading to the website displaying a facility that the establishment claimed not to have… A pool.

The client wasn't having it, and after a few more checkups, they finally met their match on the phone with OP. They were furious that they had reported the issue 3 times and that the website still said that they had a pool. OP did what IT does… Which is to find the real problem, as opposed to the assumed problem. Scroll down to find out what it was, and then for more, check out this story about a woman who canceled her roommate's $400 phone plan after they had refused to pay half of a huge $1700 bill in repairs for the apartment.

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  • 01
    BOG NODE 03 False ror_mod.use y sirror or_mod usefz = False operation "MIRROR_s/ irror_mod.use_x= False irror_mod.use_y= True irror_mod.use_z = False operation "MIRROR. "No, you can't have sent an engineer, because the report is wrong!" NODE 06 BLOCK 01 True 1.Opel BLOCK of toy ir ject mirror mirror ron selecte
    via Canva
  • 02
    IT Support for a Pub Company in England Long I work for a large pub company based in the UK and my chief role is second line support for retail applications, we've had some beauties over the years but many obviously get lost in the ether. This one though I don't think I will ever forget;
    via u/Declaron
  • 03
    New GM calls up service desk and asks for her site website to be updated as the facilities description is incorrect. Service Desk send the call over to Digital who look after the website content, site is unhappy that they are listed as being "Dog Friendly, with Live Football, Beer Garden & Pool" Digital send the call over to Property to check the amenities report for the
    via u/Declaron
  • 04
    site - all looks good, call goes back from Property to Digital to inform them there is no issue; Digital close the call to state no fault found. Site reopens the call stating its "still incorrect", and they "do not have Pool."
    via u/Declaron
  • 05
    Service Desk send it back over to Digital to request that Pool is removed from the amenities description, Digital advise that the amenities are pulled directly from the inventory held by property. Call goes back to property to advise that the inventory is incorrect. Property, proactively trying to assist, passes the call to the Maintenance department to report that a Pool Table has been removed
    via u/Declaron
  • 06
    from a site or is not working correctly, but is still being paid for (Pubs essentially rent the pool tables, very rarely are they actually owned.) Maintenance contact the Pool Table company and send out an engineer. Engineer arrives on site, no issue, closes the call which updates the service ticket on Maintenances end.
    via u/Declaron
  • 07
    Maintenance then send the call back over to Property to log that there is a Pool Table on site and its fully functional. Property then send the call back to Digital to confirm the amenities inventory is correct, and the Pool table is available to use and functional. Digital close the call to state no fault found.
    via u/Declaron
  • 08
    Site reopens the call now really frustrated. "THIS IS THE THIRD TIME I AM REPORTING THIS, PLEASE REMOVE POOL FROM THE DESCRIPTION ON THE WEBSITE". Digital send the call over to myself, assumedly for two reasons, one because they had probably had enough, and two to ask if they can think of any reason why a site would not want the pool table to be advertised on the website (as retail support sometimes we get very unusual bookings queries where people
    via u/Declaron
  • 09
    try to book out individual televisions, areas of the car park, pool tables etc as "table bookings" - believe it or not this does happen) so I had a look read through the entire ticket history log. I call the site. Me - "Hi <name changed to GM>, I can see you have been having some issue with your website and the guys cant seem to find the
    via u/Declaron
  • 10
    issue, I know it seems silly but can you give me some more information please?" GM - "Oh god thanks for calling me, its been driving me absolutely mad" Me - "Sure no problem, so whats the nature of the issue?" GM - "I dont want it advertised on the website, we havent got it so I want it removed because I dont want people asking about it"
    via u/Declaron
  • 11
    Me - "I see, well I understand we checked and sent an engineer out and everythings working fine" GM - "You can't have done because we dont have one" Me - "We definitely did, I can see the engineers report on my screen, all checked and working correctly"
    via u/Declaron
  • 12
    GM - "NO, YOU HAVE NOT SENT AN ENGINEER, WE HAVE NOT GOT ONE" Me - "Well what happened to the table then?" GM - "The table?" Me - "Yes the Pool Table." GM - "OH TABLEEEEE" - A POOOOO0000000L
    via u/Declaron
  • 13
    Me - "Yes?" GM- "I thought it meant a Pool, you know like a swimming pool, okay nevermindthanksforyourhelpbye". <phone goes dr.d>
    via u/Declaron
  • 14
    Turns out the GM was new to the country, and was originally from South America, had been running bars and restaurants in hotels in Spain for 10 years where having a Pool was quite common, and never thought to question that "Pool" would represent a "Pool Table" and not an actual swimming pool in a beer garden in England.
    via u/Declaron
  • 15
    Miklonario 3 days ago This is a fantastic example of the core mission of IT support, discovering what the actual issue is versus the issue being described. Reply Share 233
    via u/Miklonario
  • 16
    chedstrom 3 days ago Yea thats right. Too many times, guys on my team don't call and clarify the issue, and just run with the user description, which tends to be poorly communicated and they waste so much time. They hate my mantra of "Assumption is the mother of all f .ups". 57 ↓ Reply Share
    via u/chedstrom
  • 17
    frymaster 3 days ago Have you tried turning the supercomputer off and on again? Turns out the GM was new to the country, and was originally from South America, had been running bars and restaurants in hotels in Spain for 10 years where having a Pool was quite common, and never thought to question that "Pool" would represent a "Pool Table" and not an actual swimming pool in a beer garden in England. Ah, I'd kind of guessed the punchline but couldn't understand why someone would be that "stupid" -
    via u/frymaster
  • 18
    Liquid_Hate_Train 3 days ago I play those override buttons like a maestro plays a Steinway Yeeea, started to see that one coming about half way through. Sometimes it really does just take talking to someone to sort out the misunderstanding. Reply Share 26 jimicus 3 days ago Remember SDM? Ping me. You would not believe the meetings I've been in that happened simply because Person A refuses to even try and talk to Person B. 16 Reply Share
    via u/Liquid_Hate_Train, u/jimicus
  • 19
    freddyboomboom67 3 days ago To be even more fair to GM, I live in the Pacific Northwest of the US and even though most of the years it's cold enough and you'd think too wet (rain, liquid sunshine) and cloudy to want to sit in an outside swimming pool, there are more than one outdoor swimming pools around here. See McMenamin's line of brewpubs/hotels for examples: https://www.mcmenamins.com/to-do/relax-play/soak-swim 22 Reply Share
    via u/freddyboomboom67
  • 20
    weebobbytables. 3 days ago UK context for readers from other countries - I've been to a LOT of different pubs in various parts of the UK and not a single one had a swimming pool Reply Share 27 bagofwisdom 3 days ago I am become Manager; Destroyer of environments In the states it's usually considered a pool with a bar. Seldom have I ever seen any of my fellow Americans refer to it as a bar with a swimming pool. Occasionally a nightclub with a swimming pool in places like Miami or Las Vegas. 7 B R
    via u/weebobbytables, u/bagofwisdom
  • 21
    marysalad. 3 days ago Maybe if the GM had that misunderstanding, website visitors might too, so for clarity & search result accuracy the text could have been updated to "pool tables" ? (I get that this is in the past) 11 Reply Share Declaron OP 2 days ago Just for clarity here, there is not a single bar or restaurant in the whole of England, or thr UK for that matter, with a swimming pool in the beer garden. Source: The weather is here.
    via u/marysalad, u/Declaron
  • 22
    Frozen Gecko. 4 days ago I actually assumed it was a swimming pool from the start and started getting confused until halfway through. That's when I figured out it was about a pool table and that the bar manager had made the same assumption as me haha. Btw what is GM? I assume it's not grand master in this setting haha. 4.B Reply Share
    via u/Frozen_Gecko

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tales from tech support tech support retail facilities engineering it system update swimming pool pools website digital it support company report retail application engineer
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