• (cs)

    "... the knowledge was as relevant as metallurgy is to driving a racing car."

    Nice analogy (or simile, or whatever it is).

  • (cs) in reply to Balentius
    Balentius:
    No, the REAL wtf is that it took Tim an hour to add the phone number and extension... Did he have to go around to each desk and look at it?

    Yes. And then he had to take a picture of the phone, get the film developed, put the pictures on a wooden table, scan them in, etc., etc.

  • fjf (unregistered) in reply to Parallel Universe
    Parallel Universe:
    fjf:
    m:
    toth:
    we're just going to type them in by hand.

    TRWTF

    Are you suggesting that you'd write an import script for a one-time job that can be done manually in about 15 minutes?
    Are you suggesting they need the user list only for this one customer?

    yes... unless they can find another customer who happens to employ people with exactly the same names and positions

    And the LTOW (Lamest Troll Of the Week) award goes to ...

  • Avenger (unregistered) in reply to The Other Tim

    Plain Good, not Pretty Good

  • Avenger (unregistered) in reply to The Other Tim
    The Other Tim:
    Balentius:
    No, the REAL wtf is that it took Tim an hour to add the phone number and extension... Did he have to go around to each desk and look at it?
    I think you guys are being a little too harsh. One time I had to add a phone number column, but the data was in Office 2007 format, so I had to upgrade. I downloaded the install image, but it was too big for my CD. So I had to put it on a DVD. My computer didn't have a DVD drive so I bought one and installed it. That made an interrupt conflict with my zip drive, so I had to upgrade to Windows Vista. And after that, things got really nasty.

    So if he did it in an hour I think that's Pretty Good.

    Plain Good, not Pretty Good

  • SteveOC (unregistered) in reply to Anon

    Tim > What format do you want the data in ? I can do Excel, Word, CSV.

    Mike > Freecell. The data HAS to be in Freecell format, or it wont load. Can you organise that for me Tim ? Its a hard job, but I just know you are up to it.

  • (cs)

    Doesn't it strike anyone else as a bad idea to plug the flash drive back into your laptop after it has seen time in the hands (and computer systems) of 'the Tim'?

    I'd probably toss the thing and buy a new one, rather than risk catching something nasty by plugging it back into my system.

    (If there were important files on the drive that would keep you from tossing it, then WTF were you doing handing it over to a moron like that in the first place...)

  • David (unregistered) in reply to The Other Tim
    The Other Tim:
    So if he did it in an hour I think that's Pretty Good.

    You mean "Plain Good".

  • Bradorama (unregistered)

    Except, in my experience, it goes most often the other way.

    Your company is sold by a PM (who's a friend of the CFO) and a 30 minute web demo.

    You receive a list of requirements, and complete the prerequisites.

    Your consultant, Timothy, arrives. He's 23, two years out of school, does nothing but install a single webapp- but watch out- he knows EVERYTHING!

    Rather than using standard drivers for database connections, he uses the ones that he prefers (they're 40 % faster on queries!). You see Timothy consulting 'SQL For Dummies' multiple times during the install.

    Your requests for disaster recovery documentation are ignored.

    Training is delayed, because the custom drivers can't connect to the current database build. You call the vendor's tech support, and they tell you to ignore Timothy, this is his fifth failed installation this year.

    Users are trained half-assedly by another recent college grad, who's clearly to get out so they can hit the bar.

    The consultants cash their paycheck and are never seen from again.

    Half of the functionality isn't configured, and you're left with a sticker with the tech support number. Calls to the responsible PM aren't returned.

    The users eventually tire of the half-working installation, and the wheel of karma turns. The consultants win.

  • Bart (unregistered) in reply to The Other Tim

    Note to self: do not hire any Tim's. Ever.

  • Reow (unregistered)

    @Mike That's a very unprofessional attitude you have. I get it: Tim was a problem customer - we all have them. What you did is certainly not the way to deal with such customers though, and certainly not something to brag about. Is this how you deal with all of your problem clients - by just avoiding them? Please let us know what company you work for so we can ensure we don't purchase software from you. The last thing I would want is for you to decide one of my team was a 'problem' and not train them.

  • eric bloedow (unregistered)

    long ago, before i got internet, i was having problems with my CDRom drive. it could be solved by re-installing the driver programs...from the CD. i had to get someone to "snail-mail" me a Floppy disk with the drivers.

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