Most people hate having to call tech support.  I don’t like it much either.  But I found a way to make it a LOT better for me.

What I do is chat in a friendly way with the tech support person.  I ask how the weather is there when there is a lull in the conversation.  Sometimes you are waiting for something anyway.  It’s interesting how the conversation can go from there.

I was just on the phone talking with a tech rep at DIRECTV and while I was waiting for things to happen when I tried them, I found out she lives in Missoula, Montana… the weather there is about like here today.  Also, she is recently separated, and now living in a small apartment, instead of a big house.

And we got everything fixed and straightened up, and she is sending us new hardware for free – it would normally be $40.  So it worked out pretty well, and it’s a lot less frustrating for me.

This took a while to get used to because tech support can be so frustrating… but once I did get used to being extra cheery, it got a lot easier.  And it does not take longer because there are usually things that you have to wait for.

Give it a try!