Despite being around for multiple decades at this point, some folks simply do not really get how to interact with a computer. This can be pretty frustrating if you need them to do something on said computer, but also quite hilarious when you encounter the janky, bizarre and downright counterproductive ways they do the most simple tasks.
Someone asked “What’s the worst case of computer illiteracy you’ve seen?” and netizens shared their best stories. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to write your own thoughts and experiences in the comments section below.
Someone asked “What’s the worst case of computer illiteracy you’ve seen?” and netizens shared their best stories. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to write your own thoughts and experiences in the comments section below.
#21
I used to do tech support over the phone. I once asked a lady if she knew what version of Windows she was using. She proceeded on at least a 3 minute tirade about how she didn't find my question funny and said "there's nothing wrong with my house windows! I'm calling about my god damn computer!" and how she demanded to speak to my supervisor because I was wasting her time and wasn't trying to help her. Mind you, this all happened less than 10 minutes into the call. I tried explaining what Windows was to her but I couldn't get two words in without being interrupted so.... 🤷🏻♂️.
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17points
#22
In the 90’s, as a junior doing IT support, got a call for a file search/undelete.
The lady was following a guide. Every time she saved a document, she named it…
Literally …
YourDocumentNameHere. Every time!! Confirming the Overwrite? with a Yes.
She called me to find an older document from last week, to edit a page on a 400 page contract.
I found a single file of course. Told her boss she needs to retype from scratch, just that page, then do photocopies. Else retype all 400 pages.
Then left for next client.
That boss called my boss, really angry. Had a meeting with HR and boss, they never checked my version.
I had to explain step by step, the HR lady didn’t get the problem either at first. My boss sure did.
I got written up, to shut up the other boss, the reason? Being impolite.
The lady was following a guide. Every time she saved a document, she named it…
Literally …
YourDocumentNameHere. Every time!! Confirming the Overwrite? with a Yes.
She called me to find an older document from last week, to edit a page on a 400 page contract.
I found a single file of course. Told her boss she needs to retype from scratch, just that page, then do photocopies. Else retype all 400 pages.
Then left for next client.
That boss called my boss, really angry. Had a meeting with HR and boss, they never checked my version.
I had to explain step by step, the HR lady didn’t get the problem either at first. My boss sure did.
I got written up, to shut up the other boss, the reason? Being impolite.
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16points
#23
This just happened last Friday. I am a new legal secretary in a small law firm where the partners have been in business for 50 years. Part of my job is to print every email that comes in and of course people always send big fat attachments Friday at 4:55.I had some emails queued up to print and since it was already 10 minutes after I was supposed to be gone I asked the managing partner if he would shut down the computer after it finished printing. He did not know how to shut down a computer.
15points
#24
Remember floppy disks? I once saw a grown man using a rubber pencil eraser to "erase the files" on his disk.
On a separate occasion, during the dial-up modem period of the internet, I saw a Dad yelling at a kid for dialing up the home access number while on vacation in Hawaii. They got a $3200 phone bill at checkout for him playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends all night.
I saw a secretary use white out correction paste on a printout.
On a separate occasion, during the dial-up modem period of the internet, I saw a Dad yelling at a kid for dialing up the home access number while on vacation in Hawaii. They got a $3200 phone bill at checkout for him playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends all night.
I saw a secretary use white out correction paste on a printout.
15points
#25
I work in a call centre, and one of my jobs is helping the call centre clients with basic computer troubleshooting.
It is..an interesting task trying to explain to a man who makes more than I do and has been working the same job since longer than I've been alive where and what the start button is.
It is..an interesting task trying to explain to a man who makes more than I do and has been working the same job since longer than I've been alive where and what the start button is.
14points
#26
I was providing remote support for a factory and got a call from the plant manager who was trying to do a tour, he couldn’t log into a system. Turned out he was typing his username and password but then not pressing “ok”. He called me to ask how to log in while he had an audience. .
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14points
#27
There was a lady in the office in an admin-kind of role. She didn’t know about copy and paste.
She had to send out a lot of almost identical letters, only the names and a code/number would change. She would type the whole thing out.
It blew my mind.
She had to send out a lot of almost identical letters, only the names and a code/number would change. She would type the whole thing out.
It blew my mind.
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13points
#28
A friend asked me to print out her daughters homework so she sent me a whats app.
It was a screen grab from her phone of the school dojo website where someone had uploaded a photo of the physical homework printout that itself was a print screen as you could see the tabs open and the paper sat on a desk.
It was a screen grab from her phone of the school dojo website where someone had uploaded a photo of the physical homework printout that itself was a print screen as you could see the tabs open and the paper sat on a desk.
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12points
#29
Ages and ages ago a gentleman came in for a computer repair as his “cupholder” was broken... It was his DVD-R.
11points
#30
I used to do customer support for a major antivirus company, where most of the client base was 65+, and I have a ton of horror stories...
Most of it is just pretty generic computer iliteracy, lile asking them to open the browser and type in an adress, followed by total helpess confusion from their side.
A bunch of the clients also entered the chat instead of phone support, despite using the "hunt and peck" method of typing, and being completely unable to follow written instructions longer than 5 words.
These are the cases that really stood out:
1. An elderly man called and said he'd gotten a new Mac, but couldn't install our software. Turns out he needed a lot of handholding to even download and open the install file, which took about half an hour.
When we finally got it opened, it showed a message saying his OS was outdated. I asked him if he didn't say the computer was new.
Turns out he bought it 10 years ago and kept it unopened in his shed...
2. A guy was very adamant "the chinese" had hacked him. After some back and forth, he revealed the reason he thought so was that a popup, IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE, was asking him to upgrade or uninstall the software for an HP deskjet printer. He admitted to having had one, and to have installed the software...
"But that was 6 years ago and I've had several printers since then! How do the chinese know I used to have one??"
And no, he had never uninstalled the software.
He ended up hanging up and telling me that I was of no help.
3. An elderly couple called and wanted help to install the antivirus on their new computer. To do that, I also had to help them get the new computer hooked up to their wifi. After A LOT of handholding and spoonfeeding, we got to the point where they needed to input the password for their wifi.
I told them it was on the back of their router. They did not know what a router was. I tried words like internet box, modem, tried asking them which supplier they had and then explaining that their internet came in the thing their supplier send them. No luck.
45 FREAKING MINUTES into the conversation, I ask them where they think they get internet from.
"From a hole in the wall", they say. I asked if therr was a wire running from it. Yes there was. Ok, could they follow it and see what it went into?"
"Ohhhh the internet box, why did you not say so??"
4. I was trying to help a woman download the install file. I asked her to open her internet browser and type in the address. She did not know where or how to type the address.
This in itself was a fairly common problem, so I tried all the regular solution. A specific keyboard shortcut autofocuses on the address bar. She insisted it did not. I tried to explain where it was and what it looked like. She could not find it.
She got increasingly frustrated every time I asked if she was sure she'd opened her browser.
15 minutes into the call, I asked her to describe what she saw. She basically described her desktop.
So I said she was not in an internet browser, and she said
"I logged on the wifi 15 minutes ago like you said to do!!"
In the year I worked at that place, I developed a deep hate for whichever societal force leads so many elderly folks to learn such a degree of helplessness.
Most of it is just pretty generic computer iliteracy, lile asking them to open the browser and type in an adress, followed by total helpess confusion from their side.
A bunch of the clients also entered the chat instead of phone support, despite using the "hunt and peck" method of typing, and being completely unable to follow written instructions longer than 5 words.
These are the cases that really stood out:
1. An elderly man called and said he'd gotten a new Mac, but couldn't install our software. Turns out he needed a lot of handholding to even download and open the install file, which took about half an hour.
When we finally got it opened, it showed a message saying his OS was outdated. I asked him if he didn't say the computer was new.
Turns out he bought it 10 years ago and kept it unopened in his shed...
2. A guy was very adamant "the chinese" had hacked him. After some back and forth, he revealed the reason he thought so was that a popup, IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE, was asking him to upgrade or uninstall the software for an HP deskjet printer. He admitted to having had one, and to have installed the software...
"But that was 6 years ago and I've had several printers since then! How do the chinese know I used to have one??"
And no, he had never uninstalled the software.
He ended up hanging up and telling me that I was of no help.
3. An elderly couple called and wanted help to install the antivirus on their new computer. To do that, I also had to help them get the new computer hooked up to their wifi. After A LOT of handholding and spoonfeeding, we got to the point where they needed to input the password for their wifi.
I told them it was on the back of their router. They did not know what a router was. I tried words like internet box, modem, tried asking them which supplier they had and then explaining that their internet came in the thing their supplier send them. No luck.
45 FREAKING MINUTES into the conversation, I ask them where they think they get internet from.
"From a hole in the wall", they say. I asked if therr was a wire running from it. Yes there was. Ok, could they follow it and see what it went into?"
"Ohhhh the internet box, why did you not say so??"
4. I was trying to help a woman download the install file. I asked her to open her internet browser and type in the address. She did not know where or how to type the address.
This in itself was a fairly common problem, so I tried all the regular solution. A specific keyboard shortcut autofocuses on the address bar. She insisted it did not. I tried to explain where it was and what it looked like. She could not find it.
She got increasingly frustrated every time I asked if she was sure she'd opened her browser.
15 minutes into the call, I asked her to describe what she saw. She basically described her desktop.
So I said she was not in an internet browser, and she said
"I logged on the wifi 15 minutes ago like you said to do!!"
In the year I worked at that place, I developed a deep hate for whichever societal force leads so many elderly folks to learn such a degree of helplessness.
Report
10points
