It's no secret that tech support and customer service, in general, are deep black-holes of wasted time and unsolved problems. What you may not realize is that there are actual reasons for tech support's frequent suckiness.

For example, call centers are staffed with the absolute minimum number of agents, in order to save costs. And, while it may be annoying to be asked if your PC is plugged in or not, calls are monitored to make sure that the reps are precisely following the ridiculous scripts that require they ask such boneheaded questions.

The folks at Cracked do cover 'Why Tech Support Sucks,' in their trademark, snarky, vulgar manner, of course. But, while earning a good chuckle, they also help you to understand that your unpleasant experience is not always the support person's fault.

For those of you out there who have or had tech-support jobs, most of this will just sound like another day at the office. For those on the other side of the phone, this might be a little enlightening. You might not be aware of just how infuriating, difficult, and hilarious your calls and questions can be.

Robert Half Technology, an IT contracting firm, asked CIOs (Chief Information Officers) from around the country to send in some of the most bizarre questions they've been asked. Perennial favorites like "where is the 'any' key?" and questions about the retractable cup holder were among the responses. The true highlights, though, are the out-of-this-world requests like: "My daughter is locked in the bathroom, can you pick the lock?"; "Can you reset the Internet for me?"; and "Why isn't my wireless mouse connected to the computer?"

Of course, Robert Half does not have a monopoly on hilarious tech support calls. One of our contributors, while working tech support at a major financial institution, was asked "how do you type backslash?" Goes a long way towards explaining the market collapse doesn't it?

You can find more priceless tech support stories in the 'read' link below, as well as here at GetAmused.com and at TSC, Technical Support Comedy (NSFW). [From: The Age]

According to a recent Consumer Reports survey, Apple took the top spot for "technical support offered by computer makers" -- for both laptop and desktop support. The feedback came from owners of more than 4,500 laptops and almost 5,600 desktops computers who contacted manufacturer with technical difficulties.

On the 100 point scale, Apple scored an 83 in the laptop survey and an 81 on the desktop side -- both of which translate to "more than very satisfied"; according to Consumer Reports, Apple was the only manufacturer to top 80 in either category, beating out Lenovo, Dell, Toshiba, Gateway, Sony and HP.

A large part of Apple's success came from the on-site service that customers receive when visiting Apple stores: Genius Bar staff provided "the best troubleshooting by far," according to the report, solving problems 90 percent of the time. "The only drawback is if you're living somewhere that there isn't a store close by or if you're in a big city where the Genius Bar is likely to be really crowded," said Donna Tapellini, associate editor at Consumer Reports.

And while there's still room for improvement at Apple, which limits its phone-based tech support to 90 days, they're fixing ass and taking names. "Apple should continue to build out the store infrastructure," Gartenberg added. "And they should continue to invest in customer training. They're doing many of these things in the store at little or no cost. Apple is becoming the Nordstrom of customer service in terms of technology."

Which actually makes us think Apple could actually sell designer jeans, and people would buy them. Apple Bottoms, perhaps? [Source: MacWorld]

Often it's customer service that wins consumers' hearts and dollar decisions -- and Sharp yesterday announced a program that (though it hints a bit of Big Brother) could change the way people operate and maintain their TVs.

The program is called Aquos Net, and it's essentially content and customer support provided with two of Sharp's new Aquos LCD TVs, which were also announced yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The SE94 and D74 series Aquos LCD-TVs come with Ethernet ports, which allow for direct connection to the Internet. Web-based content from Weatherbug, NASDAQ, uclick, and Aquos Gallery (basically pretty pictures) can be shown in split- or full-screen, and other content providers will be added soon.

The real prize of this online connection, though, is direct access to Aquos Advantage Advisors, who can remotely diagnose problems with a TV.

To connect to Aquos Advantage Live, a customer uses the Aquos Net Portal Web site to generate a unique identifier for the television. Using this identifier, an Aquos Advantage Advisor then has access to advanced settings and diagnostics. The adviser can support complex setup issues such as remotely checking to see if a Blu-ray Disc player is properly connected.

But not everyone has their Internet connection in the same room as their TV. For these folks, Sharp is marketing a Powerline Communications, or PLC, Adapter (which, if you care, is compatible with the HomePlug Powerline Alliance standard). This product almost deserves its own write up. PLC adapters allow you to establish your Internet connection -- and, for that matter, many other types of content – over the existing electrical lines in the home. This means no Ethernet wire has to be run from one room to another. There's something very appealing about no new wires. Sharp isn't the first company to introduce PLC adapters (look to Panasonic's competing HD-PLC adapters), but it is the first we've noticed that has put these adaptors to such good and practical use.

Sharp PLC adapters will available as single port (HN-VA100U for $149.99) and 4-port adapters (HN-VA400U for $179.99). The company will also sell a starter pack that bundles a single port and 4-port adapter into one package (HN-VA401SU $279.99). The adapters can connect not only to TVs, but also to set-top boxes, gaming consoles, PCs, and routers. The connection is also inherently more secure than a wireless connection. All three PLC adaptors will be available in March.

The SE94 series includes three models: The 65-inch LC-65SE94U, available this month for an MSRP of $10,999.99; the 52-inch LC-52SE94U, available this month for an MSRP of $4,199.99; and the 46-inch LC-46SE94U, available in February for an MSRP of $3,199.99. The D74 series consists of one model, the LC-52D74U which is coming in April for an MSRP of $3,599.99.

Don't worry, we'll get in to more detail on these new high definition LCD panels for you in another post.

For now, just savor the advanced capability promised by Aquos Net. We'd be tempted to purposely mess up our TV's settings just so we could see the remote diagnosis in action.

From Sharp Electronics.

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