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BslBryan
May 15th, 2010, 10:14 PM
For the past few days, I have been having a problem with my wireless router broadcasting a low signal. Today, I called our internet service provider simply to ensure nothing was wrong with the signal sent to the cable modem. I'd already wired my computer directly into the modem, which turned out great, but I'd just wanted to be safe. Upon telling him that I ran Linux, he would not stop saying "We do not support Linux." though there was absolutely no software for the company to support, regardless of operating system. Finally, after some simple troubleshooting, the router works fine, but it still bugged me that these clueless technicians are hardwired to say things like "We do not support Linux" when there is no reason to support Linux or any other operating system. Their job is to simply send a signal to a box. Nothing more. Anyone else have a similar story?

BoneKracker
May 15th, 2010, 10:19 PM
What's the name of your ISP?

frostschutz
May 15th, 2010, 10:20 PM
Nah, my router runs Linux too, so I really only give my provider a call when I know there's a problem on their end...

BslBryan
May 15th, 2010, 10:20 PM
Comcast.

Quake
May 15th, 2010, 10:21 PM
The level 1 techs of the big companies aren't Tech savvy, they are just reading a script that they've been given to.

Linux_junkie
May 15th, 2010, 10:24 PM
I bought a mobile broadband "dongle" from T-Mobile in the UK. The sales man was telling me how to use or install the windows software and told him that I'll be running it on Linux whereby he said something similar in that he couldn't guarentee it working whereby I told him it does work on Linux.

BoneKracker
May 15th, 2010, 10:27 PM
Comcast.

Boy, I hope a bunch of Linux users don't get wind of this.

TheNerdAL
May 15th, 2010, 10:30 PM
Comcast.
Boy, I hope a bunch of Linux users don't get wind of this.

I use Comcast. :eek:

dionysius
May 15th, 2010, 10:30 PM
Same here with a 3G mobile 'broadband' provider, T-Mobile. Their HSDPA/3G network was down in my area (outer London), kept getting authentication errors so I phoned customer service. After explaining that their service was unavailable, the first and only question she asked was 'what version of Windows do you have?'. I told her I ran Linux, and that's basically the end of any service.
I repeatedly told her that it worked fine half an hour ago, but that their network was unavailable, and could she please check whether they were aware of a problem and when it would be solved. "Sorry, we don't support Linux" was all I got in return, until she said I should take the USB modem back to the store I bought it from, and ask for a refund; her reason being that the store should've asked me what my OS is and have told me it "doesn't work on Linux".


I'm afraid I lost my temper, and had we been face to face she'd be providing "tech support" in sign language today.

BoneKracker
May 15th, 2010, 10:32 PM
The level 1 techs of the big companies aren't Tech savvy, they are just reading a script that they've been given to.

When I called regarding a legitimate security concern, I had tech support from Time Warner Cable tell me that the IETF RFC's are false and that the IETF RFC website is a website that Time Warner customers are discouraged from visiting. :lol:

lisati
May 15th, 2010, 10:35 PM
I once received an unsolicited CD in the mail for an online casino. I switched into "hassle the spammers" mode, and fired of an email to their support centre, thanking them, pointing out that the software wouldn't work on my Ubuntu system, conveniently "forgetting" to mention that I knew about Wine or that I still had Windows on another partition. What followed was an email where they were kind enough to give me instructions for using the Windows command line to try to get it to work. Several emails of a similar nature later, they eventually clicked.....

CharlesA
May 15th, 2010, 10:38 PM
Script monkies are awesome, aren't they?

One reason I dispise working with "tech support" when I've already done 90% of what they want me to do already.

texpat
May 15th, 2010, 10:41 PM
Well, while its true that there is no software to support, they probably can only talk you through any Windows based setup/configuration. I'm not saying this is an excuse, but unfortunately it is reality.

I had a very similar case with my provider, Spanish Telefonica (recently re-branded to movistar). My issues were purely hardware, but when I said I ran Ubuntu, they, too, went into the "we don't support that" mantra. So forgetting about then, I confirmed I had hardware issues using a friend's router, got a new one and problem solved. Still, very annoying.

Another friend told me that if you need tech-savvy support in Spain its best to call at night. Apparently there are loads of IT-students at the help lines who earn a few extra Euros this way. (This is hearsay, though, so don't rely on this info).

Phrea
May 15th, 2010, 10:43 PM
Same here.
I called to change the MAC address to the one of my new modem they sent me.
All went well, and then they gave me some advice about how to optimalize my connection.
Needless to say it was a Windows advice, and I told them that I didn't use Windows but Linux instead.
...they then proceeded to tell me that the modem wouldn't work with Linux.

I guess I'm posting this on some kind of phantom connection then. ;)

CharlesA
May 15th, 2010, 10:52 PM
Same here.
I called to change the MAC address to the one of my new modem they sent me.
All went well, and then they gave me some advice about how to optimalize my connection.
Needless to say it was a Windows advice, and I told them that I didn't use Windows but Linux instead.
...they then proceeded to tell me that the modem wouldn't work with Linux.

I guess I'm posting this on some kind of phantom connection then. ;)

Of course it doesn't work with Linux, it's an modem with an ethernet connection afterall! :lolflag:

Old_Grey_Wolf
May 15th, 2010, 11:51 PM
"We do not support Linux". I hear that all the time. I had an interesting experience with a tech.

I had Comcast as my ISP years ago. They upgraded the speed of their network; however, the old modem I was leasing from them would not support the new speed. Comcast sent out a tech to install a new modem. At the time, I had several computers connected to the modem through a router. Routers were something Comcast didn't support at the time either. To make things worse, I was running Linux.

As I led the tech to the room where the modem was, we passed about 2 computers. When we got to the room with the modem, he saw the modem and router. A third computer was nearby.

He installed the new modem. He was supposed to use a CD to "register" the modem. Apparently the CD had software to send the modems MAC address to the ISP, and allow other administrative operations. When I logged into the computer, he saw that I was running Linux.

At that point I was thinking 1) I have a router that is not supported, and 2) I am using Linux. I thought he was going to tell me "We do not support Linux".

To my surprise, he didn't. He just said "cool", then called the office and told them that he apparently had a bad CD. He told them that they needed to register the modem manually. He then checked out the connection and left.

Not all techs and phone support people are clueless; however, it does seem predominate. I wonder if this tech is still employed by Comcast. He did disobey some of their policies.

BandD
May 15th, 2010, 11:58 PM
I had a to call my DSL provider becuase the PPPoE authentication kept failing (turned out there were somehow conflicting passords associated with my account???).

I called and got directed to "William" in Bangalore who kindly reset the password. He kept telling me to use Internet Explorer to check if the internet was working. I kept saying FIREFOX. He didn't seem to notice. Then at one point he wanted me to restart the computer, which was just absurd. I ignored him, but told him the computer had been restarted. Of course, restarting the computer was completely irrelevent to the problem and once the password was reset the authentication worked as expected. At the end of the script he asked me "Do you have any protection for your computer?" and I said, "Yes." And he asked, "Oh, like Norton." And I said, "No. Quite a bit better. I run Linux." He laughed and seemed to understand. Then he hung up.

Phrea
May 16th, 2010, 12:22 AM
Of course it doesn't work with Linux, it's an modem with an ethernet connection afterall! :lolflag:

Can't be done ! They swear ! :P

Oh well...

gletob
May 16th, 2010, 12:29 AM
Of course it doesn't work with Linux, it's an modem with an ethernet connection afterall! :lolflag:

Damn those IEEE 802.3x specifications!!:P:P

McRat
May 16th, 2010, 12:31 AM
I could be mistaken, but I believe a lot of the wireless routers and cable modems are Unix/Linux Inside. I have an SDK for customizing routers, and it's for Linux IIRC.

If that is true, perhaps the TechGuy was right:

"We do not support Linux. Linux supports US."

Phrea
May 16th, 2010, 12:41 AM
I could be mistaken, but I believe a lot of the wireless routers and cable modems are Unix/Linux Inside. I have an SDK for customizing routers, and it's for Linux IIRC.

If that is true, perhaps the TechGuy was right:

"We do not support Linux. Linux supports US."

Indeed the point.
Amazing stupidity from the 'tech support' from ISP's.

VeeDubb
May 16th, 2010, 12:52 AM
Anyone else have a similar story?

I actually have a story that is the polar opposite of yours.

I live in a small college town, that is really two small towns smashed together. Monmouth (the end I live in) and Independence.

We are blessed to have a locally run, publicly owned, non-profit data/voice/TV service provider that operates a fiber-optic ring around the two towns. If you've never had the option of having true fiber optic internet, you're missing out.

In any case, I called them up because I was having trouble resolving web pages. Sometimes they'd come up, sometimes not, and downloads were failing. I'd pinged google, and found typical ping responses except that about 1-2 times a minute, I'd have a ping that was never either responded to at all or took drastically longer than normal.

When I told the tech I was running linux, he completely changed his tune, stopped asking idiot questions about antivirus software and windows firewall, and started asking about ping responses, gave me the IP address for their main switch and asked me to ping it, and then when it became clear that I was right, and the problem was them, the same tech I was on the phone with got in a service van and drove to my apartment. Turned out to be a dirty connection in the box outside my apartment.

McRat
May 16th, 2010, 01:01 AM
From my network bridging equipment docs (SDK):




Overview
========
This SDK supports all models of the following Ubiquiti Networks platforms:

* PowerStation
* LiteStation
* NanoStation
* MiniStation
* WispStation
* NanoStation Loco
* PicoStation
* Bullet
* AP1000

This product uses an embedded Linux solution. This SDK has been built
and tested on Ubuntu Linux 9.10 (Karmic Koala) distribution.

Using this SDK you will be able to build the v3.5 release from sources.

SDK framework is (C) Copyright Ubiquiti Networks, Inc

dmizer
May 16th, 2010, 01:08 AM
The level 1 techs of the big companies aren't Tech savvy, they are just reading a script that they've been given to.

Or, it could only sound that way because they have to do and say the same things about 50 times a day.

It is important to give level one techs their due, because otherwise you never get escalated to the tier two techs who have access to the ISP eqipment for more rigorous testing.

juancarlospaco
May 16th, 2010, 01:08 AM
tcp/ip born on LiGNUx...

GarmaZed
May 16th, 2010, 01:56 AM
Some of you must realize that a level one tech support in some companies aren't paid enough to support the entirety of even Windows, much less software that the majority of the service has never used or possibly even heard of (like Ubuntu).

Not saying that it's your fault to expect that kind of service from a level one tech support, but just that it's not a perfect world. :\

[written by a level 1 tech support agent]

xpod
May 16th, 2010, 02:44 AM
I`ve lost count of the amount of times i`ve heard similar rubbish from Virgin Media`s so-called Tech Support here in the UK, or offshore as is usually the case with VM`s TS call centres.
Admittedly i did go through a stubborn period but it`s not only the "we dont support Linux" rubbish i`ve listened to in the past.
I`ve had them do the obligatory blaming of Viruses & Spyware for my connection issues after one of our upgrades and i had another agent once tell me she could see my wireless router and it was this that was causing my problem......this was when the only thing close to a router i used was a computer with 2 NIC`s.:???:

I`ve also had some laughs on that phone though, especially when it`s the offshore call centres and they`re having as much trouble with my Scottish accent as i am with their Indian accents.
I did once have one tech who was so curious about Linux that he was apparently off to download a live cd by the end of our call.

Timmer1240
May 16th, 2010, 02:52 AM
Theres Windows,Apple,and Linux{thanks lord!] we are people too what OS you chose to run weather its Microcrash Snapple or Linuxawsome is up to you all should be supported!

j.bell730
May 16th, 2010, 03:43 AM
Comcast said the same thing to a non-profit school (http://crashsystems.net/2008/08/comcast-wont-support-linux/).

Diluted
May 16th, 2010, 03:45 AM
Companies cannot expect to support all the operating systems out there. They'd have to have a technician for each supported operating system to figure out whether a problem is on the users' end or on the network's end.

For example, if you found a bug in a self-compiled Perl on RHEL and reported it to Red Hat, they're probably not going to look into it because they don't want to investigate your custom compiled version of Perl just to see if it is a problem with your Perl installation or RHEL. They'd just tell you to contact them when you have reproduced the bug on their vendor supplied version of Perl.

lostinxlation
May 16th, 2010, 04:10 AM
Companies cannot expect to support all the operating systems out there. They'd have to have a technician for each supported operating system to figure out whether a problem is on the users' end or on the network's end.
.
Yep, capitalism.

jerenept
May 16th, 2010, 04:15 AM
Maybe there should be a tech support system that is modelled against open-source, where everyone contributes their intelligence and experience to help each other....... Never Mind!!!

marshmallow1304
May 16th, 2010, 05:24 AM
I could be mistaken, but I believe a lot of the wireless routers and cable modems are Unix/Linux Inside. I have an SDK for customizing routers, and it's for Linux IIRC.

If that is true, perhaps the TechGuy was right:

"We do not support Linux. Linux supports US."

Indeed. I was delighted when I realized that one of the booklets that came with my router was a copy of the GPL.

DougieFresh4U
May 16th, 2010, 05:36 AM
When I had dial-up service about 4 years, my local phone company (Frontier) would tell me they did not support Linux, the funny thing was/is, they use Linux themselves and when they post ads for employment, a requirement is that you must be familiar with Linux.

Xianath
May 16th, 2010, 08:54 AM
I used to worked in tech support for quite some time, and have screened, hired, and trained pretty much the entire team of about 50 people. The company I worked for had product lines across multiple platforms, including some Linux ones. Nevertheless, we could not support every single Linux distro out there, simply because if it turned out to be a Linux problem, someone would have to support us, and the free ones out there had no way of doing it. Of course, since most of our folks were geeks, they would dig on a pro-bono basis, as long as management didn't have anything better for them to do.

Of course, this was a hand-picked, highly-skilled and well-trained team and not your average outsourced call center that operates on a script. Two of the level 1 guys went on to become level 3 leads at HP support, which is more or less indicative of where they stood with respect to the rest of the industry. Before we had them, we had an outsourced team (in Bangalore), and customers were having all of the issues described herein, and worse, but after a management change it quickly turned around. Lesson learned? The level of support you get is mostly a matter of company policy. Plus, if you're not getting what you're paying for, escalate.

Incidentally, I also used to own a small (a couple of blocks' span) MAN-based ISP but I sold it and moved on to tech support. We were a very small team and I took most of the calls from customers in the day shift. Obviously I did support Linux but then again out of about 120 boxes in the MAN, only my Debian gateway was running Linux. This was back in 2002-2003, so no surprises there. Even so, it was hard enough to explain to the mostly-technophobic generic user how to do stuff in XP, ME, 2000, '98 and, yes, '95 OSR 2.1 (!), over the phone and in layman terms. This is why your archetypal tech has a script to work off. The minuscule percentage of issues that don't fit the script get escalated. "We do not support <that>" is in the script so you will need to escalate on your own if the tech doesn't offer you to. No sane company would deny a legitimate support request by a paying customer. Now, if your support contract says otherwise... well, learn to read the fine script :)

Khakilang
May 16th, 2010, 09:16 AM
I had a tech support guy that went to my daughter's house to trouble shoot the broadband modem. He told me he doesn't know anything about Linux. So I ask him to go to Firefox browser and key in the modem IP address and log in. Than I ask him. Are you familiar with the modem setting and he say yes and the whole thing was solve.

Its just a browser that key in the modem IP. You don't need to know Linux to do it. Damn!

NightwishFan
May 16th, 2010, 09:39 AM
I will never accept services from Comcast. They cost me a LOT of money and grief.

gemmakaru
May 16th, 2010, 09:46 AM
I was in the vodaphone shop the other day, transferring my number from T-mobile. I noticed the usb 3G network sticks and said I might be back for one of those having quit my tmobile one. He said Oh what windows do you use. I said "Ubuntu" and he looked confused. Then I said "It's a linux distribution" and he looked scared and said "it probably won't work". I explained I am certain it will work, thinking doesn't he want to make a sale or what. I then described how installing windows leaves the user having to install numerous driver cds to get things to work, and how conversely after installing Linux almost everything works without needing the extra disks. He seemed really surprised (though that could be a woman understanding tech). He seemed keen to learn more. Made me feel so humble that I am getting so much quality from a product which is given away.

I don't like that people say with authority that stuff wont work, without even trying it. They should just say they don't know.

ronnielsen1
May 16th, 2010, 10:49 AM
I gave my sister a pentium 4 with ubuntu 9.04 on it and she recently moved. When my niece was trying to get internet working (Actually all she had to do was plug the modem in) she was on tech support and the knowledgable tech told her the computer was too old and call her back when she got a newer one. She found an old P1 233 box from somewhere thinking it was newer. I stopped her and fixed the issue.

mick222
May 16th, 2010, 11:05 AM
I`ve lost count of the amount of times i`ve heard similar rubbish from Virgin Media`s so-called Tech Support here in the UK, .

Although i don't often phone virgin I did have a problem when they were upgrading my broadband. I quickly got an engineer out who seemed quite happy using my computer and never mentioned linux once.
My router like most has embedded Linux software (sitcom) and shows up on windows as a Linux gateway device.
Do we really expect the people in the call centres who seem to read from a script to support every distro , even with windows these people seem as good as reading a troubleshooting FAQ.

xpod
May 16th, 2010, 04:37 PM
Although i don't often phone virgin I did have a problem when they were upgrading my broadband. I quickly got an engineer out who seemed quite happy using my computer and never mentioned linux once.
My router like most has embedded Linux software (sitcom) and shows up on windows as a Linux gateway device.
Do we really expect the people in the call centres who seem to read from a script to support every distro , even with windows these people seem as good as reading a troubleshooting FAQ.

I dont actually expect them to support anything other than Windows and possibly Mac to be perfectly honest but i do expect them to not automatically blame anything they dont support on any problems there might be.
I dont expect to be told i shouldn`t be using anything other than Windows and i dont expect just to be hung up on when i try explain that my Computers OS shouldn`t really matter for the things i`m calling about.
I do expect them to know that my computers OS shouldn`t matter at all when all i want for example is our old modem(of the time) replaced with one of the new 20Mb capable ones, without having to run through any Windows based speed checks just to test a modem that is already down on their own website as not capable of the new speed upgrade we had just had.

I`ve not really had reason to call their tech support myself for a good couple of years now, thankfully. Even with Windows it`s often painful though.

ashwinrao
May 16th, 2010, 04:56 PM
I came across a same situation while troubleshooting my PC. The technician went on providing instructions for Windows XP for configuring network. I had told him to stop that crap and informed him that I'm using Ubuntu. He asked me what is that..:(. It is strange that one of their website (BSNL Ernakulam) provides details for configuring Linux for their services and the technicians unaware of Ubuntu. I have wrote a suggestion to BSNL requesting to offer Linux Support and services.

Shazzam6999
May 16th, 2010, 05:31 PM
I get that issue all the time with the IT help desk at my school... if I'm lucky. If I'm unlucky they ask me whether or not the wireless button is off/ethernet cord unplugged. I called the other day to register my Xbox on the network and they told me they were having issues with their computers and to call back the next day :confused:.

Radicc
May 17th, 2010, 08:57 PM
I have had the unfortunate experience of working for two national ISPs over here in the USA. "We don't support linux" was for the most part probably a poorly communicated "this company does not provide technical support for computers with a linux operating system". The first ISP I worked for did not officially provide support for linux but as long as it wasn't a computer issue we could still help get them back online. The second ISP I worked for actually did provide limited support for linux. If you call ifconfig linux support anyway.

At any rate neither ISP I worked for support scripts for you to read or a tier 2 support staff. Of course I worked those jobs from the win95 era to mid winXP. Then they dumped all their employees and sent the jobs to India. So for all I know they do have them reading support scripts now. I certainly doubt that they are going to let Indian support reps remote connect to your local dslam to see why your line is screwed. Outsourcing FTL!

TheStroj
May 17th, 2010, 09:11 PM
Some time ago our router "died" and we didnt know what it is so some guy from our ISP came here to fix it. He fixed it but when he wanted to try if it really works he got stuck at GRUB menu on my PC - he actualy had no idea what to do when he had to pick Ubuntu 10.04 or Windows 7...so he just let the computer do what it did and he eventualy booted in Ubuntu. Then he was so lost he couldnt find a browser or anything (there was Firefox and Chrome icon on desktop but he probably never heard of those...). At the end I had to show him how to get to browser - doubleclick the Icon (it was damn hard).

I dont know how people can be so stupid + employed... Anyways, at the end, my dad was telling me to delete that Something from my computer (he wanted to say Ubuntu) and that i should use Windows because most people do, and I should stop trying to be different (im still using Ubuntu lol).

98cwitr
May 17th, 2010, 09:26 PM
Comcast.

go figure, Time Warner tech didnt say anything to me like that...b/c he did know what Linux was, lmfao

Dayofswords
May 17th, 2010, 09:27 PM
, at the end, my dad was telling me to delete that Something from my computer (he wanted to say Ubuntu) and that i should use Windows because most people do, and I should stop trying to be different (im still using Ubuntu lol).

:guitar:

chessnerd
May 17th, 2010, 09:52 PM
People are constantly confused about these kinds of things and companies will do anything to get out of supporting you.

Just always say you run Windows when it shouldn't make a difference. If they tell you to go to the Start menu can click "Network Connections" then just go to System>Preferences>Network Connections instead. If they say to open Internet Explorer, just open Firefox. If they say to open a command prompt and type "ipconfig" type "ifconfig" instead. You'll probably be able to figure out the Linux equivalent for anything they say.

nothingspecial
May 17th, 2010, 09:59 PM
Until my early 30s I hated computers.

I even failed my degree because I refused to do the IT module.

"When I see IT students in drama class, I`ll use a computer" was my argument (which I think is still valid).

Then one day, I went to my brother-in-law`s house and saw a squeezebox (http://www.logitechsqueezebox.com/support/download-squeezebox-server.html)

Music is my thing. "You mean I can play any song in my collection with a remote control instantly?..... and if I have more than one I can sync them and they do radio and all sorts of other groovy stuff?"

"Yes, but you need a computer"

"OK, get me one."

So he did. And it had linux on it. And I got a squeezebox. And I couldn`t get the damned thing to work. So I called logitech and explained that I had linux and I didn`t know what to do.

And the bloke on the end of the line knew what I needed to do in the terminal. But as he was telling me I didn`t understand. So he wanted to email me the commands. But I didn`t even have an email address at that point. So he talked me through how to get a gmail account so he could email me the commands to compile the latest mplayer, so I could get my squeezebox to work.

His name was Chad, I had had the computer for one day. I only knew how to switch it on, nothing else. He got me set up. Thatwas above and beyond the call of his duty.

Thankyou Chad, in The USA somewhere.

It was probably in the middle of the night for him also.

GodofAnotherWorld
May 17th, 2010, 10:38 PM
Theres Windows,Apple,and Linux{thanks lord!] we are people too what OS you chose to run weather its Microcrash Snapple or Linuxawsome is up to you all should be supported!
Lol I love how you give Linux a really cheesy name...Linuxawesome. :P

samalex
May 17th, 2010, 10:46 PM
Two different times when I've moved I've gotten similar statements from Time Warner. The guy runs the line, plugs in the cable modem, and pulls out a CD asking where my "PC" is. Each time I've told him to just verify connectivity to the cable modem and I'll do the rest, and once specifically the guy almost got argumentative saying he had to install this software on my computer (which only supported Windows and Mac) for the service to work or he'd have to pull the modem.

Each time I just ignored them, plugged up my laptop to verify I was online, and gracefully showed them to the door thanking them for getting me connected.

What sucks is we just moved last week and being it's a new house Time Warner will be in the area in 3 weeks (so they're saying). I'm sure I'll go through this rigmarole once more when they come out. Haha, I should really pull out the stops and point them to my Apple ][ :-D -- "What, you can't get my 'puter online???"

As someone mentioned before these guys are trained to do one specific task, and anything off script is like that first scene in Bugs Life -- BREAK IN THE LINE! WHAT DO WE DO! WHAT DO WE DO!

Sam

CharlesA
May 17th, 2010, 10:55 PM
I am so glad I haven't had to deal with those installation people lately.

No, I am not going to install software on my machine that I don't need.

kthx, bai!

betrunkenaffe
May 18th, 2010, 06:23 AM
Luckily for me, I work for my ISP (not Tier 1 support). We don't have scripts and we're pretty big in Canada.

Linux isn't officially supported but will talk to the sups in the call center about getting some Ubuntu screenshots so they can do a basic walk through if a TSR feels up to the challenge (more likely with the screenshots)

Ravernomina
May 18th, 2010, 06:28 AM
God i HATE that crap the throw at you when you say "I Am Running Linux". Just Say your Running Mac OS X. They Give you Steps in "Mac" Format when its really like ifconfig. Open Safari. Yada Yada. When they do that poop i just tell them to give me there Supervisor, if the say no then i say i wish to cancel my service curtsy of your technical service you gave me. Works like a Charm :D! Basically threatening of Canceling service is like the "OK IM LISTENING TO YOU NOW" Button.

phrostbyte
May 18th, 2010, 06:50 AM
When I worked as a sysadmin for my University I spent a great deal of effort ensuring our Internet service would be well supported by Linux, and this included adding Linux specific directions in the University's knowledge base. I'm assuming not every ISP has someone like me working for them though.

swoll1980
May 18th, 2010, 06:57 AM
Most of those help desk people have no idea what they are talking about. They are simply reading of instructions from a data base of problems that have been previously solved. "Sorry we do not support Linux" is just there way of saying I have no idea how to help you. The funniest ones are those that say their Internet isn't compatible with Linux, not realizing how dumb it sounds.

BF79
May 18th, 2010, 07:07 AM
i just had a similar issue with comcast and their voice mail system when i told her it wouldn't work on my pc and i was using Linux i think she had a stroke on the other end of the phone
she made some weird choking sound and then gave me the "WE don't support Linux"
but a day later i got a email from an engineer for comcast or the company that runs the email servers and he pointed me in the correct direction said "YOU need the Goper media player to listen to your voice mails you do " worked like a charm
i think comcast knows that Linux is the hackers choice and that scares them
makes them quiver in their booties

rbolio
May 18th, 2010, 07:24 AM
I share a story alike!

ISP = Infinitum from TELMEX, in mexico :(

formaldehyde_spoon
May 18th, 2010, 08:05 AM
People are constantly confused about these kinds of things and companies will do anything to get out of supporting you.

Just always say you run Windows when it shouldn't make a difference. If they tell you to go to the Start menu can click &quot;Network Connections&quot; then just go to System>Preferences>Network Connections instead. If they say to open Internet Explorer, just open Firefox. If they say to open a command prompt and type &quot;ipconfig&quot; type &quot;ifconfig&quot; instead. You'll probably be able to figure out the Linux equivalent for anything they say.

+1
I just don't tell them I'm not using Windows, and do the equivalent in Ubuntu. I'm sure I've never had to use more than ifconfig, ping, and a browser.

julio_cortez
May 18th, 2010, 08:40 AM
"When I see IT students in drama class, I`ll use a computer" was my argument (which I think is still valid).
It can be useful after a failed OC.
Crying "it's nooooot my fauuuuult, fire and smoke spread out by themseeelves" can spare you some trouble, especially if you're not the one that pays for the replacement card/CPU.


"We do not support Linux. Linux supports US."
It sounds like a Chuck Norris fact to me. :P

________


Back in topic, something similar happened also to me once, last winter.
Suddenly my connection stopped working and I couldn't figure out how. I tried both my PCs with no result so I decided to phone the ISP.

When he asked me which system I was running on I said "Kubuntu Karmic Koala".
Moment of silence on the other side, then he said "You mean Ubuntu, don't you?"
Me again: "No, I exactly meant Kubuntu, with the K".
Him again: "Well, it doesn't make any difference because Linux is not supported".

I had to tell him that I rebooted to Windows, and the only thing he did was making me check sone lights on the router and then restart it.
When I told him everything was OK and he said me "so try opening Explorer and connecting to this address" I decided to finish him: "I don't have Explorer here. I can try with Firefox if you want, or with Konqueror. You know, I'm still under Linux but it looks like you already solved the problem, which I already knew was yours".

He asid something "err.. Well, so it's ok now, goodbye" and hung up.

murderslastcrow
May 18th, 2010, 08:40 AM
Yeah, the reason why is that, depending on your distro, it may be difficult to document exactly how you would specifically do some of those actions in a company's workflow. So they'd rather say, "we don't support it," than to teach their tele-technicians a tiny bit about Linux and how it works. Maybe tech people are just normal people with a workflow in front of them- nothing special, no insane amount of knowledge. They could hypothetically provide the customer with the same workflow.

So yes, just adapt what they say, or see if you can't get a service that won't crap out on you.

kaldor
May 18th, 2010, 01:52 PM
When I was getting hardware support from HP two years back, they ended the support session when they asked which OS I was running.

DrMelon
May 18th, 2010, 01:58 PM
Chances are you router runs Linux or Unix (or another Unix-derivative) so obviously they have no idea what they are talking about.

bbala2020
June 14th, 2010, 11:56 PM
I got a BSNL 3g modem. I was surprised to see the instruction sheet that minimum system configuration had ubuntu 8.04 or higher.
The instruction said just plug-in the device and the installation will begin by itself but unfortunately it didnt in my ubuntu 10.04. The network manager had a tab mobile broadband and I followed the wizard but it didnt help and finally after downloading wvdial and its dependencies from a browsing centre, I'm replying to this thread. I had tried network manager's Mobile broadband once before for reliance it didnt work. I feel very bad about ubuntu that it didnt support the modem which it is supposed to. If the internet alone worked well smoothly, I would convert a lot of my windows friends to ubuntu, wish that happens soon.

squilookle
June 15th, 2010, 01:06 AM
I remember dealing with an old ISP a few years back and asking them if they supported Linux. The answer I got back was "no... but it will probably work anyway". I thought that was fair enough.

The other thing is online banking. I have 2 banks.

One website, when I viaited using Firefox in Linux said that my browser/OS combination was not supported. End of. No online banking for me. I actually got around that by changing the browser identification in Konqueror to Windows/IE6. Everything worked perfectly, but I was not pleased.

The other, again using Firefox/Linux, popped up a message saying my browser/OS was not supported, but feel free to try, it might work. And it did. I thought that one was fair enough too.

sdowney717
June 15th, 2010, 01:37 AM
people should not code for specific to IE-Windows on the web.
Some time ago, a friend signed up for Verizon Fios, and was told they did not support Linux, but when the tech came out, it just worked.

It is just a router IP connection!

NightwishFan
June 15th, 2010, 01:40 AM
Is it "We can not do support for Linux" or "We do not support the existence of Linux with our services?"

jflaker
June 15th, 2010, 01:53 AM
SNIPPED.....Upon telling him that I ran Linux, he would not stop saying "We do not support Linux." ......SNIPPED

If you need to call again, remind them that they may not support Linux, but you better DA** well support me as a customer.

It shouldn't matter what is connected to the router....would they support your Wii, your PS3, your XBox, your iPad, your iPhone, your iTouch?...(I could name more, but temporarily ran out of wifi devices) NO! Why is Linux on your PC different?

Level 1 call centers are scripted....check this, check that, check the other thing....if still no-go, on to level 2 to do more advanced troubleshooting. You said linux and they had no material in their troubleshooting guide to even get started.

Breambutt
June 15th, 2010, 02:12 AM
Glad I chose a smaller ISP who mainly seem to be providing reliable services for companies, webhotels / hosting etc. and not so much basic ISP stuff for the Average Joe. It costs a little more than the bigger ISPs but it was actually the only WIRED connection that worked in this age-old building without hiccups (go figure) and their experience of Linux servers seemingly reaches onto the "level 1" customer support guys as well.

I've always avoided calling any kind of customer support (and having sort of worked in one myself) as much as possible, but it's almost a pleasure with these guys.

The largest cable company in the country, on the other hand, is advertising their DSL alternatives on their web site, but when I called them they claimed they have no such thing. I set up Ubuntu for my mother a couple of years ago and ALL of the ISPs we've tried during that time were completely out of order (as in no support), but luckily their crappy Motorolas started working out of the box in Lucid.

Calmor
June 15th, 2010, 02:26 AM
In a slightly related manner, I wasted a good 40 minutes of my evening with my cable company trying to diagnose a slow connection. I have 15Mbps cable and was pulling speeds of 1-2Mbps.

I walked through the standard "did you try this?" methods with the guy as patiently as I could. I realize he just has a script.

After an attempt to bypass the router and the speeds going up a rather insignificant amount on the first test (only to fall back on the subsequent test), he quickly assumed that we needed to contact Linksys to get new firmware and that it would remedy my problem.

My first thought was, how does he know I'm running a Linksys router?

My second thought was, why does it show up as a Linksys if it's been dd-wrt'd?

My third thought (which I did convey to him) was that the speed didn't really change and is still way lower than advertised...

So, after 40 mins, a tech will be taking up some more of my time on Wednesday.

I did have a really good company (not contracted) tech here once though - replaced my dead cable box, handed me better splitters than I was using, explained a few things to me about how to get into the box setup menus, and when I showed him I was hooked up to the box via firewire and a Mythbuntu setup, he said "we don't support that, but if it's working for you, great!"

smellyman
June 15th, 2010, 03:15 AM
Linux users are Jerks...:)) lol

Nothing worse than being on tech support and having people talk down to you. You are calling me!!! The best is when they say I am a sys admin blah blah blah

I did support for a year in the late 90's it sucked. Often you have people listening to your calls and you have to say the company line.

Please don't take it out on the poor tier 1 techs.

Breambutt
June 15th, 2010, 03:48 AM
Linux users are Jerks...:)) lol
What's the jerk part and who do you suggest people do take it out on if not the ones they have access to? It's no different from any other customer service that happens in person. People have always yelled at the minimum wage workers because they can't yell at the people in charge, but the bottom line is they "need to" yell at someone.

For some odd reason everyone calls me blunt, harsh, rude and whatnot even though I'm probably one of few people out of a hundred who understand how things work. On the other hand sometimes you can't get proper service without being a tad aggressive especially when it comes to warranty issues, reclamation stuff and other similar inconveniences. The tech support guys also need to understand it's nothing personal and that the customer needs someone who can do something about his problems if the tier one dude can't help.

Try getting better work if you can't let the crap go out the other ear. :|

BslBryan
June 15th, 2010, 04:07 AM
Well hold on there, he was only kidding around.

What I did not mention weeks ago was that the guy on the other line was trying to be helpful. He just didn't know a lot about what he was talking about. He mentioned that he wanted to run Linux but that there was a lot of software he used, etc. The main complaint, you know. :P

I did get a little frustrated as I was only wondering if there was anything wrong on their end, they said no, I should've politely said thank you and been on my way. I think there are probably a lot of Linux users who think that it's the tech support's fault that the company doesn't provide them instructions on how to configure something in various Linux distros.

Barring that, tier 1 tech support guys are really looked down upon by a lot of people who understand computers. But these people are used to dealing with people who don't know the difference between a browser and a monitor. I would hate being a tier 1 support agent. But they really should research Linux on their own as more and more people are using it, and hearing the company line "We do not support Linux" will be misinterpreted as "You will not have internet access, etc. if you use Linux." I think it's the least they could do to say something like "Oh, Ubuntu, huh? Well, I can't really give you instructions from the desktop, but have you tried resetting your router?"

Breambutt
June 15th, 2010, 04:29 AM
But these people are used to dealing with people who don't know the difference between a browser and a monitor.
It has been proven (by me) that semi-noobs are the best at explaining stuff to total noobs. In that sense it's actually pretty clever (and cheap) to hire such folk for the vast majority of basic services, the regular guy just wants his stuff to work without getting too much into detail.

We had some Estonian folk as our Finnish tech support... the languages loosely resemble each other, but come on - it was downright ridiculous when the customer doesn't understand the tech support guy and the tech support guy doesn't understand the customer.

I'd laugh at it but I got caught in the middle and had to make it work.

murderslastcrow
June 15th, 2010, 04:55 AM
Breambutt just hit on the reason some users migrating to Linux have a hard time- the more noobish you are, the more likely Linux can serve all your needs. The more entrenched in specific software and ways of doing things, the harder it will be.

See, being a noob is a good idea- it propels the market! :D

Calmor
June 15th, 2010, 05:03 AM
The main complaint, you know. :P

I know it all too well. I still have a few things I can't live without from Windows. Thus, I still have Windows, but see these things only when necessary. But I do agree - noobs are easier to start off on Linux due to fewer preconceived notions.

julio_cortez
June 15th, 2010, 07:29 AM
The other thing is online banking. I have 2 banks.
One website, when I viaited using Firefox in Linux said that my browser/OS combination was not supported. End of. No online banking for me. I actually got around that by changing the browser identification in Konqueror to Windows/IE6. Everything worked perfectly, but I was not pleased.
I understand you perfectly.
I for one have to turn Windows on anytime I have to access "my" Online Banking service.
On a different note, I'm happy because I know things are going to change soon :lolflag:

Vortex_nc
June 15th, 2010, 12:56 PM
I actually have a different story to tell:

I lone a Vodafone 3g modem from my uncle and it immediately worked with my competing isp card on linux. So I thought I'd grab some updates for windows on windows. To my (not really) surprise the Software told me to change my card because it was "Network locked"!

Go Figure!

minerbog
June 15th, 2010, 01:04 PM
I was buying a Wireless N type from a very famous UK electrical retailer that sounds like "ruby murry's". They told me "Linux is Not Supported". They just couldn't understand that as long as my wireless device in my laptop works in linux the router has squat to do with it!!

In the end I just agreed and went to Comet to get it! :lolflag:

CharlesA
June 15th, 2010, 02:49 PM
Maybe I am strange, but I don't usually bring up "does it work with Linux" when shopping for parts. I look at the box for the sys reqs. Some of the stuff I've bought have a penguin on the box. o.O

On the otherside, isn't the only real thing that is iffy in Linux the wireless card?

Swagman
June 15th, 2010, 03:23 PM
I've not suffered from this attitude as of yet but last week I thought I was finally going to get bloodied.

Net went down.. So I went into the routers config..Hmmm No Ip.. As my router is getting quite old I thought I'd better check the obvious and dragged an old netgear router out from the shed.. Same story.

Time to Phone the "Man that Does" (BT)

After been transferred from pillar to post which was entirely my fault as I'd mistakenly called "dial up services" (I didn't even know dial up still existed) and ended up at the famous Indian help desk. He then said something that sounded like " You are Bonting Broadband help. Dis is Dial up" and transferred to... to the wrong section.

Anyway, the british voice came back and asked if I'd just been transferred from Dial up "Yup" I replied.

"Well he's put you through to the wrong section but what's the issue you're having" ?

SO I repeated that I've lost sync and am in my routers config and can see I'm not being given an external IP.

He asked if I minded holding for 5 mins as he had to walk into another department to check out what's going on. He duly came back and replied that YES the net is down in your area and should be onstream in about half hour.

I replied "Oh well, **** happens and thanks for going out of your way for me".

He said "No worries and here's the right number for future ref".

I said Cheers mate and Have a good weekend".


At no point did ANYONE ask what O/s I was running and I got the distinct impression it wouldn't have been an issue if they had.

whiskeylover
June 15th, 2010, 03:35 PM
After been transferred from pillar to post which was entirely my fault as I'd mistakenly called "dial up services" (I didn't even know dial up still existed) and ended up at the famous Indian help desk. He then said something that sounded like " You are Bonting Broadband help. Dis is Dial up" and transferred to... to the wrong section.


You must really hate people with accents other than yours.

Swagman
June 15th, 2010, 04:08 PM
Not at all.

Mr. Hibba
June 16th, 2010, 08:34 AM
I guess this isn't ISP related, but...

Using a WINE-based product, I was trying to install WoW through Blizzard's online client download service. However, for some reason, it wasn't working for me, and I did not have the install DVD because I had taken previously the online account upgrade option.

So... after being advised from the tech support for the WINE-product to contact Blizzard about it, I wrote them an e-mail, explaining my situation and what OS I was using (which was Ubuntu). Instead of offering any kind of trouble-shooting or discusssing the option of ordering an install DVD, the person from Blizzard just said that the company did not support Ubuntu at that time.

Mr. Hibba.

quincyj0nes
June 16th, 2010, 11:24 AM
my experience is not with an isp but with netflix not allowing me to use the streaming ability requiring either xp sp2 or mac

joshmuffin
June 16th, 2010, 11:37 AM
Yeah my mums computer guy at work once told he that me using Linux was the reason her work laptop wouldn't connect to the router.

squilookle
June 16th, 2010, 12:20 PM
I was buying a Wireless N type from a very famous UK electrical retailer that sounds like "ruby murry's". They told me "Linux is Not Supported". They just couldn't understand that as long as my wireless device in my laptop works in linux the router has squat to do with it!!

In the end I just agreed and went to Comet to get it! :lolflag:

Haha! I bought my laptop from Curry's and they tried to sell me Anti Virus and Office. I started by saying no thanks, and they persisted, so I told them I really ddidn't need these things as I planned to install Linux.

The lass looked at me like I had two heads at that point. :)

TheSqueak
June 16th, 2010, 12:36 PM
It's not quite a "we don't support Linux" question, but back when I first signed up with my current ISP the installation disk that came with the router and setup was, obviously, Windows only.

Nowhere in the documentation was there any reference to the IP addresses of their DNS servers, and the router wasn't picking them up automatically, so I called their support line.

You'd think that "what are the IP addresses of your DNS servers?" would be a fairly simple question, but it took them 30 minutes and an eventual transfer up to a 3rd level tech before anyone could get me the answer.

/since then they've been great, and they've never once asked me what OS i'm running

My previous ISP, however, would always start every single support call with "Are you running Windows or Mac?", to which I would just answer "No"

forrestcupp
June 16th, 2010, 02:09 PM
@ the OP

You should have called the router manufacturer, not the ISP. Especially after plugging your computer directly into the modem and finding that it worked.

Routers are usually adjusted with a web browser, so it doesn't really matter what OS you are using.

But on topic: Why should everyone have to invest a lot of money into supporting Linux when probably less than 1% of their customers are using it? That's one of the things you have to weigh when you make your choice to use Linux.