Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2016/11/17/office-depot-techs-accused-of.html
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because every time you invent metrics that need to be met then people will game the system to meet those metrics, doubly so when staying employed depends on it.
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I think Office Depot may have been infected with the Wells Fargo rootkit.
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I concluded long ago that this was the case at every big box store that offered computer tech support. I’ve heard enough descriptions from friends and family of what they were told by techies at these places that I no longer trust any of them and always tell people to avoid them like the plague.
This sort of bullshit business behavior is why we have to saddle ourselves with endless regulations (i.e. why we can’t have nice things). Some people like to think the market will take care of this but it never does because the problems are so widespread yet still manage to avoid most people’s attention.
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Look on the bright side - it ain’t bank accounts.
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One step up from the phone call from ‘Peggy at Microsoft Security. We have detected your computer is being used to send out spam messages, and need to fix it…’
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When did Wells Fargo buy Office Depot?
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Yep, support service contracts and extended warranties. Those places are notorious for aggressively pushing the upsell. I’ve heard some stores will practically try to prevent you from even buying a computer without them. And Office Depot at least had to settle a class-action suit a few years ago in CA for not even holding up their end of the services.
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In Soviet Russia, malware diagnostic company infects you!
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When I was a younger tech (and three companies ago), I used to say “any metric you use as a stand in for what you really want to know will be gamed.”
I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that I don’t have to deal with complaints over functionally bogus metrics anymore.
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Yeah it is one thing to use it to see what is and isn’t working but don’t make the workers live and die by them.
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Now, this wheel balancing is free, right?
Oh, you betcha. Absolutely. Uh, oh, oh, wait a minute. These tires won’t take a balance.
They won’t?
Nah, no. You hear that clunk?
No.
That tells me you need four new tires.
Really?
Yeah. Legally, I can’t even let you drive out of here.
Oh, please, can’t you let me slide this time?
Gee, I’d really like to, but if my boss found out (signals for boss to come over)
What’s going on over here? You gonna let this man drive out of here on unsafe tires?
No, boss, I swear!
That’s it, you’re fired!
No, wait. This is all my fault. Oh, if I could only turn back the clock and buy four new tires.
Note that I resisted changing the spelling of tires to tyres as this set in the US.
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That’s why I have all my computers checked by the Nerd Herd.
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