T is for Tech Support

The thing is, we are just a store. We sell stuff. We are not here for tech support. In fact, Microsoft mandates that we refer everyone with Microsoft issues directly to their tech support. Not that this stops customers from calling US for support.


We sell the Enterprise edition of Microsoft Office 2007. This is different from the Professional edition and the Home & Student edition, and the 60 Day Trial edition. Our copies of Office '07 have their own unique product keys which are good for two installations. A common problem customers encounter is an "Invalid Product Key" error.


This is because the majority of new laptops come with the 60 Day Trial edition of Office 2007. Often, customers don't realize this, and will pop in the Enterprise edition DVD. Windows recognizes that they are trying to run Office '07, and automatically decides to bring up the version of Office already installed on the computer -- the Trial. And as we all know, the Trial always asks for the product key. Oblivious, these poor customers will proceed to enter their Enterprise product key in the Trial product key box.


This is like putting the square shape into the triangle hole.


So this is where most customers call Microsoft. Unaware that they have the Enterprise edition (I realize that our advertisements, labels, EULA forms, and receipts are very confusing about the way they print "ENTERPRISE" everywhere...), these customers tell Microsoft they are trying to put in their product key to activate their "home" version of Office '07.


And at this point, Microsoft snickers, and tells the customers it's the fault of the Computer Store for giving them the incorrect product key. And usually, since they've made it this far, the customers bite hard, and believe that we have some semblance of control over every one of the 200 or so Office discs and product keys, which come prepackaged from Microsoft.


So the customer is using the right product key for the wrong product because they can't identify the proper product, and Microsoft has them convinced it's all our fault. Cue the telephone wars. The usual protocol is for us to explain (in very small words) that since it's a Microsoft product, Microsoft is the only one that can help them. We literally have no power to do so.


But today, a particular customer was adamant that our product key was wrong, because the Microsoft tech support guy said so. Well, lucky for her we had a spare product key lying around. I read it to her phonetically (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc). To double-check, she proceeded to read it back to me, phonetically. (Adam? Boy? Cat? etc). Good job, customer.


I wonder if she'll notice that it, too, is an Enterprise product key?