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Ever had someone in tech support at Microsoft tell you that you need to re-format your hard drive? Most of the time, that’s akin to amputating your foot instead of cutting your toe nails. But that kind of stupid advice is the unfortunate norm of so-called tech support.
Turns out, according to an article in Salon, that just as you always thought, tech support workers have no clue about how to fix your computer. They are fundamentally untrained and are paid, according to the author, a tech supporter, by the number of calls they take.
Their goal is to get you off the phone as soon as possible so they can tell the next person to reformat their hard drive. They may give you a piece of hardware to get rid of you. Hmmm, I could use a new monitor. Maybe I’ll call tech support and see what I can get them to send me.