Why You Probably Shouldn't Use Dell Tech Support in the Nude
Why You Probably Shouldn't Use Dell Tech Support in the Nude
Posted 01/27/2010 at 12:03pm
| by Pulkit Chandna
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Dell can be found lurking at the bottom of most customer service rankings and surveys. A recent incident in Texas left one of its customers with an entirely new reason to loathe its customer support service. Dianne Annunziato, a resident of North Richland Hills, is unlikely to recommend Dell to anyone in the foreseeable future.
She is accusing a Dell technician of remotely turning on her webcam during a troubleshooting session. She says that the technician turned on her webcam without her permission. "He turned on the webcam; he never asked, 'May I? Can I?' Not a word, (he) just turned it on," a NBC report quotes her as saying.
Another customer support executive added insult to injury by greeting Annunziato's privacy concerns with laughter. "I said, 'I could have been sitting here undressed,' and the supervisor laughed, and I just sat there in shock," she said.
As for the company, it quickly apologized and said it was probing the matter. It will only be fair to pass a verdict once the technician has narrated his end of the tale. In the meantime, don't forget to be adequately dressed when talking to Dell customer support.
Image Credit: Gizmodo
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squarebab
January 27, 2010 at 8:30pm
If the she gave the Dell technician remote access she may have legally given him permission to all functions of her computer. Without explicitly denying him access to certain functions she may not have a leg to stand on in court. But who knows?
Windows Securit...
January 27, 2010 at 7:18pm
She has no clue as to whats going on
Her story sounded suspicious to me and going on the assumption that she is an International Terrorist, I was legally justified in hacking into her computer to get to the bottom of this story!
What we found...
Her personal records indicate that she has accused 6 other companies of accessing her webcam but she never seemed to notice that I did as well during my investigation...hmmm
She seems very lonely from looking through her emails
She has 6 viruses and a keylogger installed
She visited Fat-Trannies.com at least 7 times this month (or maybee that was her borfriend using her computer) ???
She only uses the built-in Windows firewall so she obviously hasnt a clue about security..
This may require some follow-up so I'm posting her private nudie pics on youtube so you guys can help me get to the bottom of all this...
Lets just say, She's on my watch list from now on
Caboose
January 27, 2010 at 9:04pm
I think your tinfoil hat is on too tight there Einstein!
Why haven't you been banned yet?
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
nekollx
January 28, 2010 at 9:58am
awwe but he's so fun to read...
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
Caboose
January 28, 2010 at 10:02am
You make a good point!
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
win7fanboi
January 27, 2010 at 1:28pm
For getting few more items added to the checklist :
- Are you dressed?
- Are you playing with yourself?
- Will I need therapy if I turn on your webcam?
- .....
- ....
- Is you computer plugged in?
- Is the power on?
- .....
- .....
- .....
Ntldr
January 27, 2010 at 1:02pm
I don't know about many of you but I am kinda creeped out that they would have that kind of access to a comptuer that they are not remoted into in the first place. It sounds like she was on the phone with them and they just took control of her computer some how. That sounds a bit Hinky to me.
win7fanboi
January 27, 2010 at 1:30pm
Ummm that is not possible unless she let them remote in... or Dell allows their tech support to hack in to people's pc.
Caboose
January 27, 2010 at 1:29pm
Don't go all tifoil hat on us!
Dell would have been remoted in to her PC. Whether it's phone or chat support. For whatever reason the Dell tech had to remote control her PC. At which time the tech enabled the webcam. There are plenty of online remote assistanceapps out there, and the ones used by a lot of hell desks, are simple web based ones w/no software required to install. Just an access code.
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
Ntldr
January 28, 2010 at 7:30am
No after working on a new Dell here at work I just realized something I had skipped over before there is a program in the add/remove programs or Program Features(depending on OS) that says Dell Remote Assistance. They can turn this on or off at anytime while talking to you after they have your service tag and assuming you are connected to the internet. Didn't mean to sound all tin foil hatty on you lol.
Caboose
January 28, 2010 at 9:03am
We deal strictly with Dell computers here (unfortunetly) and I've never noticed it before. Maybe it's a Dell USA thing. I've got a shiny new Latitude E4300 on my workbench right now, I'll have to check for that.
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
imagonex
January 27, 2010 at 12:59pm
Personally, I find her argument quite weak as it is based on conjecture. I also find it lacking foundation as she's probably called DELL support before. She's fully aware she has a cam. She's probably dealt with DELL before and on cam on top of that. Second, she's the one insinuating that she would call fully naked. Who in the world calls a service centre fully naked?! What kind of nonsense is that?! Third, if this would go to court, she'd have to have concrete evidence that the DELL rep activated her cam.
I don't know, it all sounds just too feeble an argument. Wouldn't stand-up in court, I think.
She's also conjecturing on the scenario that the rep would be peeping-tom on her. Would it make a difference if the rep had been a 60 year old woman? Would she have reacted with such similar nonsense?
How come we rarely hear men come out with such ideas? I don't think men would really give a flying hoot. "Oh, excuse me, I'll go put on some tidy whities, pants and a shirt, hang on". I think that's what men, in general, would do, or wouldn't give a damn, just fix my PC!!
I know there's all sorts of ways to argue this situation, but, honestly, I can't blame the supervisor for letting out a chuckle at such absurd nonsense.
Honestly, lady, who the heck calls a service center (knowing fully you have a cam) fully naked?! Please! Besides, you see one person naked, you've seen them all. Big deal!
Caboose
January 27, 2010 at 1:36pm
"Honestly, lady, who the heck calls a service center (knowing fully you have a cam) fully naked?!"
You've obviously never worked tech support before, because if you had, you'd never have to ask that question. You'll get people naked, drunk, high, having sex, guardening, in the shower, driving down the road, calling from someone else's house, in the same area as the device they're calling about but not wanting to actually DO any work to fix it and want you to remote fix it, etc.
When I did support for HP USA, I had a drunk man, yelling at me to replace the HDD in his daughter's PC because he bought the blue light special and it was running slowly. He removed any software that was required for us to properly diagnose an issue, then proceeded to storm in to his sleeping daughter's room to rip the PC from the wall to get me the SN and tag, all the while, his wife in the background telling him to come to bed and his daughter asking what's going on, while he yelled and slurred.
I've once had a man call for help, WHILE being given a BJ.
I've had a lady call, while high.
I've had drunks and drug users, and even peope in the shower call me and expect me to help them. So, it's not that far fetched for someone to be naked while they call for support...
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
somethingelse
January 27, 2010 at 2:12pm
About the people in showers, getting high or getting a bj...have you ever considered that they might have engaged these activities because they were put on hold for at least 1/2 an hour before getting through to you? I mean, if you know your gonna be waiting a while listening to elevator music...why not spark up a spliff? or maybe during that time your girl comes home and decides to give you a blow? or maybe you have a bluetooth headset, so you might as well use the time to go take a shower? makes perfect sense!!
as for the dell supervisor laughing at the girl, i'd laugh too...in my defense i'd say i thought she was trying to make a joke
what signature, where do i sign?
imagonex
January 27, 2010 at 2:08pm
Love your reply! OMG! Such a great read. You made my day! Thank you!
Yes, you're right, I have never worked as support for "tech" companies. I can only imagine the amount of crazy stories customer service staff have.
My question was not aimed at the wacky and eccentric crowd you mention in your reply. I meant, that most sane, mentally healthy individuals would not, in general, call in such absurd circumstances that this woman is implying and/or conjecturing upon. Sounds more like subjectivity gone wild on her part.
And, on another note, it's her implicit insecurity on "nakedness" that makes a bit entertaining. Like, I said, those with no such hang-ups, such as the eccentric bunch of customers you've had to deal with at HP, don't care much if they're butt naked in front of the cam.
That is, overall, what I meant.
Otherwise, yes, and you're absolutely right, there are a lot of crazy people out there!
Come to think of it, I did work customer service for other companies (not tech sector), and yes, we did once have one dude call in while being, ahum, "serviced". Pardon the pun.
Caboose
January 27, 2010 at 2:54pm
It kinda makes you loose hope for humanity doens't it.
The majority of people calling in are sane, stable minded people. It's always the select few that really stand out and make you want to add some bleach to the gene pool.
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
lunchbox73
January 27, 2010 at 12:40pm
But I'm always nude at my computer. Isn't everybody?!? Oh....
Caboose
January 27, 2010 at 12:47pm
You know it!
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
nekollx
January 27, 2010 at 12:59pm
*turns on your webcam remotely*
Joking aside there is a bit of worry here, after all WHAT ELSE are they doing without consent...
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
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