A tech support EPIC FAIL that shames other fails

[Master_Xan]

This needs no introduction, it speaks for itself. This is a direct quote; nothing has been added or changed in any way (except this intro and the note at the bottom).

 

Chat InformationPlease wait for a Samsung Agent to respond.

 

Chat InformationYou are now chatting with 'Kirsten K'

 

Visitor: Hello Kristen K

 

Kirsten K: Hello, I am a Samsung Technical Support representative. How may I assist you today?

 

Visitor: I have a Samsung P3 (16GB Black) mp3 player, and have a bit of a problem with the file names

 

Kirsten K: I will be right with you.

 

Kirsten K: I appreciate if you can give me a detailed description of the problem to assist you better.

 

Visitor: My P3 lost all file names (for everything: videos, songs, folders in the file browser, everything)

 

Visitor: This occurred directly after I transferred some text files in various formats to the P3

 

Visitor: While connected to my computer via USB cable, I moved several files into the "text" folder on the device; when the transfer completed I unplugged it and turned it on, only to find all the names missing

 

Visitor: It will still play songs, but none of the folders or files show a filename anymore; restarting did not fix the problem

 

Visitor: This is also visible from the computer when it is connected (All folders are named "Local Disk")

 

Visitor: What's more, the computer sees that several GBs of space are used on the device, but all eleven "Local Disk" folders are said to be 0 bytes (and none of them open)

 

Visitor: I am using Windows 7, and updated the firmware on the P3 a few weeks ago to the most recent at that time

 

Visitor: (Win 7 32 bit)

 

Kirsten K: Okay.

 

Kirsten K: Please stay on hold while I research on the issue.

 

Visitor: Okay

 

Kirsten K: Thank you.

 

Visitor: If it helps, I transferred text files in the following formats just prior to this happening: .doc .lit .rb .fb2 .rtf and .pdf

 

Kirsten K: Thanks for holding.

 

Kirsten K: I suggest you use Emodio software to transfer the files.

 

Kirsten K: I will provide it for you.

 

Kirsten K: Below is the weblink for Emodio software:

 

Visitor: That will not correct my current problem

 

Kirsten K: http://org.downloadcenter.samsung.com/downloadfile/ContentsFile.aspx?CDSite=US&CttFileID=2243780&CDCttType=SW&ModelType=N&ModelName=YP-P3JCB&VPath=SW/200904/20090420130050093/EmoDio_1054.exe

 

Visitor: That may prevent the issue from happening in the future, but I first need to recover the file names and restore functionality to the device

 

Kirsten K: I am sorry, it is not recommended to transfer the files directly to player.

 

Visitor: Are you saying you do not know how to restore my device? Remember, all the folders are completely unnamed; I cannot even browse folders within the device

 

Visitor: Transferring files through Emodio will not make the player usable again

 

Visitor: It may prevent this from happening again, but I need to restore the device first

 

Kirsten K: I am sorry, it may not be possible.

 

Visitor: Then I need to wipe the device and return it to factory default (including the original file structure)

 

Visitor: How do I do this?

 

Kirsten K: Below is the weblink to reset the player:

 

Kirsten K: http://support-us.samsung.com/cyber/popup/iframe/pop_troubleshooting_fr.jsp?idx=42454&modelname=YP-P3JCB&modelcode=&session_id=LN1tnLlCsnZyT7qqr15w9LqGJppvMdcnGFgFrL8Sh42MQJJr6t4H!-334197250!1761676444!7501!-1!1099773383!1761676348!7501!-1!1267594541514

 

Kirsten K: Is there anything else I can help you with?

 

Visitor: That will not reset the file structure to its default

 

Kirsten K: This will reset the player and all the customized settings will be lost.

 

Visitor: That is simply directions to the reset button

 

Kirsten K: Yes, exactly.

 

Visitor: After pushing said button, my custom wallpapers remain in use, along with the name attached to the device

 

Visitor: Custom settings have not been reset

 

Visitor: The reset button "reboots" the player; it does not reset settings

 

Kirsten K: I'm sorry for the delay. I'll be right with you.

 

Kirsten K: Thanks for holding.

 

Kirsten K: I am sorry, it is not possible to bring back the file on the player.

 

Kirsten K: Can I be of any further assistance?

 

Visitor: The files are all still there, they are simply nameless. This includes original system files; are you saying there is no way to restore original system files?

 

Visitor: If that is what you are saying, then the player is completely useless and cannot be fixed. I find this impossible to believe

 

Kirsten K: Yes, exactly.

 

Visitor: So I should just throw it away then

 

Kirsten K: I apologize for the inconvenience.

 

Kirsten K: It is not recommended to transfer the files directly to the player.

 

Visitor: Then why is this feature supported?

 

Visitor: Why do you not have a way to restore the system to its default settings?

 

Visitor: And why do I know more about how the P3 works than you do, when I've only had it a month and you are a technician?

 

Kirsten K: Based on the description of your issue, this would be something that you would want to call in for assistance with. Most issues can be resolved with just a couple of troubleshooting steps. However, it could be quite lengthy to sort out via LiveChat.

 

Kirsten K: The quickest way to a resolution would be to contact technical support at : 1-800-SAMSUNG (1-800-726-7864) Timings: Mon - Sun : 9am - 9pm (EST).

 

Kirsten K: Thank you for chatting with us. Have a wonderful day!

 

Chat InformationChat session has been terminated by the Samsung Agent.

 

(Note: On the P3, there is a setting called "Default Set". It's located under Settings -> System -> Default Set. There is also a format option listed there. At no time did the technician refer to this option, and just as I was about to bring it up the technician killed the connection.)

[Slocket]

As least she spoke English. Oh my is not technical support fun?

[Evaders99]

I don't have a Samsung, but was this "Default Set" the solution?

If so, this is a case of tech support not actually knowing the features of the device they should support?

Samsung has numerous products, not all of the tech support may be familiar with all of them.

 

Otherwise, my guess is that is a big technical glitch... you'd need to talk to an actual design engineer and not tech support.

Tech support is only there to weed out the majority of RTFM idiots, all they do is read from script

[Master_Xan]

I'm not sure if the Default Set will restore the file structure and folder names or not. Right now, I have memorized the location of the folders necessary to reach my playlists, but if clicking the default settings button doesn't restore file names (and even more importantly, the ability to access the device from a computer and put things on it), then all it will do is change my playlists and make it even more unusable.

 

I'm posting my woes on another forum, one frequented by Samsung folks. Some of them actually know what they are doing; as an example, the company stopped releasing firmware updates to the US a year ago, but the guys on this forum have kept updating the firmware sets from Japan and releasing them, unofficially, to American customers. One of them should know exactly what the Default Set does, and may even know another way to restore the file structure without having to format the thing and starting over completely.

[Mad78]

That is a pretty epic fail.

 

I used to have a samsung player and quite liked it but now I've passed on to having an iPod like most people.

[Master_Xan]

I like iPods. I hate iTunes. Such is life... so long as Apple tries to control how I listen to my music, I will never own an iPod.

[Mad78]

Admitedly you need to mod iTunes. First thing i did was to remove all those anoying iTunes Store arrows.

 

But there are many other players which support the iPod such as Winamp or SongBird.

 

So have you solved all your problems with your player?

[Master_Xan]

Yep! I formatted it and all was well after that. I had to put everything back on, but I did that while doing homework so it didn't really matter much.

 

Personally, I've never gotten along with players like WinMedia, iTunes, etc. I just organize my music myself, in folders. For me its easier that way. Even with my player, I don't use a program (or any transfer program, either). I just transfer it in manually and organize it myself.

[X-File]

Working in the customer support bizz myself, the above story is all too true. Sometimes I am absolutely amazed about the stupidity of my average co-worker. We should be talking about responsible adults here, but more often than not co-workers turn out to be nothing more than airheaded, spoiled-rotten, children. No interest in the support given at all, only working for a pay-check, giving the WORST of advice and it ends up that others can clean up the mess.

 

Couple to that even more dimwitted supervisors who should keep these people in check and you've got a recipe for disaster.

[Evaders99]

This is the ultimate site for customer support stories

http://notalwaysright.com/

[Mad78]

Now that is brilliant site!