I’m a pretty tenacious person, especially when I really want something. I’m a firm believer that there is more than one way to skin a cat and I can almost always find a way to get something done. But, I do know when to call it quits, too. Some things just aren’t worth the time and energy.
I’m sure you’ve all been in a situation where you’re trying to do something and you just can’t figure it out, and you talk to someone who says something like, “oh that’s easy,” and then goes on to explain how to do it. And, I’m sure you’ve all tried to master that “something” once again with your newfound knowledge. With any luck that “easy” fix did in fact work and you are now in business. Or, you may discover that in fact it is NOT easy and you are still not able to accomplish your goal. Yeah, that’s been me this past week. It’s been sort of like groundhog day here with me and my computer.
You see, we decided to upgrade our on-line booking software here at the Baer House Inn and in conjunction with that, to also upgrade our website to a more user friendly and technologically simpler site. You know, all the bells and whistles and cool add-ons and such? Yup. That was our goal.
Of course, that meant we had homework to do. We had to supply photos, and policies and notification language and room descriptions and such. All easy peasy since I was able to cut and paste most of that stuff from our old website. But, then came the integration process with our new on-line booking software, which was designed to work super well with the new website, all designed by the same company. Two separate departments: web design and booking program, but same parent company. Cool!
But there were still operations that we had to handle from our end, most of which were NOT easy peasy. I tried. I really did. When I ran into problems, which were frequent, I exchanged lots of e-mails with my support gal. She was patient, mostly. And she assured me she was prevented legally from logging into anyone’s system so I had to get this part of the problem handled on my own. She told me it was “easy,” and provided some step-by-step instructions.
I followed the step-by-step instructions to the “T,” and yet, was still not able to complete the assignment. So, I watched YouTube videos and help videos from the on-line website help desk. I called the customer service number for one issue but that ended up being a nightmare. I just got more of the same “help.” Step-by-step instructions, which didn’t work, and instructions videos, which were not relevant. I tried all different tactics and got caught up in help video hell. In one instance, in one video it said if there were problems with any one step to follow the instructions in a previous video, which referred me to a different video, and so on. By the time I got to the fifth video I realized I was learning how to change the oil in a John Deere tractor. How I got there is anybody’s guess, but I’m pretty certain it had nothing to do with linking an Airbnb account to my new channel manager for my website. I’m not real bright, but I do have a little shine left in me.
Everything was going along just fine for the first 12 steps of a 400-step process. At step 13, I encountered a problem. “Scroll to the bottom and click the red ‘allow’ button.” So I scroll and find neither red buttons nor “allow” buttons. I scroll back up and scroll down again at a much slower rate thinking I missed something. Nope. No red or “allow” button to be found.
I go back and, much like a relapsing alcoholic, I re-trace the first 12 steps making sure I’ve completed them properly and in the proper order. Yup. All good. Next up, Step 13. Well damn. Now I’m stuck again, left with the YouTube merry-go-round of self-help videos. I even called several people from several companies and each one tells me they are unable to help for various reasons and refer me back to the “super easy and informative” help videos. Gee, thanks. By Friday night I was seriously considering a career move to heavy equipment maintenance gal for John Deere. Hey, those videos were “super easy and informative,” I’m sure I could make a go of it.
So, that’s how my week has been. How are you all handling the re-opening of America? Are you still staying home? Are you making improvements in your own homes? Any advice for a frustrated non-techy person trying to do techy stuff? Do you find self-help YouTube videos helpful?
Word of the Day: negroni
Fun fact about me: Before I got my first car my dad made sure I was able to change my own oil and change a flat tire. He said I needed to know these things if I wanted to be a responsible car owner. He wasn’t wrong.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, May 2020. Images by Pexels.
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Who among us has not been down the rabbit hole you just traversed? We are literally slaves to technology. Like you, I am problem solver. I’ll stay with a computer issue until the men in the white coats come to pry me from the chair. In short, I feel your pain, Patricia!
Perhaps a little nip of the word of the day would help?
P.S. My riding lawnmower appears to be leaking oil. It’s not a John Deere, but do you think you could help anyway?
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It’s a nightmare isn’t it? People in the business say things like “it’s easy,” or “we’ve designed the site to be user friendly,” or even “once we build the site you’ll be able to manage it yourself.” Yeah right. Uh huh. It’s easy because you guys understand it. Like playing the piano for me – I can say, “I don’t know why you can’t play that song – it’s so easy.” Sure it is – because I KNOW how to play it and I’ve been playing it for years. Sheesh people. Give me a break.
As far as the lawn mower repair goes, I can refer you to some “super easy and informative” help videos. I’m sure you’ll have it up and running again in no time.
Thanks for stopping by and commiserating with me. I HATE this kind of crap.
Patricia
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Know the pain and frustration of a software update all to well. This to shall pass. Been thinking of you, Corey, and the Baer House. It’s a new day, a new month and we are going to make it count! Peace.
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I expected I’d have to spend some time on this project – but a whole week? Good grief. Something as simple as resizing photos turned into an all day project. So many pixels and compression and png’s or jpg’s. I’ll be having nightmares for weeks.
And yes – new month, fresh start. Here’s hoping things pick up a bit.
Have a wonderful week my friend.
Patricia
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So glad to know I’m not alone. Actually, I’m probably much worse than you, because I cringe at the thought of doing anything techie. And I know software manufacturers put out special editions for me with stuff built into them to keep them from working. I’m not paranoid – just picked on.
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I think you’re right about the built-in barriers on some of these things. I talked to woman last Thursday who was walking me through step-by-step how to do something and her screen was NOT the same as mine. She kept making it sound like I was doing something wrong. I finally had to send her a screenshot of my computer because she kept arguing with me. It’s a conspiracy to keep the computer geeks in business.
It’s all so frustrating. Anyway, onward and upward. This week I’m not wasting any more time on this project. It’s either going to work or not. That’s life.
Thanks for visiting. Enjoy your first week of June.
Patricia
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Tech issues suck! And I’m a techie! Stuff like this where the instructions don’t match what you’re seeing are the worst. Are there any online user forums or Facebook pages, etc. for that software? Often, that’s where I find my answers – from another user of the product who’s had the same issues I have.
Improvements are in fact being made on my home as I write this, but I’m not making them – the builder is finally fixing the screwups. Good luck with your website!
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Thanks Jennette. I did try a chat place but I’m not real keen on sharing some of our private business information over the computer. I’m setting up our back office operations and I really don’t want to share too much of that with just anyone.
We did get everything working except our account with Airbnb. That site is horrible to use as a property owner (in my opinion) and their customer service is deplorable.
We do really like our new site and booking software now that it’s live and working. Was a bitch to set up and in the long run I think it’ll be a nice upgrade for our business.
I hate that you guys are living in a brand new house and there are issues. That sucks. Here’s hoping everything gets fixed the way it’s supposed to be. Have a wonderful rest of the week.
Patricia
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Oh yes, I’ve been in the same technology hell before, where the instructions are NOT helpful and figuring it out is absolutely hopeless. Kinda makes you want to destroy something, right? I hope you find someone who is actually helpful soon!
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Last week there were not enough curse words to get me through the week. I wish computers and software were one-size-fits-all but they are not. Gggrrrr.
Anyway, we’re all up and running with just a few glitches. Fortunately we’re super slow here at the inn (and by super slow I mean nobody’s here) so it’s a good time to test everything out.
I always appreciate your support. I’m glad I’m not alone in the technology world. Have a wonderful week.
Patricia
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