10-year-old Microsoft Ticket Resurfaces?

Ian Lamont writes "Microsoft is apparently taking seriously a blogger's claim that a Microsoft tech support employee called back to check on a 10-year-old BSOD trouble ticket. The anonymous blogger suspects someone at Microsoft typed "1/8/08" into their tracking system for the date of a follow-up call, instead of "1/8/98." Microsoft told Computerworld support cases "are reviewed regularly so that we can ensure we're resolving customer issues in a timely fashion — regardless of the callback commitment set by the agent. Nonetheless, no system can ensure complete accuracy."" To be fair, this is all unverified, so choose to believe at your own risk.

So?

[ashridah]

I filed a bug against FreeBSD back in 1998. I didn't get a reply on that ticket until late 2002, if memory serves. Turned out to be a known issue with supporting EIDE, turning that off in the BIOS did the trick, as I discovered, and followed up the ticket myself the next day.

Over 2-3 years later, someone finally closed the ticket.

These things happen.

Re:I don't believe it

[ILongForDarkness]

2. When the help desk guy was assigned to make the followup call, he didn't notice and find it odd that the original call came in 10 years ago? He didn't call his supervisor over and say, "hey I think somebody made a mistake here! Maybe we should just close this out."

They probably have an autodialer, the agent didn't even see the ticket before the system called the guy. I worked for a Capital One call center for a while. I was real nice when the systems were slow: "Hi ... is ... Steve Johnson there" I must have sounded retarded but it was actually that I was waiting for the account to come up so I knew who "I" just called.

Re:I don't believe it

[Lumpy]

1 - Most trouble ticket software I have been exposed to can easily let this happen, enter in the wrong date like that and it will not show up on some reports.

2 - you are giving way too much credit in abilities to help desk people. it's so bad nowdays that most are incredibly uncaring and skilled due to falling wages.

3 - I not only have the same phone # from 10 years ago, but it's a cellphone number! I also plan on keeping my voIP number for at least 25 years or until my provider dies or turns evil.

I know many people that have been bugged by incredibly old followup calls from tech service at a company. One friend was called on gear that we had removed and threw away for at least a year and a half... It was on a spontaneous reboot issue we reported 5 years ago.

Re:I don't believe it

[Anonymous Coward]

>3. Somebody has the same phone number of 10 years.

You'd be amazed. I know, myself, two people personally whose parents still don't pay for touch tone (they don't have it activated). The only way this can be the case is for the phone line to be earlier than when bell allowed CLECs (1990 or so, I can't remember exactly when). Otherwise, you are required to have touch tone and pay extra ($2.95 or so monthly) for it. Yes, I tried to get it cancelled (my modem doesn't care about pulse or tone), you can't, it's an odd tariff item that is a REQUIRED service now, only grandfathered accounts have it option.

This is in Ontario, Canada, for those wondering.

Re:Hey, they're early!

[Otto]

Microsoft is based in the USA, not in Europe. 1/8/08 = January 8th, 2008.