Show Notes
Enjoy a quirky take on tech with PLSJ’s Technology Coordinator O.J. Meeks.
View Full Transcript
Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:08 Welcome to PLS JS podcast, where the public library of Steubenville and Jefferson county shares with you. Our favorite quirky questions finds out what leaders in our community are. Reading interviews, local authors, and so much more.
Speaker 2 00:00:27 Hello. Hi everyone. Welcome to another episode of technically speaking. My name is OJ Meeks. I am the technology coordinator for the public library of Steubenville and Jefferson county. And today's episode. I would like to tell you about two very useful services that our library provides that you may not be aware of. I may tell a true story or two about some of these useful services. If I happen to tell one of these true stories, I will be sure not to divulge the identity of those who are in my stories. Any names that I use are fictitious. Also any resemblance to a real person is completely coincidental. Okay, let's get into it. One service that we provide is free access to magazine subscriptions. Our patrons have free access to current and past issues of magazines like consumer reports, cosmopolitan good housekeeping, MotorTrend people, sports illustrated time, and many, many more.
Speaker 2 00:01:23 If you have a library card with us, you will have access to all of these magazines for free. You can view them on your computer or on a mobile device. Anytime you wish talking about subscriptions reminds me of someone who was subscribed to something that no one would ever want to be subscribed to. A gentleman in his early seventies came to me one day for a scheduled tech help. He was a feisty and loud individual. He had very little patience for just about anything. He was a large broad shoulder man who may have been some kind of weightlifter back in the day. I mean, he seriously could have lifted me and two other people at the same time and thrown us across the street. Even though he was over 71, very intriguing thing about him was his outlandish maroon toupee. It just made him complete to protect his identity.
Speaker 2 00:02:15 I will call him Arnold snails or shower, Arnold, snails or shower sat down to explain to me his predicament. But first he went off about an incident at the front desk. He started with a I'm at the front desk. I wanted to see O J then this freaking idiot hits me with his gigantic Walker. I told him, well, excuse me, Buster. Sorry to take up your space. That idiot told me to pipe down loud mouth. I didn't heard a cue. If he wasn't already a gum flap, an idiot I'd have knocked his false teeth clean out of his mouth. Let me tell you, I had a terminated that old buzzard. I knew instantly that this was going to be great. So what have you come in here for Arnold? Now's our shower. I asked call me on his son. Most people do. So I called him Arnold snails or shower.
Speaker 2 00:03:09 I don't know, smells or shower continued. Something's wrong with my computer? Stupid thing is slow as molasses son. I had some tech company come fix it and I think they just made it worse. No, I know they made it worse. American company. My brass there. Ain't no way Mike, from Maine or Rita from Florida all had the same freaking foreign accent. I have no problem with anyone from another country, but be honest about where you come from Ram. It have a little pride. What is the company that you use to fix your computer? I asked our smiles, our shower replied, Ooh, some outfit that popped up on my computer. One day they said I had a problem with my computer that needed fixed right away. They gave me a deal. I guess I called the number and they said they would fix the problem on the spot.
Speaker 2 00:03:55 One time only for $350, or I could purchase a subscription every six months for $300 to keep my computer from any viruses and such well I'm no idiot. I went for the subscription. How long have you been with this company? I asked aro snails or shower said about two years last Friday. That's when I told them that he is off. I called the one 800 number because I was having some computer trouble. Amanda, from Alabama, born and raised. She told me, answer the phone. Funny accent for someone from Alabama. Cause I asked them upfront, where are the show are you from? Cause I can't understand a word your saying, well, she went through a couple of them, diagnostic tests. Then she said she fixed my computer. I told her it wasn't fixed. So she had me transferred to a level two tech, the level two tech said they found a problem.
Speaker 2 00:04:48 They told me there was a problem with some kind of kernel. I was like Colonel hoop, Colonel Sanders. I have no idea what they were talking about. They said my current subscription needed upgraded to fix this kind of problem. They wanted $100 to upgrade. I told them where they could put their upgrade. They told me to have a nice day. I told them the Rodan. Well it's best. I don't say what I told them. After that, as soon as I got off the phone with them, my computer started getting a lot worse. It's Ram near impossible to use. Now I informed Arnold snails or shower. I believe these people are not a legitimate computer company. They're taking advantage of you. If you used a credit or debit card to pay them, have your financial institution issue you a new card right away. They could potentially wipe out your account.
Speaker 2 00:05:39 What? The Chuck bellowed, Arnold snails are shower. I had a sneaking suspicion. They were predators. I get my hands on them. I'll send them soar into the U S state. They said they was from, I started up Arno, snails or showers, laptop to confirm my suspicions. After 10 full minutes, it finally booted up. I poked around and found that they still had remote access software installed on the laptop. I told Arnold smells or shower. This so-called computer company still has access to your computer. They can change settings or control it in any time. The only way to ensure this company is out of your computer is to wipe your hard drive and factory reset it. I can do this, but it will take a while. Well we're Ramzan that's awful. Condo. Have you replied a thankful Arnold smells our shower. Arno smells. Our shower got up straightened out his back and his maroon to pay, which had gotten quite a bit out of alignment. Then Oro, snails or shower told me how can we back? Arnold smells. Our shower was indeed back for quite a few more adventures, but those are stories for another time.
Speaker 2 00:06:49 Hey, have you ever wondered what people eat in Albania? Maybe you need a recipe from Greece. Perhaps you would like to know what the food culture is in Norway. Check out our a to Z world food database. You can find all kinds of food facts from around the world. It's on our homepage. Under eResources databases. This library service makes me hungry. Talking about services. Reminds me of someone who was on the receiving end of terrible, terrible customer service. I was working in the genealogy room one day. When a woman came in desperately needing some help. It was a hot summer day, probably about 80 degrees or so outside. This woman had a scarf and a full length button up winter coat on what she seemed to be very comfortable in to protect her identity. I will call her Oprah Windsor with it. For, I could ask Oprah when's a with anything.
Speaker 2 00:07:42 She started asking me questions. What's your name? You're a young guy. How old are you? How long you worked here for what kind of umbrella do you use when it rains? I like the bigger ones. Do you use an umbrella at all? How long has this building been here for? I eat breakfast. Do you eat breakfast? Best meal of the day. The good Lord made breakfast to keep the wooly worms Wooley. I didn't get a chance to answer, but a fraction of all those questions. And what on earth does a worm have to do with breakfast? What does that even mean? Oprah wins a whip, then introduced herself. My name's Oprah Windsor with, but people call me Harpo. So I caught her Oprah Windsor with after another torn of questions, I could not possibly answer in a reasonable amount of time. She finally gotten to the reason she came to the library.
Speaker 2 00:08:42 Ooh. Um, they are dirty. They are so dirty. You wouldn't believe that trouble that put putting on woman through. I live by myself. I got no one. They are dirty. They are so dirty. She said, I asked who's dirty. Why are they so dirty? Why didn't they take a bath? I really, really wanted to ask about the wooly worms, but I didn't. She sternly said yeah, young man. Let me tell you something about some people you may know something about, but you didn't know this about them. I wanted to scream. What about the wooly worms? She continued them. Dirties told me nothing is wrong with my phone at my house. M there is told me my phone sounds crystal clear. There is something wrong. I'm a widow. I live by myself. I had a handyman come round. Didn't I trust him though. I had my moneys and I watched him though time.
Speaker 2 00:09:51 I don't trust my monies around. So my handyman coming around, fixing stuff, I don't think he knew how to fix stuff. Right. To tell the truth. Me and him will go round. So let me tell you, nobody does me dirty. Okay? I said, so there is something wrong with your landline phone. The phone company told you, it sounds crystal clear to them. Did your handyman try to fix your phone? Oprah winds, a web perplexingly said, Hey, new man. I haven't had a handyman in years. How's he going to fix my phone? He dead now. He was, it was dirty. Anyway. Forgive me, Lord for telling the truth. I replied, oh my what exactly is wrong with your phone? Oprah. When's a whip replied. Well, I like to call my niece in Montecito, California, because we both read those book club books. You know, the ones that talks to lady recommends my niece hears me sometimes, but I can't eat her.
Speaker 2 00:10:54 Sometimes I hear her and she can't hear me. It happens with my son to a T oh damn dirties. I told them, they said it sounded crystal clear to them. If I wanted it fixed, I have to fix, how am I supposed to fix it? I'm an old woman. I live by myself. I don't have anybody. It was about this time that I realized that Tessa Ferrari another staff member who works next door in our reference department was following our conversation very closely. Tessa Ferrari came over and asked Oprah when's with. They didn't want me to call them. And she did Tessa Ferrari called that phone company on the spot. And she straightened the whole thing out. Tessa Ferrara used tactics. I'd never seen before. Tessa Ferrari. Didn't just mention the better business bureau. She made it very clear to the phone company that there are other organizations that deal with bad business practices.
Speaker 2 00:11:55 I had never heard of these organizations, but this phone company had heard of them. She saved the day. She was a hero to this old woman that had nowhere else to turn a phone company. Employee immediately came to Oprah, the wife's house and fixed her phone for free. Then they checked up on her a week later and two weeks after that to make sure everything was okay, but I didn't get an answer to what the good Lord breakfast and boy worms have in common. Fortunately, this would not be the last time I would be on an Oprah, wins a weapon venture. Thank you all for listening. See you next time.
Speaker 1 00:12:39 Thanks for listening to PLS Jay's podcast. Visit us in person at your library, branch or [email protected].
