You've probably read some of the horror stories by computer techs dealing with moronic customers. It works the other way, too.
Via Steel White Table:
I was getting several "illegal operation" errors on a new Windows 95 machine I was trying out. So I called tech support.Customer: "I want to buy this computer, but I'm a little concerned that I'm getting so many error messages. Is that common with this machine?"
Tech Support: "Well, we have to reformat the hard disk and reinstall the software every day. That's normal."
Customer: "Wait, wait, wait. You're saying that I will have to reinstall Windows every single time I use the computer?!?"
Tech Support: "When it has errors, ma'am, that's the only way to get rid of them."
I've actually been lucky with tech support in that I've almost never had to use it. I've been able to muddle through any problems I've had. I've only had to phone my ISP once. I can't remember exactly what the problem was, but I was using Netscape to put together a webpage.
The guy I was talking to seemed very nice, but he was adamant that I couldn't use Netscape to do that. Well, I could and I was; but I just let it drop, as he didn't seem to know much about the subject.
Back in February, an amusing article appeared in Salon, by a freelance writer who worked for a while in tech support for a major computer company. (He didn't say which, but it was probably Dell or Gateway.)
It's worse than you think:
Several people confess that they've never done more with a computer than check their e-mail. Others admit they haven't even gotten that far. An impromptu contest develops to see exactly who knows the least. There are lots of contenders. I'm listening to them battle for the crown of incompetence as I'm dealt a new hand of cards when a frightening thought occurs to me. Our clueless bunch is now part of the technical-support staff for one of the world's top three computer manufacturers, and in seven days we're going to be taking your calls.
You can read the rest here. (It's in Salon's "premium" section, so if you're not a subscriber you'll have to watch a short advertisement before reading the full thing.)