My Danish in laws have brought themselves an IP CCTV camera, it’s not user friendly so I offered to help. The combination of crap instructions, the locked down internet providers router, their blindly optimistic expectations that things should just work out of the box (they’ve got a point), and the language barrier makes me want to scream, but I cant so I’ve written it on here.
It’s not a rant BTW so no reason to score it, just want to catharticly state the situation. Schnapps and ole time cant com soon enough.

It’s not a rant BTW

Damn right, 1/10 at best 😀

Just learn to say no – or at least let them know you tried but it’s beyond your capabilities. The shame is better than the ongoing hassle.

My father in law tried to get me to install some software on his PC yesterday. Luckily, although he had the disks he didn’t have the DVD drive with him.

I have this very often when at my parents. Usually everyone is having a nice time whilst I’m in the study for a few hours sorting out the latest catastrophe 🙁

Send it back, buy a netgear arlo or similar, they *do* just work.

‘ole’ time? Is that northern for sex?

After 25 years of fixing friends and the in laws computers, taking desperate phone calls when something’s gone wrong and so on I really wish I’d never opened my mouth to help originally.

I don’t know how IT support don’t throw themselves under a bus when their job is remote support with the IT illiterate. It might be the single most frustrating experience, helping family with IT.

Getting my dad to press the off button on his iPad took 10 minutes, he was convinced there wasn’t one 🙄

my mother in law had an ipad for one whole year before discovering what the ‘safari’ button did and thus could access the internet.

My FiL used to do IT support for me. He even built my last PC.

Happy to say I generally muddle through by myself now though.

Just learn to say no

This. It took some time, but it’s a much happier life now.

Someone asked me Wednesday night if I was any good with tax – he doesn’t know I used to work in practice accountancy.
My response was: Yes, but I’m not doing your tax return for you. I’m not fixing your computer and I’m not fixing your bike either

Rob, you only have yourself to blame here! 😀

Never offer to help with IT!

Many years ago my sister in law came for christmas dinner with a massive CRT monitor and desktop and asked me to rebuild it for them. Had they bought any of the original software? No.

Rob, you only have yourself to blame here!

I omitted to say that it’s my second attempt, as I tried for the 1st time in August, after 2 days I got it half working but then they changed their router.
Tonight I spent an hour trying to get screen casting working on their TV via Danish menus before giving up. I’m a one eyed king amongst blind people.