Recently I seem to be having a lot of deja vu clients and it’s starting to make me feel insecure!
What is a deja vu client?
A deja vu client is someone who comes into the library (or whatever workplace you are in) and asks a question. You look at the client and figure out either immediately or partway through the answer that not only have you answered this question before, but you have answered this question to this EXACT person.
This seems to happen most with scanning, photocopying and printing. Even though I make the client do it each time and just verbally guide them AND show them the instructions hanging on the wall NEXT TO THE PHOTOCOPIER/PRINTER/SCANNER and they come in ALL THE TIME they just can’t seem to remember how to do it.
There is a gentleman that comes in who can never connect his WiFi, I don’t know what he does to his computer at home, but everytime he comes there are issues connecting. I have helped him twice. Both times he has said to me, “I don’t think you know enough, you need to get someone else” and both times I have said to him, “sir, there is only one person in the whole Library service with more IT knowledge than me and she is unavailable” (in my mind I added “jerk off” to make myself feel better). This same gentleman has asked me twice how to save pictures from an email and get this… it was the same damn picture each time (SIGH!). The first time I showed him how as soon as we pressed ‘save as’ his picture library came up with some pretty graphic close ups of lady parts, I turned away and said I couldn’t help him with that on there and he seemed embarrassed. The second time I was wiser and said to him, “remember we have done this before” he said we hadn’t and when he brought up the picture I said, “yes, see this is the same picture we saved last time and remember when you pressed save some inappropriate photos came up. If they come up again I will walk away” he looked at me and then said, “oh, okay, I will delete them”.
Just today I had a lady ask me how to scan documents, I looked at her and knew we have had this conversation before. I told her she needed a USB and she said she didn’t have one. I let her know that the machine will only scan to a USB and she asked if she could borrow one, I said we didn’t have any to borrow, but she could buy one at the front desk for $10. She said too expensive so I suggested she walk down the road to Kmart because they have cheaper ones there. I felt like a robot during this discussion, we have literally had this EXACT conversation before. I remember her because she has some cool tattoos. Cool tattoos yes, but I think she needs a remembrall!
Does anyone else have this happen with their clients regularly? I am not sure having the ‘you need to be quiet in the quiet study area’ really counts does it? If it does then I have an epidemic on my hands hahaha.
Ditch the Bun 