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That’s pretty usual. I get this one all the time.

“That Word document didn’t work. It’s empty”
“When it asked ‘Do you want to run this query?’ what did you do?”
“I hit the No button”
“There you go. You got what you wanted”

Same person every time.

My all time favorite was “My PC won’t boot up. I was cleaning out the Windows directory because it had all these files that I didn’t recognize. The PC said it was out of space so I was deleting things.”. It turns out she moved all her music into the Startup directory so they would “play all day”. She ran out of RAM and started deleting things that “weren’t mine”.

Usually I gain the trust of the IT guys because doing data migrations I always need weird stuff, and I have a clue about security, and most important, I know how to state exactly what I need, why and ask nicely. (grin)

Story:

I worked at this one company that was required by contract to have NetMeeting to support our customers, so we had to be able to "Dial out" we were also required to have Email. They also forbid "remoting into the company" on basic rules of securing the company from intrusion. Because I did Data conversions, I would often start something big and go home for the night. I could have a stop happen and lose the night, so I worked out a way around the issue, I wrote a program that checked email every minute or so, then I set up a script that was launched by a specific email arriving in the cue (the email was then deleted, it had to be from the correct address with an authentication key that was encrypted to boot) it would launch NetMeeting, and call a public IP, then "Share the desktop" with the remote machine.

One morning at 2 AM my boss called me (he was working late for a proposal) and said I need a file and you are the only one I know who has it, I really hate to bother you, but can you come in? (it's a 45 min drive with no traffic) While confirming what file he needed, and some other stuff, I sent an email and received control of my work computer, got the file and emailed it to him. I heard outlook's Beep through the phone. I asked him if it was the right file he said it was, then asked how in the name of !@#$$@# I had done that. I could hear him running to my cubicle, so I quickly logged off. He got there and turned on my monitor to see an innocent log in screen. He bugged me for two weeks before I finally told him how I had done it, and then only in response to a promise of secrecy, he wanted a copy of the program, script, and encryption program.

Two days later, one of the IT guys was hanging over my cube wall saying, "OK, how does it work" (some people can't keep their mouth shut) So, I told him. He was impressed that you needed encryption (128 bit, with a new key every hour, and a specific public IP hardcoded on the work machine to use it. He thought about it, and said well, we have to allow NetMeeting, it's in our contracts by name. We have to have email, and you could rename the program or alter it in some way so it didn't look the same to a filter. Is there any way for me to stop you, other than to ask? I said, well, it makes me more productive, and I stayed within the programs the company uses to go through the firewall, I will stop if you tell me to, but I will not live here to get as much done it will be a policy decision that will slow production.

His response? "I live an hour and 20 minutes away, If can I have a copy, you can use it!"

As a foot note, he told me a week later that servers having issues at night had him thinking about quitting (he'd get a page and have to drive 80 min each way to hit a button, or restart a service) now he could respond faster, and still sleep. As far as I know, the company is still using my little kludge, and loving it, but only for those who know enough to use it, they even asked for the source code to the email checker, and the encrypter when I left.

Sorry for the long story, but sometimes the users can do something good for IT and we are the reason you exist. Please don't treat everyone the same, programmers are often (but not always) capable people, sally secretary, well, often not. please judge people by their merits, not their membership in the IT club. /Rant