We Are The Experts
The repair company I work at is a small business and has two locations, one of which is in an interesting area. As such, we get a lot of interesting people. This guy came in yesterday.
User: “Hi, can you show me how to access someone’s text messages? I found some tutorials on YouTube but they didn’t work”
I assume he wants to back up the messages, so I start walking him through how to sync his phone
User: “No no, I want someone else’s messages”
Me: “Wait, this isn’t a device you own”?
User: “No”
Me: “Do you have consent from the owner to read their messages”?
User: “No, that’s why I need you to show me how to see them”
Me: “Sir, if you don’t have permission from the other person to read their messages I can’t access them. I can’t show you how to do that here”
User: “Well do you know anywhere else that can”
Me: “No sir, I’m not aware of any other repair shops that can help you do that, it’s a federal crime. I can pull up the relevant laws regarding unauthorized access to someone’s personal devices if you’d like”
Cue standard rant of “you guys are supposed to be the experts” as I stare blankly into the distance, losing more faith in humanity.