MONTY BENFICA | Amusements | CONTACT
It’s been two years since George Hanlan (28) left his job at a suburban Optus retail store, where he spent his days sneakily bundling overpriced headphones onto 24-month iPhone plans for unsuspecting pensioners. But despite leaving retail behind, George
now finds himself trapped in an endless loop of tech support for his friends and family.
While he’s no longer dealing with boomers in-store who refuse to call customer service, George’s “expertise” is still in high demand. His weekends now revolve around explaining the basics of airplane mode to his mum, trying to fix his cousin’s laptop that’s “acting weird,” and walking his mate through the process of installing the latest iPhone software update.
“I thought I was escaping the world of tech sales, but here I am, still answering questions like, ‘Why does my phone die at 3 PM?’ and ‘How do I reset my Wi-Fi?’”
George says, scrolling through yet another panic-filled text from his Aunt Maureen. “I’ve become the family’s unpaid 24/7 helpline,” George groans. “I can’t even go to a family dinner or pub catch-up without someone saying, ‘Hey George, while you’re
here…’”
“Once, I told my dad to just Google it, but he ended up on some 5G conspiracy site,”
George sighs. “So, for his own good, I guess I have to help out.”
“At least Optus gave me commission,” he says with a resigned grin.
