One of the elements of IT that I have never been able to understand the is the use of delaying tactics during a support call. Sometimes the tactics are due to bad training, bad staff or simply inexperienced staff, but sometimes I'm sure it's deliberate.

I'll give you two examples - the first is an 'external' delay with a supplier. A piece of hardware failed, and it's under warranty. I filled in the online form (which you do after registration, where they take all you details). What happened over the next few days could have easily been turned into a IT sitcom. First, by email, I was asked to confirm the serial number of the unit. The fact that I'd filled in this information in both the registration and original support request had been ignored.