The author of this post is 100% correct in leaving a company she doesn't trust and warning readers that that behavior is entirely unacceptable.

There is no uniform customer service business or uniform training. Having worked in companies with support departments, there is a wide variance. Some are tightly scripted, others are given almost free reign and simply told to resolve issues quickly. edit: of course, password through email is big no-no.

Many of the cloud storage providers do this. You want your files recovered, you'll have to hand over your pw (or not have the problem fixed).

Just because you're still using some other services with crap support, doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to get better alternatives when you do find unacceptable behaviour.

If they didn't provide that and didn't explicitly say "never ask for password", that's really the company's fault.

Oh, right, Windows. Using Windows as a counter point to any argument on best practices is silly. But even then, as your domain admin, I can reset your password, login as you and then reset a new temporary password for you. I have done this and would never ask a user for their password. Even on windows.

2. There's runas.

3. There's lots of examples of software that allows you to use the system remotely. Some of them have signatures in the virus databases, some don't.

I have an admin account for an Office365 subscription, I can absolutely NOT impersonate a user. From what I know, Microsoft can not either.

Runas doesn't let me "see the error the user has"

But yes. Microsoft will actually reset your password, or ask you for it, to troubleshoot O365 problems. Very standard.

"Wow, you are a hell customer."

I'm willing to bet Squarespace is happy the OP is leaving their service, I know I would be if I were in their shoes.

Granted, it is a case of bad support, but as Colin mentions, it is likely an issue with an under trained new hire, not a systematic failure.

If they've not been educated about not doing that, there's a fair chance they aren't going to be too smart around other big security issues either - such as resetting passwords with very little validation of whether it's the genuine customer requesting it or not.

Unless the customer is causing you a major amount of aggravation or costing you money, you shouldn't be happy to see one go.

Also, FWIW, I don't think citing a comment in which the commenter calls the OP an "egotistical bitch" twice is good support for an argument.

As for cherry picking that quote from the comments, that is fair. I did not read his sexist diatribe, i just read his opening statement and concurred.

"Wow, you are a hell customer. In the future, set a temporary password. They were trying to help you and you have to be a mouthy egotistical bitch. I'm sure they're happy to see you go. As someone in customer support, I'm sure they're happy to see you go. Egotistical hipster bitch."

For not wanting to give her password to customer support she is somehow a "mouthy egotistical bitch", a "hell customer", etc.

And yet you get down voted for mentioning the misogynist word?

You can agree that she might be wrong but I think the sentiment is that some of the people that are disagreeing with her are being specifically sexist in their method of disagreement.

A hell customer would call them up, yell, demand answers, and refuse to hang up until the situation was "fixed" to her liking, threaten to sue and call CNN, etc.

Most support agents are probably ok with seeing a staunchly unsatisfied customer simply leave and allow them to help people who want to be helped.