The correct choice is to apologize for the inconvenience and schedule a time to revisit the issue. This response is most professional because it prioritizes de-escalation and customer service over technical defensiveness; even if the fix was correct, the user’s perception of a problem is a valid concern that must be addressed to maintain trust. On the CompTIA A+ Core 2 220-1202 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of professional communication and incident management, specifically how to handle an angry user claiming a fix made things worse without assigning blame. A common trap is choosing to argue the fix was correct or ignoring the user’s frustration, which violates the exam’s emphasis on customer satisfaction and ITIL best practices. Remember the memory tip: “Apologize first, analyze second”—acknowledge the inconvenience before re-evaluating the system.
220-1202 Communication and Professionalism Practice Question
This 220-1202 practice question tests your understanding of communication and professionalism. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A technician receives an angry email from a user claiming that the technician's previous fix made their computer worse. The technician knows the fix was correct. Which response is MOST professional?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Apologize for the inconvenience and schedule a time to revisit the issue.
Option C is correct because the most professional response in this scenario is to de-escalate the situation by acknowledging the user's frustration and offering to re-engage on the issue. Even if the technician's fix was technically correct, the user's perception of a problem is a valid concern that must be addressed to maintain trust and service quality. Scheduling a follow-up allows the technician to re-evaluate the system, verify that no other changes have affected the computer, and provide reassurance, which aligns with ITIL best practices for incident management and customer service.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Reply with a detailed technical explanation proving the fix was right.
Why it's wrong here
This can come across as dismissive of the user's feelings and escalates conflict.
✗
Ignore the email to avoid an argument.
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring a complaint is unprofessional and leaves the issue unresolved.
✓
Apologize for the inconvenience and schedule a time to revisit the issue.
Why this is correct
This de-escalates the situation and shows willingness to help, even if the original fix was correct.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Forward the email to the user's manager to complain about the user's tone.
Why it's wrong here
This escalates unnecessarily and violates professional discretion.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
CompTIA often tests the candidate's ability to prioritize emotional intelligence and de-escalation over technical accuracy, trapping those who think proving the fix was right (Option A) is the most professional response, when in fact it ignores the user's perspective and can damage the customer relationship.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In a real-world IT support context, a 'correct' fix (e.g., updating a driver or applying a registry patch) might inadvertently expose a pre-existing but latent issue, such as a failing hard drive or incompatible software, which the user now attributes to the technician's work. The professional approach is to treat the user's report as new diagnostic data, schedule a remote session to run tools like `sfc /scannow`, check Event Viewer for error logs, and verify system stability, thereby separating the fix's correctness from the user's experience. This method follows the ITIL 'service desk' principle of 'owning the incident' from first contact to resolution, ensuring the user feels heard and the issue is fully resolved.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this 220-1202 question in full detail.
Communication and Professionalism — This question tests Communication and Professionalism — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Apologize for the inconvenience and schedule a time to revisit the issue. — Option C is correct because the most professional response in this scenario is to de-escalate the situation by acknowledging the user's frustration and offering to re-engage on the issue. Even if the technician's fix was technically correct, the user's perception of a problem is a valid concern that must be addressed to maintain trust and service quality. Scheduling a follow-up allows the technician to re-evaluate the system, verify that no other changes have affected the computer, and provide reassurance, which aligns with ITIL best practices for incident management and customer service.
What should I do if I get this 220-1202 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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