Why is life so difficult?

Here in Southend our largest car park has number plate recognition, no app needed.

I recently received a letter telling me the gas main in our road was to be replaced. Most of the proposed dates were while I was to be away on holiday and they needed access to my house to restore the supply. I phoned the customer care line who reassured me saying a card would be put through the door when the gas was turned off so I could call to get it reinstated on my return. I returned on Sunday afternoon to find the gas off, rang them and was told they couldn't do anything 'til the next day but they would come first thing Monday. The promised hotplates which could have been provided were unavailable!

Meanwhile my DS, DiL and 2 GC came to stay after the holiday before going on elsewhere so I'd stopped at the supermarket to buy ingredients for a family meal! Managed to cook it with oven and microwave with some changes to menu.

Monday came and at 11 am I phoned to say it was no longer first thing and when would my gas re reconnected? Shortly after workman arrives to say they should be with me in a couple of hours. 4 hours later I speak to the men in the road who say there are 3 more houses to be completed before they get to me! DiL and GC leave after lunch which involved experimental cooking methods but DS staying an extra night before driving 100 miles to work next day so needs an early night. 6pm workmen inform us that they will have to do me on Tuesday so we go out to eat - good excuse to visit a restaurant but wallet somewhat lighter as a result!

Gas finally restored about 12:30 today! Had to move meter from inside under stairs cupboard to outside wall. At one point talked of removing a wall of shelving in under stairs cupboard used as walk-in larder to get access! Fortunately not necessary in the end but stressful even thinking about it!
Workmen told me customer care don't talk to them about the schedule and just use a script to tell you what you want to hear! Turns out to be a pack of lies!

The holes in the drive and pavement are still to be filled in (probably another 3-5 days) and I still need to unload all the camping gear from the car to the garage and can't get the car in to make it easier! And it is raining! May have to go shopping with camping gear still in car.

It seems it had to be done in the summer holiday time as the school on the other side of the road would make it almost impossible in termtime! I am not a happy bunny!

Tonight's task a very detailed letter of complaint!

Just a quick word about the parking app Ringgo: an hour in the car parks in this town costs £1.70. Who has 70p change? So I expect most people put in £2. The machines don't give change. No card payment possible.
So I decided to use Ringgo, thinking I would save 30p. Wrong! Ringgo charged me £2.20.
But there are places where you can only use a,parking app What a nuisance.

I may just be lucky here, as I don't find life any more difficult than it always has been.

Certainly, some online booking services are a pain, but this in my experience is caused by my not being familiar with them.

I decided that as online booking, buying etc. has come to stay that I would just have to practise using it a bit more.

Booking train tickets online in Denmark IS a nightmare, so I simply on days when I wasn't going anywhere and had time, chose a destination and went through all the steps except for paying - simply closing down the site when I got to that stage.

It has worked, it was mainly my inexperience that made it hard. There is no alternative to the railway company, so it was worth the effort.

Buying things online, if possible I use a homepage that I find easy to use, as there is usually a choice of firms selling much the same goods at much the same prices. In the instances where I do need one particular firm, then the same process as with the railway company applies.

Here we have a small voluntary group of people who help you free of charge with computer or phone problems if you turn up at the local library between 2 and 4 pm on Mondays. This can be very useful - do you not have something similar?

It is, I find, less frustrating to try and find out how all these things work, than constantly becoming annoyed at the very prospect of dealing with something online or over the phone.

As for the foreign help-lines - it should be possible to find a couple of films on Netflix to watch so you can accustom yourself to Indian English or whatever other brand of English theise helplines employees speak.

Car parking grr.
Taking DD and small DGC to the ballet in Aberdeen. DD drove so I jumped out at the multi story carpark where you have to walk to a pay station. You can either pay with coins (I didn't have enough) or card but you have to phone and answer questions about your car. I couldn't see DDs car and didn't know its number. I was about to give up when a kind woman paid in cash for mine saying I can pass on the favour.

I'm with you on this. There are some days that just make me want to scream when I'm trying to do something simple on line. We recently had our car insurance renewal. It had risen by large amount despite our full no claims. I rang and complained that same cover was £100 cheaper online than their renewal notice. Miraculously they managed to bring cost down £100. But took time to sort. And now I've got house ins renewal from them which has gone up around 50%. So I plan to ring them again. So time consuming. Some Internet sites are awful. I was looking for a gift yesterday. Every time I clicked on something to look at it properly, when I returned to all items, it returned me to the beginning of the list. Exasperating. I gave up. However I do find some sites and companies are excellent. We moved to Octopus energy a couple of years ago and have been extremely impressed with them.

My Mum is now in a care home with Alzheimer's and very poor mobility. My brother and I have POA. Setting it up with her bank was relatively easy but not great. Went into the bank to do - no banks in my town so went to next town. Over weekend have had series of text messages from bank - you have changed your email, you have changed your address, you have requested a new card - no no no! Had to be at weekend. Then Mum's accounts show on my banking app. So this is all to do with POA not being scammed but would have been less panicked if they had told me this would happen.
Now trying to sort out her nectar card - has £53 on it and she needs white socks (can't possibly wear black socks with cream trainers) and bras (home have lost them she says) so thought I would use nectar card to pay. Been trying for over an hour and it keeps muddling hers with mine so will just go to the store!

I was wondering this myself yesterday. I often get don’t get refunds back on card and chasing is a nightmare
I went to a car boot sale last weekend there are no cash machines left and no shops were doing cash back . On the way there I had to walk in the road, due to bikes and scooters racing down the pavement, not to mention cars parked all over the pavement.
I have not seen a doctor for a long time as it is impossible. My eye surgery was cancelled so many times that in the end a vain bust and I was rushed in as an emergency on the day all the junior doctors walked out. ( I was seen as an emergency but now facing complications and long recovery )

I have been locked out of my olio account and it’s taken me five days to get nowhere. In my case it is because I can’t speak to a human only a robot. I think artificial intelligence is part of the problem. They don’t understand complex issues or feeling or emotions so, time isn’t an issues and frustration is Immaterial to reboots.
I am consistently having to decide what is a scam and what is not I no longer trust anything or anyone and take nothing on face value.

Technology is great when it works and when the issue you are dealing with is straightforward. Anything off piste, though, and it all goes to rat poop.

I spent hours and hours on the phone to insurance and repair companies when my car got flooded in a storm last year. No one seems to do their job properly, messages don’t get passed on, arcane rules can’t be changed and so on and so forth. How anyone who works full time and has a family would have managed, I cannot imagine.

My dd recently had to update her car insurance details because she has moved. It has to be done by phone as the tech ‘currently cannot deal with change of address requests’. The end result was that they changed her address to my address, where she has never lived! So she had to start all over again, hours on the phone.

It’s infuriating.

Lexisgranny, although I thought the early low wattage light bulbs were abysmal I do think that we now get much better ones but it is so rare that they need replacing I've forgotten what sort of fitting they have by the time they give up.
Some things are so much easier now. I tend to do most tech things for my elderly and disabled in-laws. I applied for the renewal of a disabled blue badge for one of them recently. It was so easy to do on my phone, including photographing hospital letters and taking a passport photo of him. A few minutes later it was done and I had confirmation that they received it. At one time all the papers they needed would have had to be photocopied, the in-law would have had to have his photo taken in a photo booth which would have involved a trip to the supermarket, not easy for a partially sighted man with mobility issues, and then this would all have had to be entrusted to Royal Mail.

I lower my expectations to the extent that anything that actually works is a huge bonus.

In a recent call to customer services of a large company, the agent ( with a very strong accent) asked my husband ( fairly mild West of Scotland accent) , whether he had someone in the house who could speak English properly. 🙄

I do agree there are some great sides to technology. Banking Apps, Skype, Microsoft Teams meaning people don’t have to drive for an hour to a meeting or appointment anymore. Great to FaceTime GC and shop on line etc. I’m happy to do things like book train tickets on line if it’s a straightforward journey but that’s not always the case. I have a friend whose phone just died on her on her way in to St Pancras, she had no ticket to scan at the barrier and it caused her no end of problems. The staff weren’t too helpful either because apparently it’s a scam some unscrupulous people use to get through without paying. Her ticket for the West End Matinee she was heading to see was also on her phone.

If there was ever some kind of cyber attack everything would just crash to a complete stand still.

Don’t get me started: 🤬 I just phoned Virgin Media! 151 just as well I’m not paying: 25mins wait?
When people phone my landline the ringtone sounds as though they are calling abroad?
Told the call handler(who I couldn’t understand - very strong Indian accent) had to start with all security ? Never remember secret password?
Finally after him sending by email a copy of my last bill:
Question 1: what was the amount
Question 2: what was the email address email was sent to
Question 3: when will you are due for the next bill?
Eventually after all that he said I have a ‘call divert’ service on my line? I’ve never ever requested this! It’s never ever been activated?! (I have an answerphone)!
So he asked if I’d like it to be removed? Of course, it will take 24-48hrs????
Next would I like to pay less? Daft question! Wait for it!
For just £1 less I would be sent a ‘free’ SIM card, with O2, would have to change my mobile no.! And set up another DD with O2!!!!!
No way - I’m happy with Vodafone !
What a scam!
Also in May I was promised a discount of £5 for 3days lack of broadband connection. Because the call handler couldn’t find trace of the conversation no refund can be processed!
Then he started to try and sell me other services!
I had to hang up!
Chaos everywhere! Just please Virgin reduce your charges!😳

I absolutely agree.

Lots of problems with Pets at home. Lovely store filled with helpful and knowledgeable staff, but if anything goes wrong with a repeating order you have to contact customer service via one of those chat things.

It didn't work for me so I am no further forward. Such is life !

I have a subscription to BBC Good Food magazine for my daughter, who has just moved house. I emailed them yesterday, got a reply this morning confirming the new address and that the next (September) edition will go to the new address. #

I also have subscribed to Science & Nature for my grandsons, and they have now grown out of that, but I couldn't track when the subscription expired. Almost instant response to my email telling me that they would canel from expiry, but that I should cancel the direct debit as a belt and braces thing,

Both of the above restored my faith in human nature somewhat, and that some customer services are truly that.

i have to agree, most things are tech based, we don't own things they own us, we have to so careful buying online etc,i am also reminded that in the good old days pickpockets worked the crowds in public hangings!

My current grouse is the hoops you have to go through to buy a light bulb. Gone are the days of a choice of bayonet/screw in and clear/pearl. We are looking at a new light fitting, I suppose the only consolation is that they will last much longer.

I agree with theexwife - am off to America next week and have my airline ticket on my 'phone, my hotel booking and my meet and greet parking. All done on line and (hopefully) will all go smoothly. I love booking train tickets on my 'phone - so much easier than either ringing up or going to the station. In the old days if you had family abroad keeping in touch was very difficult = 'phone calls had to be booked and cost a fortune and letters took forever. My son was in China recently and rang me - he line was completely clear - he might have been just down the road. So much modern technology is very exciting.

All this new technology was supposed to speed things up. Now it is 20 minutes if you are lucky to speak to a bank worker, pressing up to 10 options to be put on the right line only to be told they’ve gone home and to ring back later. The list is endless.

It’s called PROGRESS. Oh for the good old days

Car parking - grrrr! I have the Ringo app for a car park we use frequently, but often there is trouble with connecting, prob because Internet etc has a poor signal there. Other car parks - have on occasions given up because the app for other car parks won't load and ended up touring round the area to find street parking. Have never been able to get an answer from those car parking services who do have a phone number, and the list of problems goes on. What if your phone packs up, or people don't have a smart phone? Or it gets stolen from you, robbery from older people does happen?

I really like the simplicity of bill paying, banking and econsult online.

I remember having to go to a bank to pay a bill, difficult when you work the same time as bank opening hours.

Econsult is great, I have always had a reply within hours with a prescription delivered the next day if needed.

There are not enough people to answer the phones of utility companies so email or chat is quicker, the same applies to ordering something.

Keeping in touch and making plans is so much easier with WhatsApp.

If there is a system problem it is fixed very quickly, it is just we have become impatient and think everything should be immediate, compare it to how it used to be.

I agree that life does seem rather more difficult than it needs to be and technology seems to be at the root of it all. However, when they say that technology is instant and there are no delays that is simply not true.
If that were the case my husband would be able to access his work pension now and not have had to battle for two years (so far and counting!) The information is there but they can't do the paperwork necessary. When you phone, you speak to someone who is working from home and when they need to approach a line manager - they can't simply walk from one desk to another and ask the questions outright. They have make another call while you are on hold or send an email. It's ridiculous.
When out and about for car parking - you need an app or a bank card to pay for parking.
You scan your own shopping and then someone wants to check it!! Stop relying on technology and get people out there to make life friendlier and easier.
If you don't trust me to do your job without training then get the checkout operators back where they belong on the checkouts.
I often wonder what would happen if the world were to shut down technology for a day or so. We used to live without it - would we able to use our noggin if we were forced to? Or would we just sit twiddling our thumbs until it was all switched on again?
But OP I do understand your frustrations - a day out scuppered by chaos and ineptitude. We live in an area that when they decide they are going to do roadworks or whatever - they have not liaised with other utilities - with the result that the town is virtually gridlocked because every route is blocked in some way. Madness!!

On a recent holiday in the Isle of White we could not get a signal to pay on some of the Parking apps, there were lots of frustrated people stood around trying to pay. On a couple of occasions we had to move to a different car park where we could get a signal. These things are great when they work but you’re relying on a good phone/Internet signal. Even when there is a good signal some people who aren’t good with technology struggle.

The railways are now planning to close ticket offices, you will have to buy on line or queue to use the ticket machines. All well & good if everything’s working ok, but it could be a real problem for anyone not tech savvy or if you want to plan a complicated journey with split tickets. I hope they keep some people on hand to help those that are struggling. .

I feel exactly the same after my day yesterday. I have paperwork for a government office that I have been trying to make contact with for the last two months. They extended the deadline by two years yes TWO YEARS because no one can get through. I imagine someone gets through so ring every other day altering the time of day it became a game now it’s worn me down and with other things online including making an appointment for my flu jab which took me 45 minutes I just wanted to lock the door, close the curtains and go back to bed. Wake me up when it’s all over!