Why is life so difficult?

Salti

I do ask companies these days where their call centres are based before I consider using them. I believe everyone should support their local/national economy if possible and I just can't cope with certain accents.

What a good idea! I'd never have thought of that and I, too, have difficulty with a few foreign accents!!
You are a clever one!

hetty58 yes 45 minutes. I started timing it and then started to think surely it can’t be much longer, then thought okay I’m going to give up and just make a reminder to go to a local chemist to get it done nearer the time. It’s the thinking that you’re nearly done, that surely it’s nearly done, surely it can’t take much longer now, then thinking I’ve spent so much time now what’s another 5 minutes, then finding it’s actually taken nearly an hour! It’s the same with waiting to get through to a human only to find that there are recorded messages every step of the way before you find you have to select yet another number and still no human. In the “older days” you’d just not press anything or press zero, and a human would answer. Now they just say “sorry I didn’t recognise your reply” or repeat the options all over again. Can anyone tell I’m at the “your call is important to us” stage right now? Sometimes I worry I’ll forget what I ringing for!

Something that makes life easier for me is First Direct online and telephone banking.
25years of trouble free, helpful and polite service. I simply cannot offer enough praise!

Loves Bach
Drives you mad doesn’t it!

Oh jb2022 I know what you mean but it is the elderly in-laws mostly who I help. However I now sometimes point out that they are asking somebody of the wrong generation for certain things and they need somebody half a century younger.

My moan is because I had to retire early 12 years ago I had tech skills and because I am bed/wheelchair bound my whole family thinks I have nothing to do and depend on me to sort out their techie stuff. I’m 69 and finding it hard to keep up with all the changes. I have nobody to show me and can spend days trying to do stuff for them. Would it be unreasonable to refuse and tell them all in their 30’s and 40’s that it’s too much for me?

Sarah1954 you have doubtlessly pursued this, but please make sure that your credit rating isn't affected - once you have been logged as a debtor it can affect transactions that you may want to undertake.

We spent over half an hour with the 'Ringo' app recently; the automated voice kept asking 'Is 123 456' your registration number?' I responded with 'Yes' every time, even trying with different accents, and still it couldn't understand me. It is standard now to hold on for at least half an hour, whoever you are trying to contact by phone, and does anyone else find that if you try to do business online, the list of options is never quite what you need? I rang Customer Services at a large well known organistaion and responded to the automated questions about my identity; the voice then said 'Customer Services cannot help with your query; please go online at...' I had no chance to state the query, but they couldn't help. At that point, I shared the feelings of Cid24.

Cancel the Direct Debit - they’ll soon get in touch!

We were given a hefty fine for late payment of something we had already paid.
We could, and did prove we had paid it, but that didn’t actually seem to make any difference, it was like they didn’t have a procedure for cancelling fines.
Eventually they agreed we had paid, and the payment had been made on time, and there we were stupidly thinking that was the end of it, when a few days later we get a demand from a debt collection agency.
Unbelievable!

I will admit, though, 'report fly tipping online' was a complete nightmare. I've put in an official complaint with the council including:

I have no time or inclination to read through your FAQs.

I don't know if the road is private or adopted, don't care - and won't contact the Land Registry to find out, either. I don't work for the council - you do!

Whether the council, TFL or Highways Agency have responsibility is of absolutely no interest to me. It's your job to find out and arrange for the prompt removal of the rubbish!

Lollin - 45 minutes to make an appointment for your flu jab? That's ridiculous. I just stroll up to the local chemist (they're dog-friendly so we both go in) and make an appointment or have it done. (All our medical details are online.) There's even a friendly assistant who'll make a big fuss of my dog while I pop into the treatment room.

fancythat, my GP practice and dentist just text me to make appointments for check ups. I don't go on a regular basis for anything else, being (fortunately) fighting fit.

All my dealings with Octopus and British Gas are online, using their 'chatbots' or email - so I never actually speak to anyone.

All large companies have alternate communication for those with disabilities, so I sought them out long ago.

It's easier to say I'm deaf than to explain that my autism just doesn't allow me to find the patience for waiting in a phone queue or to hang around for a call back.

Oh Harris 27….. why oh why did you go with Virgin …. has nobody ever told told you about their complete ‘Couldnt care less attitude ‘ to any of the problems you’ll get ….and there will be many .After trying for weeks to get them to cancel our package of football and films after disabled husband went into care…. I just had to cancel my D/D with them …that got their attention. They hold you to ransom with their packages!

Agree with you there!

Got a complaint in with SSE (Mum moved with OVO, then SSE started sending bills!) Can't do anything online 'because of the tariff she is on'. Paying through the nose for those horrible old storage heaters, which when you actually need warming up in the evenings, have run out of heat and aren't controllable. SSE said there was a cheaper tariff - Economy 7,
which needs a change of meter. So I look into newer storage heaters - well the same applies, the technology isn't really any better, so I then look at different electric heating. She is going to get a different type that are as controllable as gas CH, and need to get a new Economy 10 meter - SSE Complaints say they cannot book a new meter as we are now going back to OVO, but as she isn't as yet a customer of OVO, we cannot arrange an appointment! SSE want me to close down the complaint and open one with OVO, but we can't! Told them I wouldn't close it down as a least if still open I can speak with someone in the UK - they want it closed as I believe it costs them money - the woman on the phone will be going to OVO, but not until all the complaints are resolved apparently?

ARGGGGH!!

I wasted 6 hours last week trying to get our health centre to answer the phone. This was over two days. I let the phone ring out and it was not answered. I had to drive there eventually to speak to the receptionist. I think we are getting a terrible service from our health service now.

😁MerylStreep I think I’m making that comment my ‘go to’ when either of my DD’s are going on about things way too much.

fancythat

I am going to reread this thread to pick out those who dont find things difficult. And see if I can pick up a multitude of tips.

Quite simple: Don’t sweat the small stuff.
When friends or family are ranting about some of the issues mentioned here, I say, did anyone die …. No……. then there’s nothing to get that upset about, is there?

The trouble with number plate recognition starts when they can't tell if you're a blue badge holder Meryl Streep
Our local Facebook page is full of complaints from people who've received huge fines because they were at the doctor etc
Not being able to speak to a human is very annoying.

I have booked online for years but still find it stressful.

I had hoped to use my Crosscountry refund voucher (for a journey from hell) to help pay for a train journey to Nottingham. Nowhere on the rail network website is this possible so I phoned. A charming man in Bangladesh told me I would have to go to the booking office .
A round trip of 2 hours and the booking hall for advance journeys has disappeared at Edinburgh Waverley. You have to rely on whoever can sell you a ticket and although younger than me are not familiar with the trains or routes. She wanted to charge me £200 for a weekend return and said my CC voucher wasn't valid.
Feeling bruised I returned home . I love my son but it was too expensive.

The following week, I was in Edinburgh so had another go. This time a sensible woman sold me a ticket for £34 and used my voucher.

I am going to reread this thread to pick out those who dont find things difficult. And see if I can pick up a multitude of tips.

That seems to me to be a very patronising post, Grandtante. Are you suggesting all of us who are complaining are idiots who can’t manage their own lives? I, and I am sure many others on this thread, have been using computers competently for 25+ years but it’s only fairly recently (and ime since the pandemic) that these constant issues have cropped up.

All four of my DC also have the same complaints yet they grew up using computers. It’s not a lack of knowledge in users that is behind this, I think it’s tech that’s not fit for the job, lack of staff training and poor management.

Hearing aids, behind the ear or in the ear, which is most successful? Only need one as hearing perfect in "good" ear.

MerylStreep

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

Same here in Urmston MS.

Salti I too had positive Blue Badge renewal experience. It was done in minutes, because my passport photo was already on my PC. I used to get really stressed about it.

It's also much easier to order my many medications online, than battling with a receptionist.

On Sunday , I tracked a missing Evri parcel to the wrong delivery depot and got it yesterday

It's not all bad!

I often think that, though my parents didn’t have a lot, they didn’t have the stress that we have today. I’m pleased that banks are vigilant, re scams, but they certainly took, up a lot of my time one morning last week. I had offered to pay a tradesman’s bill for DD and SiL, to help out, so SiL emailed me the invoice, also letting said tradesman know. I logged on to online banking, and set up the payment transfer. The second after the recipient’s name and bank details appeared, I pressed continue, then a message appeared on my screen telling me that my account was blocked. I phoned the bank. The operator asked all the security questions, then asked what I was paying. Although I didn’t have to, for some reason, I said that I was paying a bill for DD and SiL. I was told not to lie, constantly reminded that if I didn’t give all the necessary information, I wouldn’t be repaid if I lost money. I was told to call DD to ask, if she knew that her husband had made this arrangement with me. I had to call SiL to ask how many people came to do the job, and if the job was done properly. The operator called back to say that they couldn’t find any information about this tradesman, even though he does have an online site. I then had to call SiL again to ask how he’d heard about said tradesman, and also had to call tradesman to recheck the bank details. Finally, a different operator called to ask if I was still willing to make the payment, again reminding me that if all the information wasn’t accurate, I wouldn’t get my money back. It went ahead smoothly after that! It’s good that they’re being very scam aware, but I did begin to wonder, at one point, if they were the scammer.