Things that are meant to be better but are not better

Off the back of this thread I’ve ordered one of the suggested adapters to allow me to use my old corded headphones. I’ll report back when I’ve tried it out. Thank you ti everyone who said you can buy those.

I can't understand why "booking charges" aren't included in the headline price for something. If they aren't an optional extra just make it clear what the final price is!!

This!

I’ve bough 4 tickets for an music event at Sandringham.

£135 a ticket and they still charged me an extra £42 as a ‘service charge’

Flabbergasted!

I quite like the ability to turn down the volume of my teens music in their bedrooms from my phone😂

"Our modern world is one where our senses are assaulted all the time, there is no escaping noise, pictures, nothing is simple. I crave silence, blankness, time to stop, breathe and not have someone or something wanting my time."

It's not surprising that people are constantly on edge and stressed or that people's mental health is deteriorating.

I don't buy the excuse that the manufacturers can no longer fit headphone sockets because they can't make them waterproof.

When did customers actually start to insist that all phones had to be dunkable-waterproof anyway? It's handy if the screen can handle a few drops of rain, but who is regularly going swimming with their phone tucked into their costume?! To the extent that they would rather lose the ability to use standard head/earphones with their phones than not be able to take them in the swimming pool with them?!

It makes me think of Microsoft, when they have constant updates to fix and add niche features that barely anybody has even heard of, let alone would ever use; which then make using the actual basic programs that everybody wants to use much slower and much less convenient.

Yesterday I was trying to link a bank account that had inexplicably stopped, on an accounts platform, having used a 6 digit code to get into my account - it used to send a code to my phone, but now I've changed phones (but not numbers) I have to get the code sent to an email, which seems more faffy.
Then I went into the Banking website via the accounts platform - that said I wasn't getting the best experience in that version of Chrome and I should update browser. I tried that and the device said I was using the latest version of Chrome. Then tried to log into the banking website 3 times using my phone app. It said it didn't recognise the code. So then went old school and tried a card reader but by then it said it had taken too long and restart the process, Had to go back to accounts website, log in again , get the message (again) that I'm using an outdated browser and then use the card reader....and then it worked.
Honestly I nearly lost the will to live! there was a lot of swearing
(I had wanted to call a number to ask them for help to resolve but they do not have a phone number!)

Has probably already been mentioned but WiFi fridges and washing machines etc

Apps for everything - no thanks don't want an app to control speakerphone volume from my phone, I'll just push the button on the thing

Completely 100% agree about the headphones. I like cheap, normal plug in headphones that I can't lose and I don't have to charge. Just seems logical to me. I hate that I can't use my cheap, normal plug in headphones if I'm charging my phone as it's now the same bloody plug. I was talking about this at work the other day and the youngsters all looked at me like I was weird.

yeah had same here rural and no telephone boxes anymore. no mobile service unless we walk a mile away and very frequent power cuts, so yeah totally cut off
so we are now totally stuffed, cant afford one of the digital phones ( not that that would help in a power cut)
but they still charging for the phone line and off peak calls??? Can't take that off apparently hmm

Yes, 100%. Proof of address from a government agency that can’t be more than 3 months old.

Motorola still have headphone jacks. Even the new ones.

The world is just obsessed with iPhones and Samsung products.

Android that uses Google for everything? Yes please. With excellent battery life ✔️ and obviously my headphone jack...

Banks and government/official bodies: "We have stopped sending letters, statements, invoices and other communications in the post, as they are all available to view online, so you don't ever need a physical hardcopy; plus this is much better for the environment."

Also banks and government/official bodies: "Whenever we need to see proof of your identity for a range of purposes, we will accept any of the following documents... these MUST be printed hardcopies; we cannot accept any online documents that you have downloaded."

Interestingly, you know how there used to be a booking fee when buying tickets over the phone - in the days when physical tickets would have to be printed out, put into an envelope, the envelope addressed, postage paid for and somebody would have to take it to the post box - as that obviously all cost them money in stationery, postage and staff time...

Well, isn't it curious how you still have to pay that booking fee in most places - even though you select and download your tickets yourself and no human needs to be involved at any stage at all?

Maybe they just genuinely forgot to remove the extraneous booking fee once it was no longer justifiable, as no more admin costs for booking were incurred.........

Even before I read your OP, immediate thought was “wireless”. 💯 isn’t as seems like everything needs a wire to charge it.

I know you said that wearily and jokingly; but if you think about it, the more cars that get stolen, the more replacement cars need to be bought, so car theft isn't necessarily a terrible thing at all from the pov of the car manufacturers...

Worked in a place where Sky News was on the screen in the background. When breaking news happens, they get the nearest correspondent and the presenter in the studio asks questions. Take a fire at a major building.
NP “how many people were in the building?”
CO “we are not sure”
Then rephrase the question
NP “how many people are injured?”
CO “we don’t have the information yet”
Then asks another question
NP “Do we know what was the cause of the fire?”
CO “it’s too early to say”

This is a waste of time and shows the unprofessionalism of this.

Oh the app I use for work, to log in to take calls
why the fuck do I need a secure app for that? Nobody wants to do my job when they’re paid for it, if someone wants to do it for free then have at it!

Still got loads of CDs and DVDs. Plus if your internet goes down, I have stuff to watch and listen.

Streaming also edits stuff too.

i stopped at a tiny farm shop with my dad and picked some up, he was having the same rant. Walked back to the car and both bit into one, the juice poured out, he looked at me and we turned round and bought more
I need to go back there this year! Incredible and not expensive either

100%! Rolling news 24/7 is awful, they fill it with any old dross. Much preferred the short old style format. Plus the clickbait world - everything is spun to get you to click that story. The older I get the more Victor Meldrew I become. Our modern world is one where our senses are assaulted all the time, there is no escaping noise, pictures, nothing is simple. I crave silence, blankness, time to stop, breathe and not have someone or something wanting my time.

So it can be robbed easier, duh

I drive a 12 yo car. Mechanically it’s fine but loads of things don’t work and it’s not worth fixing for its value.

I am looking at new/newer cars but the electronic gizmos are alarming so will try to wait for cars to go back to being analogue again - VW have seen the error of their ways. Buy bottom spec- why should it cost £2k to fix a/c just because car is badly designed? Been quoted similar to rewire the reversing camera.

I've just had similar with apple.

"Why have you disabled my apple account"

"Thank you for contacting apple. You are a valued apple customer.. blah. blah, blah. There has been suspicious activity on your account."

"Has there? What was it? There's nothing on my account or payments."

"Unfortunately we can't tell you. But it's in our T&C's"

"What? Which part of the T&C's? What's happened? Why? How do I get it back? I'm paying for additional storage, apple TV etc, what happens to all of that?"

"You can set up another apple account with a different email address."

"Oh right, so I can just set up another account with a different email and all of the stuff I already have will be linked or transferred?"

"Well, no."

Cue 3 weeks of extended email conversations, apple chats and a 90 minute phone call. Still no apple account. Can't watch apple TV that I'm paying for. Can't set up another account because the new one is connected to a phone number that they have blocked because of the suspicious account activity that doesn't appear anywhere on the account and they can't tell me about.

<head explodes>

This is the one for me I think. Everything spread out over multiple services, it's so annoying. I miss physical media being a proper thing. CDs, books and dvds for gifts. Actually owning something rather than it just being "there" and the streaming services taking it away when they want to.