to be fed up with how f-ing difficult everything is?

Yes! Awful!!! My favourite recently was someone coming to deliver 3 x large, heavy items. Called me and said 'I'm on this road'. I said 'O.K I don't live there...' 'well I put in the postcode'.

The deliver driver had literally just put the postcode into his sat nav without bothering to add in the address and then got frustrated when I told him he needed to actually come to the address as I couldn't carry the massive, heavy items 5 minutes down the road.

And what about when they do something wrong, offer you a £10 gift card as an apology after 30 minutes spent on the phone following a lengthy conversation with an AI chatbot that can't help you with any personal info anyway, but delivery costs £3.99 so you've actually been given £6.01 as a 'gesture of goodwill'. Infuriating!

There’ll be another thread on here shortly with lots of retail staff and customer service staff complaining how rude customers are.

Er yeah, because I have finally got through to you after a chat bot, ringing twenty times and being on hold for 55 minutes for you to tell me that I’ve called the wrong number…..

I agree with you all..The stress is awful.

Everything this years seems far more likely to take at least theee goes to he anywhere, and even then things never quite get sorted. It’s exhausting

Agree.

It feels like nothing can be done simply or quickly anymore, let alone done well, with endless hurdles to clear before making any real progress. It’s draining. Even trying to speak to a real person at a company to fix the smallest issue feels impossible.

I have a friend from Brazil who’s nearly losing his mind from all the stress caused by the bureaucracy involved in solving problems. He says that in his country, there’s a full consumer law code to protect people from companies, along with a whole government institution dedicated to defending consumer rights. Isn’t it wild that a so-called third-world country has something we don’t? He also mentions that there are actual employees in companies whose job is to help and support consumers. It’s not perfect—things often go wrong—but at least they have laws and a government body to fight back. Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing there either, especially when companies or their employees aren’t cooperative, or when communication breaks down. Still, like I said, at least they have laws and a government institution to stand up for consumers.

Totally agree! Everything is painful these days. There's a fight needed for everything.

Today: Food delivery with double cream that expires tomorrow, got to rebuy now and request a refund. 2 extra tasks for something that was supposed to make my life easier.

Last week: Car went into garage for service, brakes fixed and battery replaced. They didn't bother doing the battery or the brakes. Now got to manage without the car 2 days next month.

Earlier this month: son had hearing test booked automatically on an inconvenient date, rang about 20 times to rearrange and finally got through about an hour before the appointment (their opening hours on the letter were clearly wrong). Rebooked for a better date only to receive a letter saying it's been rearranged for another inconvenient date. Ended up just cancelling it in the end as it was no longer needed.

It's all such a waste of everyone's time!

Sky are absolute bastards for this.
I used to be able to manage my account using the options on my TV.
Clearly they want everyone to download their App. Fuck off! Why should I have to load my phone storage with your crap?
Tried phoning them… invariably get an overseas call centre where the level of English is so poor that communication is impossible.
They win when you give up. It’s all absolutely deliberate.
Once I am fully out of contract, I’m off. Seeing their adverts offering services for £25 for new customers only has just finished it for me.

I miss when mobile phones were really good at making phone calls.

Agree with you on Nationwide. Skipton was good too. Handy to know about Yorkshire Building Society as they have a branch nearby.

The worst was Santander.

Nail on the head and why I try to use service providers who offer a better service, including banks/building societies that still have local branches, shops that employ empathic humans rather than grumps, even online firms where you can actually speak with a human relatively easily (I tend to scope them out in advance by calling customer service before I buy or commit to anything just to see how easy it is). We shouldn't have to put up with crap service, whether from businesses, public sector organisations, etc. and need to vote with our feet and complain. We certainly shouldn't accept the general malaise of having to put up with crap everywhere because "that's how it is these days". People power still works!

I agree. I've done it for family and also some clients over the years. My list of banks not to touch with a bargepole include Post Office and Halifax, both of which I've found to be slow and utterly useless several times with different people. I closed my own accounts with them a while ago as they don't deserve business the way they poorly treat the elderly, their families and families of the deceased customers.

Others have been really good such as Yorkshire Building Society, Nationwide Building Society and LLoyds TSB. It's no coincidence that these are the banks I have our household accounts with and I recommend them endlessly to family, friends and clients.

I had to fill in a triage form yesterday for my son to be seen by the doctors (he is recovering post op and needed meds for new condition) and was out at the pharmacy so had to do it on the phone. It is hard to type because the screen is so small. I am middle aged so God knows how elderly people do it. They must give up :(

I had put my name in a box instead of my son's name. Even though I had clearly stated in the description that I was looking for help for my son, they text me and asked me to fill in a completely new form before they could go further.

This is not in any way to do with the incredible and hardworking NHS staff and I'm sure it helps with the sheer numbers of people who need to use the system but it used to be so much easier. The last thing you want to be doing when you're ill or someone else is ill is grappling with fiddly forms.

It’s all a total shit show and so fucking exhausting.

I feel like when all this online customer service stuff started, it was within a framework where everyone accepted that customer service should exist. It should be possible to fix things, get things right - but maybe it could be a bit cheaper or quicker if customers help themselves a bit with the standard stuff. Over time, the idea that it should even be possible seems to have totally eroded. It used to be a different way of getting help (in theory) but now it’s just a symbolic act of ritual pointlessless that stands in for a giant pair of two fingers flicking the v’s. You can’t get us! We aren’t going to help you! There’s nothing you can do!

I hate it on here when posters berate other posters for expecting better. Dont forget what life used to be like! Once you could see doctors! Once you could get refunds on blatantly faulty goods! We aren’t crazy to long for those days back!

Yep, they're made to use systems and processes which they know are less efficient than the tried and tested way of doing things, have to seem positive about it to customers when really they know it's a load of shit and worst of all the people bringing in these "improved" systems haven't factored in staff time to try to resolve resulting unforeseen issues. Both customer satisfaction and staff morale drop (because people generally DO want to make their customers feel satisfied) but even the customers don't have enough time to spend trying to get things resolved, so nothing gets resolved, there is just low level unsatisfaction all round.

Influencers do that too. I rememmber posting a comment on a post of a fashion influencer who'd bought a few new items. She had a pair of ridiculous sunglasses on which didn't suit her at all, she looked so silly. I posted feedback that I thought she looked great in everything but the sunglasses which I didn't think were flattering. My post was quietly removed, and instead there was one post after the other of "oh you look fab!", "those sunglasses are amazing on you", "you really suit that whole outfit, the sun glasses are so unique" etc etc.

It was the first time I really realised that influencers are just a LOAD OF BOLLOCKS, and just a different form of advertising. None of it's real. Same goes for most online reviews, and now general comments on chat forums are getting the same treatment. Just very little that's actually genuine.

And don’t get me started on on the DVLA….

I actually got to speak to a human straight away when I phoned AO. I've always found their service good.
If they can do it, why can't others?

My husband passed away unexpectedly in August and I still haven’t got round to changing everything over to just my name, due to the endless waiting for someone to answer the phone when you ring these companies/businesses. Some days I get upset as soon as I say my husband has died, on those days I’m good for nothing else, my brain power is depleted. Most companies it takes at least half an hour to sort out.
A case in point - received car insurance renewal, this reminded me that I hadn’t changed it to just my name, rang and sorted it, had to go through all the questions as if it was a new quote, told this would trigger the renewal in just my name. As the house/contents insurance is with same company they put me through to that department - a bit quicker sorting that. A few days later renewal in my name came, £23 more so I queried it - told prices change daily and that was new figure now. Shopped around but cheapest comparison with companies I’d actually heard of was neither here or there. Ended up paying the extra amount. Then letter arrives about house/contents insurance, I owe them £5.63 (!) and if not paid the insurance is invalid! Rang, letter should never have been sent, amount should have been wiped off by them. Just exhausting, nothing goes smoothly.

Buy online only with PayPal. They move when something goes wrong, and big firms know it.

I share your frustrations, OP. Seemingly straightforward and everyday things are never straightforward and involve untold levels of aggrevation!

A classic for me is buying a car park ticket, it gives me the rage everytime!!!!

Wait until you have to do banking for an elderly relative using Lasting Power of Attorney. That’s a whole other level of madness. I have a whole list of banks and companies I will never use again.

Yanbu. I feel like I never catch a break, disabled children in the house, the send system a previous op mentioned is bloody relentless in itself, reviews, changes meaning we'll end up at tribunal AGAIN. Multiple ongoing complaints almost constantly and that's before you start on the fucking life admin that shouod take 10 mins but takes forever because your password doesn't work, you need an app, you can't checkout with registering an account you don't want, something the house going wrong, elderly parents needing some help, what should be a straight forward job is never straight forward. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh.