The mental exhaustion of tech

[blandana]

School requests payment for something (hurrah!)
Log into payment site
Site always takes you to the admin page and not the parent log in so faff about trying to get into the correct log in area. Find correct school, find correct log in details
Select child (I have multiple so have to find the right one)
Find what I have to pay for
Give consent
Fill in details (medical, emergency)
Pay for item
Fill in payment details, payment rejected
Try again - payment method accepted but needs to be verified on banking app first
Banking app doesn’t log in because face recognition doesn’t work
Log in manually to banking app
Approve payment
Go back to site
Payment goes through
Finally, exhausted, my child can go on the school trip.

At this point I’d much rather put £15 in an envelope and be done with it.

Yes, I know we are in the era of everything tech and that’s just the way it is. And the idea of filling out paper forms isn’t thrilling either. But I hate the screens, the tech, the facelessness and thanklessness of it,
it’s exhausting and I don’t like it.

I’ve had a hard day and that’s the tip of the iceberg.

Feel marginally better now I’m going to get off this screen and climb a hill.

Oh I hear you with that one!!!

I feel like that about passwords, pop ups, adverts, AI prompting me all over the place with unsolicited advice, school emails, work emails, phone calls from numbers I don’t recognise, my doctor constantly bugging me since I turned 50 wanting me to arrange blood tests and give blood pressure readings, go got smears and mammograms on top of all the kids appointments. Everything honestly needs to just STOP.

My problem is I have just lost my job so havong tp get back to applying for jobs. I don't have my own computer - used to the work one. Managed to change my CV (from 2018!) save it when I next go into iCV Library which is a pretty good site but however many times I change and savemy cv and cover letter it reverts back. Nopw i m not sure if my recently saved CV is being sent out or not!

As I no longer have a workcomputer. I decided togo to the library to do this. It took foreverto findthe password, get into the site and. find where to edit the cv and very soon my time had run out! Also using a friends laptop and am sitting on theend of the bed settee hunched over - not ideal! Plus the tyhpe is quite feint and my eyes are not good!!

Still, today applied for 10 jpbs and recorded that in my Universal Credit journal.

Here's hoping something comes up. Also room hunting as spofa surfing at the moment!

@blandana I was thinking it wd be a backstop as I’m self employed right now you maybe right

@Parsley1234I hope something better comes along for you without all the unnecessary barriers.

So my car broke down today, which probably tipped me over. Car breaks down, call the garage, they say call the breakdown people on this number. Ring the number, they then send you a text to log it online. Log it online and they tell you there will be a 4-5 hour wait and you must ensure you have your phone as they will call you to make sure you still need them.

How the feck do you keep a phone charged enough to last that long when today’s phone batteries barely last a phone call and you have no fecking place to charge it because, hello, your car has broken down??

It just about lasted, btw, and that was after putting it on the most battery saving mode possible. I think what was stressing me out more than the car issue itself.

I did this for my dad the other day. Born 1937. Air was blue

@sleepwouldbenice no wonder that's enough to make anyone's head explode 🤯

Dealing with a solicitor at the mo and took ID for them to copy at face to face appt. as requested. But for some reason also have to use an app to check ID as well so take photo of driving licence (has photo of me with no glasses as passport website insisted I take them off). Then have to scan my face but it doesn't like it as have glasses on so I don't match the driving licence pic. Take them off. Can't read screen. If it's close enough to read the app gets upset as head has moved outside of correct zone. It then wants me to film myself turning my head left and right and saying a PIN code at the same time??? What was the point of going in with ID on paper then. They also want my 85 year old mother to do the app nonsense. Good luck to them. Might just give up and forget about probate and lifetime trust rather than deal with the ID crap 😫

Anyone updating their CV, you might as well use AI to write it as the recruitment companies use AI to filter out applicants.

I use a fair bit of tech at work and am happy dealing with day to day stuff online even if I do have to reset passwords regularly. However, since looking after an elderly relative, I'm really concerned about how difficult it is for people with less confidence in technology to get by in daily life now. This person is highly educated and very practical but just can't get their head around websites/apps/2 stage authentication etc. They want to walk into a bank or phone an insurance company and talk to a real person and that's getting harder and harder. I find it really depressing how little consideration has been given to people in similar situations.

When my kids were at primary school 15/20 years ago payment was simple, cheques! No faffing with online payments or scrabbling round for change. Found a half used cheque book the other day, the stubbs were all school related, quite nostalgic now they are all big tall adults.

At a restaurant, I had the option to pay on my phone by scanning a QR Code or waiting for a waiter to come with a machine.

I thought I'd try the QR code. As I was entering my full credit card number, expiry date and CVV, the thought occurred that I am doing the waiter's job for them. The final insult came when having entered all that information, I realised I had to pay an extra 2 pounds for the privilege of using the payment 'platform'. They are relying on the person giving up at that point and just paying the 2 pounds to get out of there.

I am not going back to that restaurant or ever paying by QR code again.

Companies who try to cut labour costs by making us do their job and pay to use their tech must think we are stupid.

I detest the fact that it's put across as it's better for you as the customer.
No it's better for the company/organisation that I work for free doing what an employee should be doing.

OP, not just me then (!)

@blueshoes kind of cross posted with yours.

Shit website design is..well..shit.

Very sad how simple human interactions, which are actually very important, are being undervalued. Saying hi and a brief exchange with another human is how relationships are built (not saying you have to go out with the waiter but you know what I mean 😆).

So, so true. Having to scroll through all the most obscure countries you can think of first. I absolutely hate it. I tried to pay for my mother’s parking permit . Had to reset password and user name etc etc . Doesn’t recognise her details . I can’t phone the council as they are forcing everyone to do it online. Sent them an email and was told I might get a reply within two weeks. Meantime the permit will run out. I absolutely hate it all. My mother can’t use the Internet so it all falls to me.

If I’m having a shit day, sometimes just a 2 minute chat with the lady on the till at my local shop can make you smile or lead to something else - god I’m bloody full of stupid innuendo tonight. No, again, I don’t mean get off with her. Conversations can take surprising turns.

I can't bear it. By the end of the day (currently working from home) my head aches, I can't see then I have to go on gov.org for things, and online banking and I just think is this what humans have been reduced to now. I'm mentally exhausted.

And are we having an epidemic of mental health crises and loneliness …? yes, yes we are. Who woulda thunk it?!

I go to the same checkout person, she's efficient, friendly and we talk about all sorts of there's no queue.. usually about how bad management are ..my Dw work's there as well.

The irony is it’s these things that give you high blood pressure to start with!!

Oh I get so bloody irate sometimes.

Have to log into something to do whatever admin/bill paying/meter reading/whatnot.
My computer autofills my email and password, great.
Site says password is wrong.
Click on forgot password.
Says it will send me password reset, great.
Reset doesn't arrive. Not in junk, not anywhere,.
Try again, wait, same thing,
Give up on that and try setting up new account.
Site won't let me because "we already have this email address registered"
AAAAAAARRRGGGHHHH

Now I have not got the admin done and wasted the 20 fucking minutes I had spare to do the thing and now have to rush off to pick someone up/cook tea/whatever. The sheer wasting of time drives me mad.

And don't get me started on arsing Teams.