To be so utterly fed up of things being shit “because Covid”?

[Marianne1234]

“Covid measures” just so the organisation in question is seen to be doing something, even if it is pointless? Or just an excuse to reduce the service you get?

Masks in the school playground at pick up. It’s a big outdoor space. We don’t get anywhere near the building or teacher (I wouldn’t know my 7 year old’s teacher if she was in my soup). Forget your mask and you don’t get in the gate.

Hairdresser the other day - no tea/coffee. No magazines. Not even the table thing in front of you. Chair, mirror, with each hair dresser having a wheelie trolley thing.

Morrisons cafe - no menus??? No touch screen ordering at the entrance which saves a lot of time.

I’m so fed up of hearing “coz Covid” to justify cutbacks and crap service. It makes me wonder if little things like this will ever go back to normal. I’m not optimistic.

I went to register my newborn baby at the GP on Tuesday. Arrived at the door and was handed a form and a clipboard. Asked to fill it in at the door. It was 3 degrees. Couldn’t come into the surgery. Because of covid. I threw my toys out the pram (pardon the pun) and they made an ‘exception’ where I could sit in the doorway. Felt like a leper. Why did I take a vaccine? Makes my skin crawl, the covid Gestapo on their high horse, power tripping all over the place. A lot of people have garnered a concerning about of self importance since this pandemic began and it stinks

Yanbu at all.

It is undoubtedly an excuse for poor service in many cases.

In others it's just performative behaviour because they feel they need to be doing 'something'. My local library decided to make a one way system around the bookshelves "coz Covid". It's just stupid - I completely ignore it. There's also no fewer than three of them standing there to greet me as though I'm a visiting dignitary to ask me if I have any symptoms, hand me a santised pen or direct me to the QR code.

I should add that I have found many places practically back to normal now save for things like screens at check outs and santiser at the door. It makes the places who are keeping strict measures that negatively affect customer service look even worse in my opinion.

We can’t have chairs in the gallery at the swimming pool cos Covid (I know we are lucky to be allowed in the gallery at the swimming pool).

The sanitised pens 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ my girls go to a dance class that have sanitised pens at the sign in sheet. Take a clean one. Use it to write your initials on the sign in sheet. Put the pen in the tub marked “dirty”. Lovely.

I hate that you can't do anything on the spur of the moment anymore. You have to pre-book absolutely everything, cause Covid.

@Marianne1234

A lot of companies are actually keeping these measures in place because its better for them. Cheaper, more efficient or they just like it

Right. So say that then. Don’t just “coz Covid” me.

You’re missing the point.

But although our tactics may be slowly changing we are still in a global pandemic. It has not been down graded to an epidemic and there are still people who are suffering quite badly when they get it .

So I still can see why certain protections are in place. At the moment.

Sanitised pens and not being allowed to carry your own plate? That’s not protecting anyone that’s a performance.

@Unsure33cso which of the insane rules listed have prevented a single case of covid? Many have increased the risk of catching it by slowing people down and adding contacts

Our leisure centre is still a vaccination centre so taking two children with consecutive swimming lessons there is like a military operation. The hall is completely separate from the pool area.

We've had to take a route all the way around the building, and we have to drop shivering 4 year olds off in the doorway of the centre ready to swim. We can't collect until 1 minute before their lessons end, when we're radioed in. I have to sit back in my car for 25 minutes with my second child while I wait.

My absolute favourite one is that Dominos stopped doing their half and half pizza because of Covid!!
Which meant you then had to buy two pizzas rather than one. If they'd just got rid of it and said it was a business decision, fair enough, but to say it's because of Covid!!!

YANBU. In so many cases it’s just an excuse for shit and downgraded service.

This.

I had to take my cat to the vets yesterday, not allowed in with her. That was bad enough, but worse was hearing the vet tell a woman in the waiting room that her dog was terminal. Why not let us in to the consultation rooms masked?? I sit on public transport next to people for far longer.

I don’t understand why I need to give my date of birth and my child’s dob to buy tickets over the phone to go swimming. It seems like Covid is an excuse to gather peoples data. Same with our local tip, think they will forever have a booking system as it’s a way for the local authority to monitor who uses it and how often.

It's such a crap excuse now. Our local shopping centre shut a whole bunch of toilets and have never re opened them. That one has annoyed me a LOT.

Other things like DH not allowed to attend any antenatal appointments but can come to any scans and Labour, and can also come to GP appointments. What's the difference?

The morrisons touch screen one is weird because they still have the self serve ones in store!

In a lot of places it's a cost cutting exercise. If toilets and changing rooms aren't open they don't have to pay staff to work in them. I can't see it changing to be honest. They just assume people will get used to the status quo and stop complaining.

Yabu for the masks example (whether or not you agree, it's not relevant to the point). Yanbu about crap service and irritating little rules that clearly benefit the business/school but are passed off as "because covid"

Every single time I've had to call a company about something, or even contact them on email over the last 2 years, there's a message about Covid, and working from home, and please be patient, and we'll deal with you as quickly as we can.

Whether it's querying a delivery with a large store, speaking to a transport company or changing the package on your Sky account.

Doesn't square with everyone saying how SO much more productive they are working from home.

Trains still on ‘emergency timetables.’ DP got on the 19:04 Thursday night, it usually stops at our station, but no, it sailed through and went 1.5 hours away before stopping. No announcements about where it was stopping at all. There was no return train until the following morning (usually there would be two, it wasn’t late). £90 hotel bill as a result.

A lot of the problems with food are Brexit rather than pandemic. Though picking out what caused what is difficult to say the least.

Local Sainsburys cafe is open, and so are the loos, but isn’t doing any cooking and is on a heat up crap only menu, so why bother going to it? Not surprisingly it’s empty, used to be buzzing and had a good menu.

Pubs and restaurants shutting unexpectedly some nights in the week, or closing at 8pm. Tried a night out and very few places open. Favourite pub was closing as we arrived. I do feel for the industry but as a customer, it’s rubbish.

All call centres with that stupid spiel about covid and being very busy so you have to wait ages before they answer. Rubbish, they sorted out wfh ages ago and are just not employing enough people to give a good service to save money.

Same at our local tip Oblio, it’s absolutely crazy - the staff are not allowed to help, appointments only and half the place closed off.

Overall it’s shit.

Yabu for the masks example (whether or not you agree, it's not relevant to the point)

I disagree. I think it’s performative. I don’t mind wearing masks indoors but outdoors for a 10 minute school pick up is complete overkill. I very much doubt the filthy cloth masks are doing anything anyway.

[quote GiveMeNovocain]@Nosquit not being allowed to touch your own plate is pretty much the pinnacle of covid crazy rules.
Although if we're looking back I saw a family of 7 having to split onto 2 tables despite all living together because of the 'rule of six' (I feel 'rule of six' needs an echo at the end or at least a deep booming voice).[/quote]
The security staff at my son's Uni would split up groups of 7 or 8 if seen walking round campus together (during the lockdowns when there was no F2F teaching). They wouldn't listen to the fact that they were living in flats of 8 so were living together "as a household" and could prove that by their keyfobs! But no, security would split them up and threaten to report them for disciplinary. As if life wasn't miserable enough for Uni students during the lockdowns (and subsequent extended periods of no F2F)

Covid rates are still high so staff absence high due to isolation. So some of these are not an excuse but a reason.

However other things are ridiculous and Covid an excuse for poor service or no service.

Limited menus 'because of covid' missing my favourite items

The Toby carvery thing where they carried your plate to your table was so they could get around the rule of table service. If you carried your own plate it wasn't table service, if they carried it for you it was and at that time restaurants and pubs were only allowed to be open providing table service

@RavenclawDiadem

Every single time I've had to call a company about something, or even contact them on email over the last 2 years, there's a message about Covid, and working from home, and please be patient, and we'll deal with you as quickly as we can.

Whether it's querying a delivery with a large store, speaking to a transport company or changing the package on your Sky account.

Doesn't square with everyone saying how SO much more productive they are working from home.

Yep, I agree, some pratt pranged my car and I had to claim via their insurance company. Took over 10 phone calls, each one taking an hour or two, to get it sorted. So many times the person finally answering the call was clearly distracted (one by a barking dog, another by a child crying), and they just didn't do what they said they'd do, so that needed another call a few days later when it became apparent they'd not arranged what they said they would. It was one thing after another, getting the car taken for evaluation, getting a hire car, getting settlement figure after they wrote it off - every single sodding stage it was a battle, firstly to get to speak to anyone, and secondly, a lottery as to whether they'd do what they said they would. Churchill insurance are an absolute disgrace. And yes, it clearly shows WFH workers aren't as efficient as they think they are (though they're probably deluded as they just like it so try to pretend they're just as good working at home).