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.

@TheOldLadyOfThreadneedleStreet

Trains still on ‘emergency timetables.’ DP got on the 19:04

There's no excuse for not having proper announcements on board and correct stopping information on screens at stations and on the train.

BUT, passenger numbers are said to be down by half compared to pre covid, so a reduction in frequency of trains is reasonable, and of course, staff shortages (due to covid or isolating because of covid) means that a reduced timetable makes sense when there are fewer staff available.

So, it's unreasonable not to tell travellers where it's stopping, but not unreasonable to run a reduced timetable.

@Soubriquet

My dh can’t get an appointment to the asthma clinic in order to dispense life saving medication.

They want to do it over the phone. How can they check your peak flow over the phone?!

Sorry, they say. COVID

Ha. You think they do a peak flow test if you see them?

I went somewhere last week, it's meant to be open 10-4, with service until 3pm. At noon the guy said "you better hurry because service ends at 1pm". I told him the website said 3pm, but he just shrugged "covid".

I mean, that's not an explanation! Why does covid mean you can't either a) keep your correct, and already very limited hours or b) update your bloody website. Extra irritation points because they did have a whole "covid" section on the website, which had the wrong hours on.

@Eslteacher06

I went to an event at Christmas 21 that I'd been to for years...a kids disco and santa thing, but they increased the price, didn't include the disco and the santa looked like some drunk guy they picked up off the street. They didn’t tell me the disco wasn't included. When I complained I was greeted with 'Soz, because of Covid'. We're two years down the line now....there is NO excuse. Grinds my gears!

To be fair though, the Santa may have been a random off the street, Santas were dropping like flies in December thanks to Omicron. Our school fair’s Santa came down with it on the morning of the fair, the quest to find a replacement on a Saturday in December was a thing.

I think you just have to shop around a bit to find the services that suit you. My hairdresser is doing coffees again.

There’s definitely a lot of crap service out there with Covid as an excuse, not a reason, if you see what I mean. As others have said companies are using it as a smokescreen to reduce customer service. And the fact we’re still banging on about surfaces is quite quite mad.

The generic ‘cos of covid’ excuse really pisses me off.

Be more specific- tell me it’s because of staff sickness, or delivery delays or whatever. I may be more understanding.

I like the changes at our tip - not queuing down the road to get in is an vast improvement.

I like the fact that barbers all have booking systems now when they didn’t previously- that saves a lot of waiting around too.

The excessive hold times to speak to most companies are really annoying me though - when lots of friends are at pains to tell me how much more productive they are when wfh, this doesn’t exactly tally with my experience.

GP surgery - if I’m one of the lucky ones to get my call answered before 8.30am I get a call back and an appt on the same day if needed. But I can only run the 8am gauntlet on the 1 day of the week that I’m not in work and that relies on my dc hitting redial on my phone while I take them to school!

Dentist - NHS dentistry will never recover from the last 2 years.

@crossstitchingnana

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.

They don't even have a waiting room in our one now, they expect people to sit in their cars outside and I've seen people given awful news in the middle of the car park.

I don't drive so I have to sit on a nearby public bench instead. That's been great fun in snow and rain recently.

It also seems to mean you don't get any choice with treatment. They didn't check with me if we had used flea or worming treatment, just took my dog inside for his check up, administered it, then charged me £45 for it.

My friend is having her first baby at the age of 38. She’s under subtle pressure to consider a home birth. I think that’s hugely irresponsible

@Minikievs

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!!!

@Minikievs half and half is back where I am!! I ordered one on Thursday after months of it not being available 😃

What the pandemic has shown is those companies that provide customer service willingly, and those that will do what they think they can get away with.

The latter seem to me to include banks and the post office, most of all Ryanair (whom I never use).

@Marianne1234

My friend is having her first baby at the age of 38. She’s under subtle pressure to consider a home birth. I think that’s hugely irresponsible

That is odd. My home birth was cancelled 'cos Covid'.

I am fed up with it too, endless inconsistencies with what is or isn't allowed. The worrying about surfaces, especially something like a pen, where you can just sanitise/wash hands after is ludicrous! Trouble is, the guidance has changed (rightly so as we have learned more about this novel virus) but plenty of people lack the critical thinking skills to adapt it to their business. Or in some cases, decisions were made at the top, probably forgotten about and no one has told the shop floor they don't need to do that anymore....

Do we know it isn't spread by touching surfaces/items ?

Even if someone contagious breathes/coughs over that surface?

Genuine Question.

@J7510

Do we know it isn't spread by touching surfaces/items ?

Even if someone contagious breathes/coughs over that surface?

Genuine Question.

This is a pretty good explainer. Surfaces are considered pretty low risk. All the surface cleaning/sanitising/don’t touch things is mostly Covid theatre now - but the messaging at the start of the pandemic is really hard to overcome.

I mean, if you see someone cough on a surface, don’t go and lick it immediately afterwards. But overall, surfaces are not a high risk.

In others it's just performative behaviour because they feel they need to be doing 'something'.

I’m not sure if they’re still doing it but last summer (or summer 2020) I went to John Lewis to try on shoes. You were allowed to pick up any shoes you wanted to look at etc, but to try them on, had to remove your socks and put on disposable little pop socks.
Massively wasteful and totally pointless. I could touch the shoes with my bare hands, I was trying on boots so they touched my jeans , but sure, my sock touching the inside of the shoe was the real danger here in terms of covid spread.

If I didn't get a lovely coffee at the hairdresser I would go elsewhere. Where I currently go their coffee is amazing. People are making excuses if you ask me. Crap service.

Yep sick to death of it all !

I was waiting to see a cardiologist for 8 months due to having frequent bouts of tachycardia. I had an appointment booked in for 2 weeks ago and the letter said they were going to do lots of tests so come early. However, the week before I got a letter to say it was going to be a telephone appointment “due to Covid”

That day I had an appointment with my orthopaedic surgeon, who I’ve seen face to face and had ops by all through the pandemic. He said “what’s the point of that? That’s like me saying I’ll give you a steroid injection over the phone!”

Anyhow, I had the appointment which was crap, I now need to wait for the tests that I should have had done, and a 24hr tape and I’ve just been sent a letter to say I’ll be sent a virtual appointment with the cardiologist in 3 months “due to Covid”

I think it’s disgusting tbh. I’m sure the Govt are behind a lot of this but why are some HCPs making sure they see people but others not?

Elderly care has been massively affected.

Online systems exclude many.

At the same time, services and social groups have been reduced or stopped completely, leaving many elderly people extremely isolated.

Don't get me started on breathless elderly people being made to wear masks by medical staff - "She can take it off when she sits down".

The local council is by far the worst. Frankly they seem to be absolutely loving it. The offices taped up like a crime scene, a message on the phone saying no one will answer the phone, email only, and a message on email saying general emails only which will be monitored once a day “because of covid”. Pest control will not come out “because of covid and cev staff” .

Incidentally, though, how daft is the poster upthread who said they like the tables spaced far apart at restaurants and fewer people at yoga… Don’t expect those restaurants to be there for long or for the yoga business to survive. Strewth.

@Popetthetreehugger

Went to Santander yesterday, wanted to speak to a person …. Go on line and book for March ! I trotted of to metro and saw someone in 20 min . I do feel for hospitality, my son is a publican , and truly can’t get any experienced staff .

Wow I closed my account there as they couldn't seem to do anything in branch so when there were problems online, no help available.

Then the local branch closed anyway. It's clearly a chosen business model but I am glad I closed it!

You still have to queue outside at our vet's surgery, whatever the weather.

I started a thread about those without technology being excluded from travel because of covid. I saw the reality of it yesterday when I went to pick up some Lateral Flows for travel to France.

Mature lady asking the assistant how she can order the tests and fill in the forms if she isn't on the internet. They said it was not possible. Covid has created this situation where those without internet access are an underclass.

My hairdresser wouldn’t take my coat ‘because covid’, also no tea/coffee and no magazines etc. I thought we were past the point of thinking there was any significant transference of the virus on surfaces? Not to mention if I’m going to catch it from the hairdressers it’s probably going to be from the hairdressers massaging my head for 10 mins rather than the magazine surely

Under the cloak of relative anonymity, I will admit I am fed up with my colleagues shouting at children for not wearing masks or for wearing them incorrectly.

Dc had a 30 month review a couple of months ago over video chat. I know businesses are being cheeky fuckers to cut cost but this is my child's development. Surely you would want to see the said child
in person where there are toys laid out and watch how dc plays and communicates and interacts instead through a video where viewing this would be limited.

I ended up in hospital with pneumonia, at 28 weeks pregnant, because my GP wouldn't see me face to face. Instead she said (over the phone) I'm sure it's just a virus so you don't need antibiotics, even though I'm severely asthmatic and had pneumonia before. Two days later I phoned again, saw a different doctor at the surgery and was sent straight to hospital.

On a similar subject, why can I see a midwife face to face, have a scan at the hospital, but consultant appointments have to be over the phone?