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.

@XenoBitch

Yes vets are ridiculous. We’re still not allowed in (except to pay!) and if they need to talk to you they come out to the car. My theory is they like animals a lot more than they like people

My vets allow people in, but only one. On one of my recent visits, someone was having their dog PTS in the car park so all the family could be there.

When you arrive you have to ring the vets landline which might be engaged because of it being used for making appointments. The nurse or vet then collects dog from car. They go in no idea what happens. Your dog is taken back to the car. Then when you get home you have to ring up to pay the extortionate bill. Only for phone to be engaged because someone is ringing them to say they've arrived in the vet car park.

It is bonkers

@Lilifer I am in North East England. Have also had no problem in taking ddog to the vets either since the summer, you used to have to meet the nurse at the door but I've been allowed in with her the last two times we have been.
I am surprised by so many people still having so many issues elsewhere- not my experience at all.
My son is ay university in the South West and been having face to face teaching since he started in September.

Absolutely agree. My son who has various disabilities normally sees (among other specialists) his paediatrician once annually in spring but now he hasn’t seen her for nearly three years and I expect this spring’s appt will also be downgraded to a talk with me over the phone again.

Services for disabled children were really poor for a long time ‘bc of covid’ and even now I notice a couple of groups supposedly for disabled children are still only running remotely, with purely online sessions. When groups for other children are all running in person again. These sessions aren’t for clinically vulnerable young people in the main. Children like my son who can’t make sense of zoom calls are effectively excluded from these sessions. I find it so sad that disabled children are expected to put up with second class provision like this and to continue seemingly indefinitely with staring at screens instead of ever meeting face to face - their isolated parents too.

I'm happy with things that actually help cut down the liklihood of getting covid: wearing masks, enhancing air circulation, extra space etc. All that makes sense, but so many places are just making up insane rules that have little sense.

Oh and I have massive sympathy with universities, they are being told different things every five minutes by the government. Both of my local ones have been doing face to face teaching for months now, but giving online as an option. Bending over backwards to support students.

Our dentist has drawn the blinds and locked the doors - they will do routine appointments if you call and ask, but won't proactively offer an appointment. When you arrive you have to phone from outside to be let in

I am in the south of England where most things are reasonably back to normal (can't comment on schools or vets) but the (private) dentist is still locked and you can't book online either, only phone.

Individuals may feel they are more productive from home but given the 30 minute call centre waits, I suspect there’s an awful lot less people ‘online ‘ and available at any one time in between walking the dog, picking kids up, dropping them off , putting some washing on, etc — I’m torn on this because when my son was younger I actually went self employed and WFH simply because of the better flexibility, so I understand totally why it works better for many mums — on the other hand as a consumer I’m certainly not seeing the same levels of customer service, so can only conclude that fewer people are available at any one time.

My young son was seeing a pediatric Dr to check his development. Last 2 appointments have been over the phone. Once a year. So utterly pointless

@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.

My hairdresser ditched magazines pre covid in Feb 2020 following Caroline Flack's death. Unrelated to Covid.

I get a cup of tea now and still have a table.

It is quite funny where I work. In my opinion productivity has gone through the floor, yet there are still many people saying how great WFH is and how much more productive we are!!

The longer the commute the more enthusiastic the person is about WFH, a few decision makers live quite far from work, so I don't think we will be back in the office anytime soon.

@skipperjonce

A popular beach cafe near me removed vegetarian sausages from the breakfast menu coz of Covid. Best they could offer me was a tomato in a roll ffs.

Surely this is to do with supply issues or Brexit rather than covid? But no-one wants to offend customers who voted leave, so covid is blamed instead...

My DH is in customer service for a big company and he wfh far more effectively than in the office, since they were crammed in like sardines and often couldn't hear customers speaking due to their colleagues shouting 2 feet away on the phone to a different customer. However, he is very good at his job and as a result is constantly cleaning up messes created by others in his company, so wfh clearly isn't helpful for everyone's productivity. I don't know what the answer is.

Perhaps managers could ask the low performers to come back in and leave those doing well wfh to keep at it?

I was thinking this the other day - that any company, business, service, etc that still cites 'cos covid' is just an excuse cos they can't be bothered.

No opticians appointments till mid March at any of the chain stores around here. Long message on every stores phone about Covid before I can even talk to a human.
Phoned up the nearest independent opticians and got an appointment next week no problem. No mention of Covid.

Specsavers where I live are doing appointments. Seeing them Thursday.

I feel for the hospitality industry but they really don’t do themselves any favours.

A friend and I decided to pop into a pub for a quick cold drink on the way home from the city recently. Mid afternoon. Walked in to an empty pub, I mean literally no one in there except the woman at the door who asked us if we’d booked a table (no, this is a spontaneous swing by for a drink at three o’clock. Who books that?!)

We said no and headed for the bar. She stopped us and said we needed to take a seat and use the app to order drinks. We said we didn’t want to do that, could she allow us to go to the bar and if that’s not allowed then bring us two drinks please? She said no cos Covid.

So we left. I can’t be arsed with downloading apps, setting up an account for a pub I’ll never visit again and inputting all my personal and credit card details just to order a bloody lime and soda. What nonsense.

So we left. I can’t be arsed with downloading apps, setting up an account for a pub I’ll never visit again and inputting all my personal and credit card details just to order a bloody lime and soda. What nonsense.

I had a similar situation when I went into a cafe a few months ago. I ordered a macchiato and was told I needed to 'check in' for Track and Trace, which was a real pain as I didn't have data on my phone and logging on to their Wifi requires setting up an account. I had already ordered the coffee so had to do it, but the whole nonsense took longer than it took to actually drink my macchiato. I told myself that next time I wouldn't bother.