AIBU to think commerce has utilised technology in a way that makes some aspects of our lives more cumbersome

[HauntedBungalow]

Supermarket shopping for example, not just the customer physically doing more but also the multi-tiered pricing systems.

Having to book many leisure activities in advance is another, also the pricing of these has gone rogue.

Accessing films, music too is complicated - theoretically we have everything at our fingertips but actually it's all parcelled up in subscription services and ownership/access changes all the time.

And if you hit a bump in service of any kind, your only remedy is to have a bot chat at you.

I thought the technological revolution would look a bit different, from this.

I pay the SKY bill for TV and broadband. Husband moans that he's found a deal cheaper. I won't change because I can speak to a human being, it's sorted within 48 hours. And it rarely goes kaput. Once in 8 years.

This is exactly what the issue is with targeted advertising. Websites that use it will slap you down for objecting and insisting that you will get more relevant adverts that are more likely to interest you; but they completely ignore the very obvious fact that most people don't want to be cyber-stalked to make it easier for companies to profit from them.

This is why I always search with Startpage or DuckDuckGo - never Google; and use a browser that doesn't view your privacy as its own property by right.

Nobody would ever have accepted somebody intercepting your letters and opening them before sending them back on to you, so they can 'help you' to buy something from them that you 'might like'. Nobody would accept people listening in on their phone calls for the same purpose; or even going through your recycling bin. Why should online communications and usage be any different?

I agree the things they have put in place make things longer and at times more difficult.

I will add to this thread... trying to book flights! Had a look on easyjet and Ryanair and how difficult is it to book flights and jump through all there hoops! Plus I don't understand the seat selection, baggage selection and add ons.... I just want flights for ffs!!

All I'll say is that, whether using your phone or desktop/laptop for MN, you must always be Brave...

I am pretty much with you on this - although I dislike the practice some shops have of signing you up to their emails (they should explicity ask your consent for this) when they send your receipt.

Parking apps - brilliant. I never have changed. The machines I mostly use give an option for both.

Tickets - as an added bonus I can also add electronically sent tickets to my digital wallet or attach them to my calendar so they are there when I need them.

What I do feel frustrated with is ridiculous 'admin' charges when pre-booking online. I have done the bloody work, why are you charging me 10% plus an additional random figure for me to input my details?!?! This isn't new to doing things digitally, but if you had spoken to a person at least there is an argument that they need to be paid or physical tickets need to be posted.

Oops quoted the wrong post so my answer doesn't make sense.

Generally, I quite like being able to order etc. on my phone.

Since GDPR I seem to get three times as many emails as before.

And I don't want six fucking emails for everything I order online. I can just check on the app or website when delivery is due, or get notifications. Emails are just a hot mess.

Just Eat. So many establishments now using them around here. If I've paid to eat on the premises I don't want my food to take 40 minutes to arrive because the kitchen is flat out sending stuff out the back door.

This. I get really irritated by how restaurants are prioritising JustEat over the customers who are PHYSICALLY STOOD THERE.

Yes McDonalds I'm talking to you!!!!!!

Another bug bear is we took my 10yo to Pizza Hut for her birthday - we were escorted to the table and told to scan a QR code on the table to make our orders. Fair enough, I don't necessarily have a problem with that. But Pizza Hut want you to add a tip to your payment - a tip for what? You haven't done anything at that point! You haven't taken our order, or brought us our cutlery, or our drinks or our food? If it's a buffet, you're not even doing that! So what do you expect a tip for???

am currently applying for jobs. I am utterly sick of having to set up an account for each fucking company who will ghost me anyway just to send them my CV and a cover letter, and all my references (not in UK, we all have written refs here) and possibly all my certificates.

I use "wankers" as a pw for all of them, and am seriously thinking of setting up an email address for each one, so if they ever reply, at some point they will have "[email protected]" on their database. It amuses me anyway.

Also: if you do get past that, (also "we've sent you a code" set up 2FA etc etc) their data allowance for a job that requires bundles of qualifications and experience is 5mb which ISN'T FUCKING ENOUGH EVEN AT HIGHEST COMPRESSION

One upside of having lots of time on my hands is that i often write to a company that wants my email before i can browse their site with the information that they will be the very last company i ever buy anything from and i'm telling all my friends to annoy them too.

Likewise websites where you have to click away 47 screens of cookie choices (just give me: accept all, necessary only, reject all) before you can give them your money. Fuck. Off. Wankers.

My mum shops at Sainsburys. She doesn't go online (so the Boots, M&S & waitrose cards are all moot now) so i just tell her to pick up a new nectar card every time she goes in (to save her searching through her purse for 7 hours to find it) and get the instore discounts.

Restaurant wants me to dl an app so i can order? all. the. nope.

i have Sky for TV only. Recently our Q box started being really flakey so i wanted a new one (or an option to watch TV)
Can't speak to a human by phone, so go to chat, which isn't a human and doesn't understand my issue. Went round and round in circles until i just called the number where you add packages. Then i got a person. As soon as i was spending money, i was allowed to speak to a person.

Ok, how often do you use contactless payments? or direct debits?
Yes it's blooming annoying to use all these things, but if something annoys you and directs you there don't do it. It's a choice.
Yes it's hassle, and yes some places won't accept that you are not going to download this or that, but, and this is the actual but, none of them need all the info - or give them something irrelevant, find out the address of their head office and use that.
We have the ability to not shop or use services which we don't want, you can either choose not to be annoyed or waste precious time and effort on something which won't change.
Meter readers - these used to be a thing.... takeaway delivery, you know where the driver is, no more waiting around, some things are easier, some aren't.
Your decision.

eh? what does this even mean?

Ok, how often do you use contactless payments? or direct debits?

i use contactless payments a lot, they are easy: i get my card out, hold it up to the machine and that is done. Are you comparing this with dl an app, set up an account, add my card details, pay?

Agree Washing machines now are rubbish.
Paying for parking - literally hell. I despise using phone to pay for parking! I will not park somewhere where I have to do this..
Agree on booking swimming etc in advance. What a pain!! All of these are to improve their business efficiency- it does nothing for the consumer. To the contrary it makes the consumer work harder to complete the task… customer service going down the drain!! I think it makes business’ lazy and less responsive to customers’ needs.

Store this number 0333 759 1751.

Booking to go to the recycling centre, even mid week when few are there, though they did say that they turned a blind eye occasionally!

When ringing some companies an automated voice says “what is your reason for calling us today?”
“Change tariff” in clear manner
”Is that you wish to cancel?”
”No”
”what is your reason for calling us today”
”change tariff”
”sorry i couldn’t catch that. Goodbye” (click)

I have even said I want to speak to a human and ends the call!

Just say you're interested in setting up an account

I quite like standing there, making up email addresses, I often wonder what happens when they bounce back!

thank you - sorry, i'm not in the UK so it's not much help (I finally got the internet box version and it works well)

I do have to say, in Sky's defence that when my father died and i called to cancel i was immediately passed on to their berevement team who were absolutely bloody brilliant. Cannot praise them highly enough.

what i am saying is that some advances are really good, others are appalling - it's it is dreadful don't use it - just as if there is nothing on tv to watch, switch it off. We have these two things and the end of our bodies, called, um, legs - if you don't like the shop/restaurant because it's an arse to register, don't use it!

They want you to download an app, because then they have your details, if you don't like it don't use it!

How complicated is that? the thread is called AIBU to think commerce has utilised technology in a way that makes some aspects of our lives more cumbersome - so some things are more cumbersome, and some aren't.

A bit like reading.

what i am saying is that some advances are really good, others are appalling - it's it is dreadful don't use it

yes but sometimes you can't avoid it. So the useless parking spots where you need to dl an app in an area where the internet doesn't work? or for someone like my mum who doesn't have a mobile phone. Digital Exclusion is A Thing (not just for the elderly) and it is a PITA

There should be an alternative - it can be clunky and annoying - to all digital transactions for those who can't (or won't or don't want to) do everything online/on their phone

For eg on this thread the complaints about washing machines baffle me. Would you rather do it all by hand?

Oh completely agree with the parking, but that's the council or some other numpty thing, I agree that certain places are trying to do away with cash and other easier ways of doing the transaction.

Cash still needs to be there, and digital exclusion needs to be brought up an awful lot more, but this isn't technology being used to make life easier, it's to increase end profit.

The washing machine thing is when you have a loose sock or similar and then it's been excluded from the wash - like you only have 7 pairs of socks, and if you can't double check what you've put in before you put it on, well, you need to get out more!!!!

Parking needs to be addressed by far more intelligent people than me, it's just set up to be a money making machine by all parties involved, a down right criminal enterprise in my opinion!!!!! Use the technology available, every car park has an access card, you know a bit like an oyster card, you top it up and pay. Not fucking rocket science.

Edit : apologies for the swearing but that one gets on my .......

Still don’t understand why Leicester General Hospital’s pay n display machines are still coins only!

I haven’t clothes shopped for years but this sounds awful and I am sure I would have some kind of meltdown and end up on You Tube ( which I would never see cos I hate You Tube!)
Kids can’t get jobs anymore, and it seems clothes shops using bots instead of people is partly why. Fucking fuckers.