To bloody hate the admin of life

[cheeseomelette]

Why is nothing simple?

have been trying to get the boiler either fixed or replaced, some medical issues looked at, and a load of other house jobs sorted while managing a demanding full time job where I’m out of the house every day. I can do basic things but plumbing, cars and electrical things are just not in my skill set.

the hassle is unreal. Logging on to things at certain times with certain pass codes, resetting endless passwords and waiting for call backs or arranging visits. I end up buying new things because I haven’t got the time or energy to chase someone down to have my existing things fixed or serviced and that’s expensive and not great for the planet.

i’m having this rant waking up in a cold house because the boiler is playing up,again and the plumber I rushed home from work to let in yesterday didn’t turn up.

I’ve booked a private medical appointment this morning because there is no contacting my GP. They turn the booking system off online and don’t answer the phones.

It’s got to the point where I just feel sick when something goes wrong in the house because I know what a load of stress it’s going to be. I don’t know what the solution is here - I’m even contemplating downsizing to an apartment with a service contract.

@cheeseomelette it's been talked about on other threads as well

All these technology is not actually helping anyone except tech companies

I'm actually curious to know if car park owners are really paying less than they would be for card payment machine machines and all the associated stuff.

I think some companies have got it in their heads that the more technology, the better. It's a bit like organisations who are starting to realise that they don't need to be on social media.

With a lot of of these organisations, you'd think they would be someone questioning how it benefits their profits. In the case of banks, yes, I can see that they're saving a fortune (though I think they need to be subject to some legislation to protect customers more)

But there are definitely companies for whom it's not clear if there's a profit motive or if somebody just got totally carried away with technology.

If the technology works and makes your life better, great. But there are now so many cases where it doesn't.

It's a nightmare for staff as well.

On another thread, I was talking about launching some kind of consumer campaign. I said there as well, genuinely, if anyone has any idea how this could be done, how to get traction and influence, I'd love to know.

Really, you'd need inside knowledge of how some of these companies benefit or if they benefit. Someone up thread gave the example of captcha using so many images because they're training their own software. In that case, I can see where the advantage is. But the companies who then use captcha - how are they benefiting?

are car parks actually making more money out of apps?

When you are renewing your home insurance, pick a provider who offers an add-on service of home repairs or use a home serve type supplier. When we had problems with the old house, it really saved money and they send someone qualified quickly. You are allowed so many emergency call outs per year. It definitely proved useful to us.

Last month I rang for a non urgent Gp appt, I was told there was nothing until December, however if I phoned next morning I could get a same day appt. I duly rang and the computer said 'you are in a queue above 30' this was 3 minutes past 8. I put the phone down and did an e consult, got a text to say Gp wanted to see me within 4 weeks🙄 I've got my appt next week ! Aarrrrrgh !!😡

We've downsized to a flat to avoid as many of life's complications as we can. The management company do the outside maintenance, gardens and decoration. The boilers for the heating and hot water are in a large boiler room in thte middle of the estate. The service charge is high but we don't have the agravation of doing it ourselves.

Yes to all of this - but the bit that then really gets me is that even if you feel on top of all of this stuff… there’s ALWAYS something else to wash up in the sink!! Makes me want to scream 😂

Oh god yes! Washing up always breeds and so does the laundry too! Most people are not on top of any of that. It’s a wonder they don’t invent a ‘ laundry ‘ app! Lol
On a more serious note, how I wish that tech hadn’t taken over so much. I can remember the days of human answering queries and proper customer service.
It’s not totally uncommon, but just rare.

Life is bloody hard… try and plan to get to a point where you can work less, part time and work towards it xx

If washing up gives you the rage, then modern life and tech are not really the problem. Living a simple life is not going to eliminate chores

Oh I know re washing / washing up !
lol. It’s just neverending though !

Believe it or not our surgery has gone over to econsult and the phones have been much better because you don’t just get an appointment for being first in the queue on the phones. Not everyone needs to be seen the same day.

Oh the joy of filling in online forms for companies.
I just adore working for free.

This is how I feel on a good day. Then there are the days that are not so good...like yesterday, when I woke up to three emails from an Amazon merchant about purchases made on my account without my authority or my DH's and we are the only ones with access. Amazon says there is clear evidence of fraud and not to worry, they are dealing with it. The bank say they'll refund us if Amazon don't - we got onto it as soon as we were aware and that probably helps. But this thing has a long tail. I had to freeze and cancel my debit card (which caused a complication with the Sainsbury's delivery) and change my Amazon password to a passcode with two-step verification. I've spent much of today on the phone following things up. I'm angry and fed up and I didn't get as much done on my PhD chapter yesterday as I should have...being an adult isn't easy, even without purposefully bad actors and unfortunately, there are all too many of them.

I hope you have a better day tomorrow and I have my fingers crossed for the same for me and everyone else who's feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Totally agree. Everything you need to do online (which is most things these days!) needs an online account and a password and they tell you not to use the same password for everything but if you don’t you are likely to forget it! You can’t reach anyone on a phone. But no where has enough staff to respond to the public either by phone or email. Try to solve a problem with the bank or similar you get an automated chat bot with generic answers to ‘common queries’ but your question never seems to quite fit into that category. GP is completely useless in terms of getting an appointment, at mine you have to call between 9-11 on a weekday morning but if it’s non urgent and you are working, forget it. Fewer staff on supermarkets means fighting with the self service stations. School has endless form filling and remembering of dates for eleventy million things they have on, days you have to remember it’s non uniform, or send £3 for this, or get sponsors for this, top up the lunch payment card, etc etc forever and ever.

Well, to some extent, the housework bot has arrived. Look up Neo bot. If you can't be arsed, it's £20,000, and a human being has eyes through it all the time. So if you bought it, it would be looking at your house all the time.

In terms of it all feeling like work, yes. It totally does. Ringing the GP or the hospital should just consist of ringing the GP or the hospital!

Speaking of which, I moaned about this before, but I would like to moan about it again, please! I was making one of those combined photo collage canvas things. The company I used before send me regular discounts. It used to be such a good system, but now they've changed it so it's all AI. For some reason, they sacrificed a perfectly good system where you could drag-and-drop and resize the photos and place them wherever you wanted. Now the only option is to use the programme which makes the decision for you. It takes you through some different options for layout, but I didn't want any of them.

Apparently The answer is you should use CapCut or something like that. But, when they previously had such a user-friendly easy system, why would they replace it with something that gives you less freedom? It doesn't make any sense.

While I'm here, if anyone knows a company who use a system that still allows that easy flexibility to reposition, resize etc please let me know.

I'm also looking to do a calligraphy canvas with a few images in the background but I can't face it if it's going to be a complete mission again! I might have to exercise a bit of artistry and try and do the calligraphy parts myself. Not quite sure how that will turn out.

don't get me started on printers. My flat is far too small to be able to re-enact the "Office Space" printer scene!!

Oh no @Tortieladythat really sucks.

such a time consuming and stressful experience. I hope it gets sorted quickly for you.

I totally sympathise with the Michael Douglas Falling Down character (burger scene). Modern times make me so very angry, arbitrary rules and regulations, apps needed to do the simplest things. How I long for my 70’s youth, and on/off button was a complex as it got. No pins, no passwords, no having to input all your life details to order a coffee. No wonder our mental health is whacked.

I may be ages with yourself and you're not wrong.

Simpler times and to a certain degree more efficient.
I detest oh it's better for you the customer no it's better for the company/organisation for us to work for free for the duration of our dealings with the aforementioned.

YES to all of this. I’ve just moved house for the first time in 19 years and the admin is finishing me off. In fact, maybe it contributed to half term spent in bed with flu for the first time in a decade rather than unpacking/dealing with rest of said admin…

plus the computerisation of appliances plus the motivation for companies to build them to last only 5 years or so means we are creating issues yet again

This is what's called built in obsolescence.. it's bloody rife. Hardly worth trying to fix anything anymore. I could give tonnes of examples but it's now extending to cars as well. They are not built to last - and we will all just end up paying more for them (great fir the planet - eh - with all those batteries being dumped).

Can I ask whether anyone has ever managed to speak to a human being at Virgin? MIL has an account with them and both her tv and internet box need upgrading. Both DH and I have tried at various times to get through. We just go round in circles on their phone system

We literally walk round with sticky out hair/weird teeth and old shoes/a bit ill and with glasses we can't see out of because I can not be arsed trying to make appointments anymore.
Hmmm now I've written it down it seems a bit mad.😂😂😂

Totally get it - this country is really broken for sure -
If things worked properly and people did their job properly and didnt give incorrect answers to our questions when they are being paid to help us 'with our enquiries' half the country wouldnt be stressed out and anxious
It worries me as to what it will all come to !!

Yes, yes and yes to all of this.

I’ve become a serial complaint letter writer. It’s amazing how quickly companies respond when it’s official.

@Greedybilly I can't tell if you're joking 🤔