To find people who refuse to embrace technology irritating?

[Sophiehoney]

I don't mean people who genuinely struggle

I am irritated with people who absolutely refuse to even try.
I am sure a lot of the time they do it on purpose. They use the whole "I don't do technology" thing as a personality trait, to be quirky and "not like all you young people" when simply being a bit older is not a reason in itself, as Mumsnet proves!!

People at my work are moaning like hell because the system of filling in patients notes at the end of the shift in a book with a pen has been replaced by handheld devices (basically phones) that are more secure and can be completed on the go. They are so simple but some people are refusing to learn so others are filling their notes in for them.

A lady at the doctor's today point blank refused to even try to sign herself in on the machine. It was literally just a case of pressing a button and then filling in a form with her name and DOB using a keyboard. She declared proudly "I'm not doing this, I don't do technology, I don't even have a mobile phone!" And made he poor stressed receptionist with a line of people waiting come out and do it for her.

My mum will pop round a million times a week with "something she needs me to on her iPad" and it's usually just something trivial like reading an email and sending a one line reply that I know she is capable of. I've stated getting my 13 year old to do and she pays him £1 every time so every cloud 🤷

But these people do irritate me when they expect others to pick up their slack by refusing to try.

AIBU?

But they’d have to be in the same place gathered to sign the sheet too!

@Vroomfondleswaistcoat needing the right change is exactly why I prefer parking apps. It’s really hard to always have the right change!

As a student I used to get buses a lot too before they took cards. There were many times I couldn’t get on as the driver refused to take a note as they had no change. I had no change because there were no nearby shops to get change. Cards and apps seem like heaven in comparison.

The machines take cards. It's only when the card reader bit is broken that you might need change - and that would also apply if the app wasn't working.

It's usually a function of getting old/er..It comes to us all. Weirdly my mum had a mobile in its early days and I remember when I was in my first job she kept phoning me to tell me about some skirt or blouse she was looking at in the shops and did I want her to get it for me. It was so annoying..But now she refuses to re- learn how to use a mobile phone..

We will all be like it one day.

My leisure centre lets you pay at reception if there's space when you get there. As they bloody well should.

I do use the app for that, though, as I can see how busy the lane is likely to be and decide if I actually want to swim that day or not. If I just turn up I might find it packed out.

And our local station has stopped you doing that (paying on the train). You have to pay before you get on. I assume the ANPR ties in with when you paid.

You used to have all day to pay.

Oh that’s painful.

I think you have to take into account the rate of change of digitally based things- they are constant at a rate that wouldn't have happened previously with paper. YANBU for wanting people to adapt but YABU not to acknowledge this constant change is challenging for some

I’m in my 70s and happy with technology but I’ve worked with older people and

1. the early signs of dementia are struggling with technology which was not around when they were younger
2. 2.Neuropathy means that touch screens are quite difficult for older people to use. My husband really struggles with swiping to answer a call and apple experts couldn’t find a way round it
3. Many older people process at a much slower speed so it’s really easy to get timed out or press the wrong button.

Good design would help with these things but it’s not a priority. We will all be old and patience above everything is what’s needed.

I think there’s a middle way with this. It’s irritating when people just won’t try but I don’t think that non technological ways of doing things should be removed.
I am in my 70s and never used a computer or mobile phone until I was about 55, so it’s not second nature like it is for younger people.
I use technology all the time but I do find some things fiddly and frustrating e.g. parking apps, much easier to put coins in a machine.
Some much older people can’t see as well and become a bit shaky, I don’t think we should limit their independence by making everything dependent on using a smartphone.
I also think that there should always be manned checkouts and cash should be accepted.
I do agree though that some people just avoid anything new.

This is a genuine question - would you be ok with it if you were charged extra to use a physical car parking machine, or a manned check out?

That’s good - there are some in my area that still only take cash! And they need the exact change too.

Yes, within reason

I don't mind a parking app but for God's sake when you install the machine please check that there is actually a signal. We have left more than one car park to spend our money elsewhere because we can't get a signal. Not fair on local businesses.

No. Paying to be a customer is stupid.

Probably the way they'd do it is offer a discount for those using an app or self serve checkout rather than charging more for people wanting to be served by a person. Makes sense really.

Same. We are 70 and 69 and pretty tech savvy, but you are so right about printers. Ours has, unasked, created its own WiFi network which occasionally interrupts our internet connection - weird.

Nobody in the entire history of the world ever said " I hate using my card/cash to pay for parking. I'd much rather download an app. And when I park in that different car park three miles down the road, I want to download another app."

I think parking apps are one of the best inventions going. I used to actively avoid going to car parks because of never having change and distrusting card readers on ticket machines.

I had 2 apps which covered car parks across most of the country. I have just gone up to 3 as the hospital uses a different one. I think it should be compulsory that hospitals either have an app that is readily available or pay on exit machines. The hospital app allows me to change the time I intend to park for at any point and only charges once I press that I have left. This has meant that when. I turned up to an appointment that had actually been cancelled 6 months earlier I could move the timer to 15 minutes and thus wasn't charged as you get 30 minutes free parking for drops offs and when the following week the clinic was running an hour behind I could increase the parking time by an hour. Having to pay the £5.60 for 2h parking on top of the pointless endeavour of making the trip to the hospital for the cancel appointment would have been an extra annoyance and I avoided a parking ticket on the second occasion.

I have been to several hospitals with the pay on exit machines and I do think they are also brilliant. Both the apps and these machines take some of the stress out of an already stressful situation when you are watching the time tick by waiting for your consultant!!

Oh, I think a fair few people have been caught out by now having the right cash so that they've either had to go away to get some or have ended up massively overpaying.

I was paying by card to park in a council car park for a regular appointment. When I finally got around to installing the app, I found I'd been massively overpaying as I was entitled to a discount as a local resident and owner of an electric car.

I'm the same , I really try but it's as you say a foreign language .. I'm 75 .

My issue is the number of different parking apps. Why so many?

Personally, I far prefer the apps. Got utterly fed up of paying for longer than I needed when you have to "pay and display" before you know how long you're going to be, or having to rush back because something took longer than planned.

I also find the apps helpful to find car parks rather than driving around an unfamiliar town as most apps have search functions where you can see the car parks on a map along with prices (and some even show space availability).

I find ringo and pay by phone cover near enough all the car parks I need.
I have more supermarket apps on my phone than parking!

Yes, I've got three apps and between them they cover all the car parks I need. I don't think that's too bad.