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are moaning like hell because the system of filling in patients notes at the end of the shift in a book with a pen has been replaced by handheld devices (basically phones) that are more secure and can be completed on the go.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?

Were all these Tech inventions designed to help us or are they produced so that the big companies can make more profits and the owners become the richest men in the world?
My Dad struggles because he did not work with computers. They were introduced about 2 years after he left. As someone said upthread, things change so quickly.
His phone is two years old but he needs to replace it (£250) because the App for his hearing aids is not supported on his phone. It sometimes works! Grrr!

Depends on what it is related to. We don't have a tablet at home and have no intention of getting one. The school have talking about my child being set up on an online maths account. I've told them no, that all work needs to be on worksheets. I don't care if it gives them more work.

👍

Funny how the oldies claim the youngsters have no resilience, yet they excuse themselves from bothering to download and learn apps because they can't be bothered!! It sounds like it's the oldies who don't have any resilience!

I get that, they can be annoying with the checks, but you probably only got checked because it was your first time using it.
Also, once you get used to it, you don't think about having to scan every item, you just do it, and it takes a second.
Then you just sail out at the end, with everything already packed and ready to go. I probably get a bag check once every 10 shops or so now.

Maybe not for everyone, but I find it much more convenient.

Because that's yet another thing to do.

To an extent I understand why some people don't want to embrace technology. It's not always easy, the app doesn't always work, the internet crashes and it's made the world a lot less friendly. For example my kids hate talking on the phone because now it's all text or snapping each other.
My mum couldn't even get to grips with a mobile (she was 82 when she died) and would never have been able to use the internet but I'm not sure it's to do with age. My dad is 80 has a smartphone, does internet banking and is probably better with technology than I am.
I do miss the days before internet and phone banking. In fact my favourite shop is the hairdresser I use. No internet you actually have to phone up or pop in to make an appointment. She doesn't take card only cash or cheque (my kids looked confused at that, like what is a cheque?). She has a proper appointment book and writes appointments on cards for her customers. I absolutely love it.
Sorry went off on one there but I don't know why you'd be annoyed by people who don't like technology. Ignore your colleagues and as for the ridiculous woman in the doctor let's just hope she's not in there a lot.

Some will be area dependent. My mum lives in a small town known for retirees on a street of bungalows. They are all widows. None have internet at home. No one uses a smart phone.
The whole area is set up for none tech use. To be fair it’s very rare she troubles me to do anything for her. Lots done by word of mouth. There’s a local pamphlet advertising trades - no need to look online. Or she notes numbers down out and about eg she got her latest gardener by seeing van next door but one and noticed he did a good job.
The buying a fridge or tv example - there’s a local appliance shop you go in pick nice man delivers it and sets it up.
Theres a family plumbing company doing a roaring trade - you call a nice girl to book and pay for your boiler service. Not British Gas online bookings.
She shops in Iceland it’s a better version of online shopping to her - on a Tuesday it’s 10% off for pensioners. You pick your things, pay at till (she even has a preference for cashier) and they deliver it free.
Dr, pharmacy all old school- she gets repeat prescriptions by paper slip.
Bus she goes in office at bus station and they still have paper timetables.
To book a train ticket she goes in main station office.
Banking she uses post office or building society. They vote with feet - one bank had a bossy woman trying to force her to use self service she now goes elsewhere. Her neighbour was being told to use a banking app - she rang my mum in a tizz what to do. Withdraw all your money and put in building society.
Local travel agent you call in or ring to book coach holidays or day trips.
It’s an area where civil service used to be a big employer so lots of pensioners on decent pensions. The local trades and businesses that are offering old fashioned service are thriving.
I struggle to think of anything she can’t do. Yes it may cost a bit more sometimes. She’s happy to pay a premium for service and can afford it. She’s 80 but got full faculties and is quite happy navigating the world this way.

That might be the key. I do deliberately try to "live life slower".

But jobs etc, my work give you an email help card, which start about 5 steps in and that’s it! But if you make a mistake that’s your fault. No one to train you other than colleagues.
New starters seem to take it in their stride but are making mistakes, but they don’t care they just leave!
If somewhere is car parking app only, I leave. High street dying. I want cheap cash or card including contactless payments. And for parking at night can I have a 💡. No I don’t want to have use my phone while trying to pay!

Is there a human being alive who can deal with printers effectively?

High streets were dying long before parking apps.

@SallySharpThats the point I made upthread too. The constant updates and changes are not designed for our needs. It annoys me when people are so naive that they enthusiastically do whatever they are told to do by tech billionaires and then sneer at others who don't. If the tech helps you in your life then go for it. If it costs you money or time then why on earth would you. Everyone will have a different view of what is or isn't reasonable.

I find alot of the new tech really frustrating, to book a hair cut I am supposed to use an app - in the past it was a phase call. Other things like how the heck am I supposed to keep track of all the car parking apps - just give me a simple machine.

The one that really ticks me off are the places are the apps you need for shops - I used to just have a few credit card like things they scanned - no I need a flipping app. Even worse (if at all possible) I used to by a 'coffee car' you pay for 10 coffee and you get 12, it used to be a peice if card with 12 boxes and they would stamp a box each time. NO MORE - the coffee shop now insitst and an app!!!! I can't be doing with that - so I stopped getting coffee and now make my own.

I like the simplicity of my phone, 2 screens of apps and thats it, apps that I actually use such as Whatapp and Google Maps and .... well actually thats about it,

Right off to delete more apps now

Still pssd off about the coffee.

But that's my point. Most of the apps do "help with my life", such as for paying for parking where I can add to it if I find I'm taking longer than planned, or ordering in restaurants by app, or pre-ordering a drive through or collection for a fast food place, or booking my hair appointment, or booking an engineer call out for the boiler or kitchen appliance. So much easier that dealing with "humans", waiting in queues in person or on the phone, or having to pay more than I think I need for the car park "just in case" something takes longer, etc.

Take our dental appointments. It's a right pain in the arse as they "send" you appointments and if not convenient (they're usually not), you have to phone several times because they don't answer the phone, and if it goes to answerphone you leave a message and they never get back to you, so you have to phone again and again.

Just booked a specsaver eye test - simplicity itself by going onto the website, clicking where you want, where you want, and it gives you the timeslots, you choose one, and hey presto, all done, in the time you'd take to find the phone number and wait on the line whilst they answered the phone! Not only that, but I could book at anytime, 24/7, not restricted to when they were open and had someone answering the phone.

Re restaurants apps, I love the visibility of being able to see the options, i.e. add extras, remove things, change things around, rather than trying to explain to waiter/waitress what you want changing often met with a glazed expression because they either don't understand you or don't know how they can change the menu items.

Where exactly does she live? Is it in the 1980s?

I was wondering that. None of our nearest 3 railway stations have a little man in a ticket booth anymore - there are ticket machines or you use the app!

Buses are card or app only - cash not accepted.

Our pharmacy won't accept paper prescription requests anymore and tells patients to use their app or go to the GP surgery to trigger the repeat.

Local appliance shops - none - it's Currys, Argos within sainsbury or you order online.

All council car parks are app only.

Definitely sounds like the PP is living somewhere where time forgot!

Definitely sounds like the PP is living somewhere where time forgot!
St Mary Mead?

Maybe she lives near me! The person in the little ticket booth is there in the mornings. We have 2 local appliance shops, the 2 non-free carparks still take cash (as well as app). The local independent pharmacy is lovely with the older crowd.

Buses are tap in tap out though.

This includes a verification email so into your email account to click on a link, then input payment details, then into the banking app to authorise the payment. Technology in many many instances has made life much more complicated and stressful

This! All that carry on to pay £3.60 which I have sitting in my purse.

It's ridiculous. The internet has been around since the 90s

How about companies that refuse to embrace technology ? You know, the ones that can only be contacted by phone, when they are in the mood (and there isn't an unusual volume of calls).

I feel recently it's become almost impossible to live as a household or couple, everything has to be individual since the double verification came in. For example we have an app for streaming films, it's connected to one device only and that's our big sitting room TV and we occasionally pay extra for a family film. I need to enter an email address and password, that's fine. But now it needs a verification link that's connected to DHs email and phone so I can't do it. When he travels for work he might not be contactable. It doesn't make sense to transfer to my account cos we'll have the same problem and I'll be damned if I go out with pals and have to be checking my phone and doing admin in a restaurant or pub. We had the same issue with another insurance thing recently, we have shared finances and household and it's often random as to whose name a bill or account is in. We are being pushed into having separate accounts for everything, no doubt as part of an attempt to double the subscriptions.

Yes, our Lloyds bank house insurance keeps saying about going paperless but it's in my bank account so how is DH going to access this that is in my account. I get the paper copy sent out each year so we can both access it. I have other household bills sent to my email address or else DH just ignores and loses them, it would be awkward though if we both wanted them.

Have they got room for one more please?

Funny how the oldies claim the youngsters have no resilience, yet they excuse themselves from bothering to download and learn apps because they can't be bothered!! It sounds like it's the oldies who don't have any resilience!

Aptitude is completely different from resilience.