AIBU to think everyday life admin has become far too complicated?

[Samben2014]

I just can’t believe how difficult it is to just the most basic of things these days. I forgot my password for my savings account online and I have just been on the phone for over an hour being passed between so many different bots and AI generated response systems before I could even speak with a human. I find doing these things that used to be so straight forward have become overly complicated in the last 12 months. I have no idea how the older generation cope. The NHS trust I work for are pushing everything down the APP route and if you’re not tech savvy you’re going to get left sitting on the waiting list. We are just not prepared for this new way of doing things, I miss talking to humans! I’m only late 30’s and find this is becoming unbearable. Am I being unreasonable?

Good and bad experiences today.

On a laptop wanted to book an airport hotel and parking, found what I wanted and it let me check out by transferring it to Apple Pay on my phone via a code on screen. That’s a good development I’ve not seen before.

Email from council my parking permit needs renewing in a month. Click here to renew. I click and I log in but after scouring site the only available options are teacher parking permits. Eventually find an option to login to a separate system, find the residential zone but then find you can only renew 3 weeks out, not the 1 month when my permit is up. 15 minutes wasted and nothing achieved.

oh yes and parking apps. So very many parking apps. Look I just want to park here for one hour as a one off. But I must download an app, register, click on email confirm, get code to phone, enter card details, on and on.

Don't hang me but where I live in the NL, when it comes to parking apps there's one app to rule them all.

It does actually make parking easier, even if the extra charge for the convenience is typical of Dutch piracy

That's obviously useful information. Won't help people with no children though and going forwards it seems there are going to be a lot more of them.

What I find really annoying is how a straightforward online purchase of an item or service generates a ridiculous number of emails.

There’s an email receipt, then another email saying I’ve bought it and it will be delivered in 5 days, then another email asking for feedback on my experience of ordering the item, then another one updating the delivery time to 6 days. And then yet another email because I’ve been added to some subscription list I don’t want or need to be on, etc.

And all because I wanted to buy a basic item for £10!

Liverpool absolutely gets it right with parking machines: there are codes for at least five apps on every one, so I’ve never had to download a new one when I’m there!

I think you can automate a lot of life admin - eg set things up on direct debit and you never have to think about it again.

But I agree that all the passwords and one time codes etc are a real pain. As an example, my elderly mother manages really well with the NHS app and gets prescriptions etc but it regularly logs her out and she has to put in an OTP. Of all things, why make the NHS app so difficult to use?

An example for me is that I use the SWR app to buy train tickets and I have to log in every time I use it. Why? It's ridiculous.

I also saw a prize draw advertised the other day. Normally you can just fill in a form and press submit. Not this one, you had to create an account. I declined to enter.

I had this years ago with Virgin Media (or NTL as they then were). I said that the direct debit was coming out of our joint account and if they didn't speak to me, I would cancel the direct debit. They then decided that they would speak to me after all.

Couldnt agree more. It's getting ridiculous. No banks. Insurance companies are an absolute joke.

I tried to set up a First Direct Bank account on line

After being asked for the 12th time to make up a number code or memorable word or a password, a meaningful word and all other things in between I gave up

One account I have is so security conscious I can’t actually access my account

Oh I had to help my mum register her Nectar card online as they have decided everyone's a fraudster and won't let you use your points if you haven't. I didn't realise I had registered mine but a few years ago we did our grocery shopping online so we obviously did it then.

It took 45 minutes to do it with someone on a chat.

And no-reply emails should be banned. Companies should not be allowed to broadcast to you without you being able to contact them by return.

Also why is everything a QR code now and only a QR code. Is it really so hard to print the web address underneath it for those of us who prefer to use laptops?

Currently on holiday. Fondly remembering when you turned up at airport to check in and hand over your bags

Now, check in online is OK, but only if you have access to wifi. .Difficult to check if baggage is included or extra cost, and did we book it already? And so many emails from the airline, which I feel compelled to read in case it's important

SENIOR TRYING TO SET PASSWORD:
WINDOWS: Please enter your new password.
USER: cabbage
WINDOWS: Sorry, the password must be more than 8 characters.
USER: boiled cabbage
WINDOWS: Sorry, the password must contain 1 numerical character.
USER: 1 boiled cabbage
WINDOWS: Sorry, the password cannot have blank spaces.
USER: 50bloodyboiledcabbages
WINDOWS: Sorry, the password must contain at least one upper case character.
USER: 50BLOODYboiledcabbages
WINDOWS: Sorry, the password cannot use more than one upper case character consecutively.
USER: 50BloodyBoiledCabbagesShovedUpYourA$$IfYouDon'tGiveMeAccessNow!
WINDOWS: Sorry, the password cannot contain punctuation.
USER: ReallyPissedOff50BloodyBoiledCabbagesShovedUpYourA$$IfYouDontGiveMeAccessNow
WINDOWS: Sorry, that password is already in use. 🙂

Last time DH walked to the surgery to book an appointment the receptionist told him to go home and do it online. He said, but since I am here now, can't you see when one is available. No he had to go home and get online.

personally ive been thinking to use a password book log for any passwords i need rather than auto saving them via apps etc @Samben2014

I had £180 of groceries cashed up on the self service till at Sainsbury's only to realise no nectar card as my phone was dead.

the nice man on the tobacco desk let me use his battery pack and I got it up to 2%, got my N card up and saved £27.

what a load of bollox

I use the strong password suggested by Google and save it in the password manager. Am I not supposed to do this?

same here

you can’t book a doctors appointment in person any more

you can, but if your app or phone gets wiped, then do you remember your google account passwords if needed etc, personally i always prefer a paper copy backup eg if i was given a new company laptop because i lost or got damaged on my old one, how fast could i have all accounts logged in and ready for operation, thats my line of thinking and using a paper copy makes that much quicker

thats why i prefer to use a powerbank with me and cables, also i prefer the actual card rather than the app for reasons such as yours

Thankfully we can at ours. I cannot fault them.

absolutely sensible but truly I preferred a time when retailers didn't operate this BS pricing model. The "membership" prices aren't real discounts, they are the true price, so if you don't want to sign up or you forget you card etc, you are getting ripped off with inflated pricing. total manipulation. I think other countries have tighter regulation on this sort of thing we in the UK we seem to accept it.

You will enjoy that with chat bots messing you about all the time,

Enjoy WW3:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3ek3gvdnj3o

Sure. But then it’s glitches and you’re locked out.

We have far more choice or easy access to choice, this is often what makes it more complicated

I do not research/shop around as much as I should so may not get the best prices but I have to limit my time otherwise I could spend hours looking up insurance etc