‘What’s a minor modern upgrade that you actually find incredibly inconvenient?’ – 22 things that did not need to be fiddled with

The digital revolution has been a mixed bag. On the one hand, the option to work from home is great, but on the other, the internet has facilitated such an explosion of misinformation that the days of sharing nonsense and gossip round the water cooler seem truly enlightened.

They’ve been chatting about the quibbly little downsides of our time on the AskUK subreddit after Rough-Foundation9208 shared their own woes…

What’s a minor modern upgrade from recent years that you actually find incredibly inconvenient?

Parking apps for me. We went from just needing a couple of coins to having a folder’s worth of apps full of RingGo, PayByPhone, JustPark, and APCOA, cause they all use a bloody different one. Half the time there’s no mobile signal in the multi-stories anyway!

Infuriating indeed. And lots of other people chipped in with their own irritations, like these…

1.

‘Having to print out a returns label for online deliveries, who even owns a printer?’
–Rowanx3

2.

‘Having to book everything in advance. It started during COVID but loads of places never stopped. It’s annoying I have to to download an app and pre-book a slot to go swimming every week.’
–JayR_97

3.

‘Apps in general. Just let me use your website!’
–Damage2Damage

4.

‘As a web developer, absolutely fucking this. They’re always saying that we need to download their app for a better experience. Is the app actually any good? I mean, it’s alright, but the only reason it’s a better experience is because you chose to make your mobile website fucking terrible!’
–uucyy

5.

‘AI in everything. It has its uses, but I don’t want AI on my devices, I don’t want a giant AI button in every single app, I don’t want AI at the top of my search results, and I don’t want to have to waste time trying to communicate with a stupid customer service bot when I already know my problem requires human intervention.’
–Strong_Access_8179

6.

‘Don’t get me started on the “scan your receipt to exit” gates. I put my receipt in my shopping bag and don’t know where it is and I’m in a rush and carrying my toddler. Just let me out the shop. I have paid.’
–EmuTricky1757

7.

‘On this note, supermarkets where there is no exit that doesn’t involve going through a checkout area of some sort, even if you aren’t actually buying anything. So you either have to queue to leave, or walk through whilst everyone else gives you dirty looks and hope you don’t get grabbed and accused of theft of the way out.’
–folklovermore_

8.

‘Ordering food via a screen rather than the person in store. Previously I walked up to the person behind the counter, told them what I wanted and paid.

Now I have to find it on a tablet, be upsold to 10 times, input my name etc etc. It’s just that bit more arduous and clearly designed to both cut staff costs and to try and sell you more stuff.’
–K1ng_Canary

9.

‘99% of the touch controls on stuff. Especially cars, where I want to be able to do things without looking, and kitchen appliances, where my hands might not be clean.’
–laredocronk

10.

‘”All our agents are busy on other calls. Have you tried using our website?”

If I could solve this issue on your website I wouldn’t be on the phone to you.’
–peppermint_aero

11.

‘CONSTANT GDPR AND POLICY ACCEPTANCE ON EVERY WEBSITE!!!’
–quellflynn

12.

‘Conspiracy theorist inside me is saying that’s by design to encourage people to try to download their app, fail, then drive out after the grace period has elapsed and then they get a nice £70 fine. Or the customer succeeds and now they have a bit of brand awareness on your home screen and a way to data mine your phone. Heads they win, tails you lose.’
–Nebulousdbc