Grumble Thread

[Dave2002]

Proms Planner ....

Doesn't seem that it was developed or tested with real users, or software developers who had any idea of the kinds of things that customers might do.

Elementary mistakes - unclear information, misuse of standard English terms.

One shouldn't have to find out what it [might do] by adding and removing items, and generally faffing around to find out whether it could actually work.

Simple example: Add a Prom. Does this add more tickets if there has already been a request logged for a particular concert.
Example: Add 2 then Add 3. How many? Is it 2, 3 or 5? I think the answer is 3!

Actually if one does the test and hovers over the button a pop up will indicate that tickets for that concert have already been requested.

Another: Register a Credit Card. This can be deferred until later - but then when one tries to get back to the Proms Planner, there is no indication of how to do that.

Hint - and this again [may] work - Register a new card with the RAH account site.

Given that many people may not visit the RAH so frequently, it would not be unreasonable for the site to check and ask for updates if appropriate.

I actually found a history of transactions going back quite some time [did I ever give permission for that?] so obviously the RAH does keep information, so it would maybe know that I've not used the web site for several years.

Sure, it's a complex operation, but the mistakes in the interface are really quite simple. I'm crossing my fingers that the details I put in will actually do what I intended them to do

Grrrr!

[Dave2002]

20 days is ridiculous …. just hanging on to your money for as long as they feel they can

20 days - nothing! Several years of taking money for a direct debit which I thought I'd cancelled. Terrible organisation!

[LMcD]

20 days - nothing! Several years of taking money for a direct debit which I thought I'd cancelled. Terrible organisation!

... but absolutely brilliant at hanging on to other people's money. Perhaps they're hoping to enough amass enough to allow themselves to set about repairing all those faulty smart meters without damaging their profits..

[kernelbogey]

On a local bus yesterday with a visual display of the next possible stop; accompanied by a voice version. I could sort of accept that local names might be mispronounced. But Communitee Centre, Bell Inn as Bellin, and others convinced me that I was hearing an AI voice. I suppose we are in for a lot more of this.

[Serial_Apologist]

On a local bus yesterday with a visual display of the next possible stop; accompanied by a voice version. I could sort of accept that local names might be mispronounced. But Communitee Centre, Bell Inn as Bellin, and others convinced me that I was hearing an AI voice. I suppose we are in for a lot more of this.

I'd long assumed the woman announcing upcoming stations on all main lines to be a robot. Apparently not - it must have taken her a very long time to record every single stop on the entire UK network!

[smittims]

I've found large organisations are relying too much on automated processes such as announcements and letters, which are not checked for accuracy or appropriateness. The annoying thing is thatthe letters are made to resemble a personal letter to you, with a facsimile signature of a named person, but if you try to make that person responsible for what they say in the letter, you can never get through to speak to them and the person you do speak to , if you're patient enough to wait until an actual human being is on the other end, simply says ' oh ,those letters are automated. We can't stop them'.

I was especially annoyed at the letters sent out for the Census. Although we were allowed to send a postal return as soon as possible after Census day (which was a Sunday) all addresses which did not end an on-line return on the Sunday got a letter, posted the following morning, telling them they had not responded and threatening them with a £1,000 fine. I thought this was very callous, as they must have known many people were sending postal returns which could not possibly arrive before these letters were despatched. I wrote a letter of complaint but of course received no reply.

[Dave2002]

I'd long assumed the woman announcing upcoming stations on all main lines to be a robot. Apparently not - it must have taken her a very long time to record every single stop on the entire UK network!

Similarly the man who announces "The next train on Platform 10 will be for Aylesbury, stopping at Harrow on the Hill, Rickmansworth, ... " etc. thought there are often small glitches between the words as the speech fragments are put together by some computer system. I believe the voice is a "real" human voice.

Much better than some in car sat nav voices, which often manage to "speak" in a very stilted way.

[Cockney Sparrow]

Nationwide use a chatbot system now on the internet accessed bank account (not on my mobile 'phone). After 3 circular exchanges ending in "it would help to make your message simpler" I said "please get me someone who will understand the issue" - which, to give them credit, then happened.

[vinteuil]

there are often small glitches between the words as the speech fragments are put together by some computer system. I believe the voice is a "real" human voice.

... yes. The underground nearest here has Circle and also Hammersmith & City Line trains. There was clearly a tiny error in the cutting-up of the words, so as a result the announcements have 'This a p'Circle Line train' and 'This is a p'ammersmith & City Line train'.

.

[Pulcinella]

... yes. The underground nearest here has Circle and also Hammersmith & City Line trains. There was clearly a tiny error in the cutting-up of the words, so as a result the announcements have 'This a p'Circle Line train' and 'This is a p'ammersmith & City Line train'.

.

There are certainly odd syllable stresses in our stop announcements in York.
The number 6 from the city centre to the east campus of the university, for example, has one stop which is
Alcuin Avenue Tang Hall Lane END

[LMcD]

Nationwide use a chatbot system now on the internet accessed bank account (not on my mobile 'phone). After 3 circular exchanges ending in "it would help to make your message simpler" I said "please get me someone who will understand the issue" - which, to give them credit, then happened.

It took me a little while to realize why Nationwide's chatbot is called Arti. He / she / it / they is / are so stupid and irritating that, on the very rare occasions when I have Nationwide problems, I now pop in to our local branch, where the staff are both very friendly and very efficient.

[Serial_Apologist]

There are certainly odd syllable stresses in our stop announcements in York.
The number 6 from the city centre to the east campus of the university, for example, has one stop which is
Alcuin Avenue Tang Hall Lane END

I remember my first time noting the train PA destination announcement "This train terminates at Paddington", and saying to another passenger, "We'd better get off quick then!"

[kernelbogey]

Nationwide use a chatbot system now on the internet accessed bank account (not on my mobile 'phone). After 3 circular exchanges ending in "it would help to make your message simpler" I said "please get me someone who will understand the issue" - which, to give them credit, then happened.

I was horrified when they introduced this. I have found starting off 'I'd like to speak to a person,' and repeating that continuously ('broken record') achieves the desired result.

[Dave2002]

It took me a little while to realize why Nationwide's chatbot is called Arti. He / she / it / they is / are so stupid and irritating that, on the very rare occasions when I have Nationwide problems, I now pop in to our local branch, where the staff are both very friendly and very efficient.

Where in the world are you?

Many - perhaps most - parts of the UK now do not have any local branches - even of major financial organisations.

[LMcD]

Where in the world are you?

Many - perhaps most - parts of the UK now do not have any local branches - even of major financial organisations.

Here in our pleasant seaside town we're left with the Nationwide, Santander, Halifax and TSB (which is closing in September).