Do we live in complicated times?

Today I have spent a good two hours of my life I’ll never get back trying to establish wi-fi access to the internet. A long time on the phone to the help centre, trying various options, culminating in them instructing me to go off and buy an ethernet cable, and then they would ring me back.

So, off I go to get the cable. We then go through the same long process on the phone, still not producing any access. As a last option, I am asked who provides the security software I use. It transpires for the past week people have lost internet access due to some change they have made to the software, and I need to contact the software provider. Well, two things occurr at this point. First, if we had this conversation earlier, I would not have been faffing about with internet cable. Secondly, if the software provider know there is a problem (and they do, it says so on their website) why can they not email people and alert them to it, rather than let the problem manifest itself. I pay for this software annually, I would have thought that was included in the price!

 

About once a week I find myself chasing round trying to sort out technology of some sort. The wi-fi printer regularly sends the computer to Coventry, ie they are not talking to one another, and various re-booting, switching on and off whilst standing on one leg singing Dixie is required. Don’t get me started on the dishwasher…

 

Yes, this is a first-world problem, but times must have been simpler before we had to do all this. Wired connections seemed to cause less problems in our house. Reminds me of when we gave up on the deep fat fryer and bought an old-fashioned chip-pan for the rare times we have proper chips. At least you can clean all the grease off a chip-pan. Not so the electric deep fat fryer, unless you want it to stop working in my case. Maybe my cleaning was a bit over-enthusiastic.

So, the less stuff you have, the less maintenance it requires, particularly in the case of electronic wizardry. Maybe there will be a time when I give up my computer, and just go to to the internet cafe, and back to washing up by hand. Would I be happier?

Any thoughts?

Is it just me?

Myself and teenage offspring have just come back from our summer mini-break. Funds being reduced, we managed three nights in a Northern Seaside Town, known for being good fun but not sophisticated in any way… Anyhoo, we went to the Guest House, which had a good sea front location. Warm welcome, and they even made us tea! The price we were paying meant that we were not expecting luxury. I knew this. I did not expect to find a pile of fluff, on full display in the corner behind the open tv unit, with a beer can pull and some cellophane nestled in it. I no longer expect tops of wardrobes to be dusted, but I do think that if you see it, you ought to be able to clean it! Later on in the holiday, I discoverd a rogue sock, none too clean under one of the beds, and a fag end under the other.

The sad part was that in many other ways the staff went ‘above and beyond’ to make sure we had a good time. They asked if there was anything that would have made our experience better. It would seem to be pointless to suggest that the cleaning could be improved, when they can see the problem the same as us. I understand that establishments do not have the money to invest at the moment, but basic cleaning? This would be the thing that would stop me making a return visit. I can’t be the only one. And it really is pointless asking what could be done to improve things when the answer is staring you in the face!