Who doesn’t love a good app, eh? I certainly wouldn’t function as well without them (sad, I know). Some apps are seamless in design and usability, others more clunky and irksome…and then there is the issue of the soft, fleshy user at the interface.
I needed to log in to a retailer’s app this week, and was a little miffed to discover that the password saved in my password manager wouldn’t work. Despite repeated attempts, all I succeeded in achieving was the ‘Oh no, dude’ type of error messages – so I admitted defeat and opted for a password reset. The promised email never materialised. Clearly there was an issue ‘at their end’ so I left it for a day or two whilst they got their house in order.
Next attempt…same result. More than a little irked and muttering about ‘taking my business elsewhere’, I emailed their ‘help’ email address. Their response was rapid, but filled with glaringly obvious trouble shooting steps, and a request for a screenshot of the error messages. A little put-out, I duly obliged with the long list of machines used, web browsers deployed, and attempts made. I hadn’t sent the screenshot, so was getting a little snotty with their next response, and sent one off without even bothering to add any text (other than ‘as requested’). Their response was rapid and crushing in equal parts. “Thanks for sending in that photo, I can see that you’ve spelled your email address wrong. Could you please try logging in with the correct spelling and see if you still encounter any issues?”
Naturally I replied in the most humblest of terms – placing any blame at the foot of the password manager app…
Fitness Badges
Remember the days when one would simply ‘work out’ and maybe use a pen and a book to record the training sessions? No, me neither. App, apps, apps! I’m a sucker for awards and badges, and Apple Fitness is quite brilliant at keeping me motivated – especially with their limited edition badges – world peace day, earth day, national day of dawdling, day of the jackal…that kind of thing. Their most recent motivational attempt didn’t quite land with me, though. No matter how appealing the digital badge may have looked in my collection, World Dance Day could not persuade me to complete 20-minutes of dance on any day of the week. I don’t think I managed 20-minutes of (what could be described as) dancing in my 20’s! Fear not, Lycra – you have nothing to worry about on that score!
