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Top-level
@CiaraNi see also hotel chains that only have a chatbot, no phone number, email address, Facebook, anything. That said I've just been on holiday in Germany, where to get a seat reservation refund I had to go to a station with a staffed ticket office, queue to get a numbered ticket, and then queue another 30 mins to talk to a human (whose English, not unreasonably, was about as good as my German) who made me physically sign a form then handed me cash. There has got to be a middle way. 5 comments
@holyramenempire I don't know anyone who wants to go back to queuing up to sign forms in triplicate. We just don't want digital-only solutions that aren't functional for everyone and that have huge vulnerabilites, with everyone and everything getting paralysed when they don't work. Digital-only solutions are as exclusionary for others as human-contact solutions are for you. We need both possibilities. And the digital solutions should be slimline and fit for purpose. @CiaraNi @Knittingdancer You know, re-reading my response, my point got completely lost in my grouchiness and dread about the shopping trip I'm currently on. Please disregard! It's a hard time. @holyramenempire Not at all! These issues are complicated and often stressful. Sorry to hear you're having a hard time - thanks for this thoughtful message. Sending you good wishes! @Knittingdancer I've got stuck in the chatbot loop too on sites with no contact number, only the chatbot who can't answer anything that's not simple and already on the FAQ page. |
Gregory's Server
@Knittingdancer @CiaraNi Almost all human interactions about business matters are like your Germany example, to me. Why would I not be allowed to do it myself, and not bother a person?
If it can't be done online, I usually just won't do it. I estimate that avoiding human contact and phone calls costs me $200-800 a year, and I'm relatively happy to pay it.
I get on a soapbox about this quite often, but if your process requires any human interaction, I don't believe it can be considered accessible to anxious/autistic/other neurodivergent people. There are times when I could walk 20 miles, or pay $50, or solve a complicated logic problem, but could not muster up "Hello, please assist me" dialogue to save my life.
@Knittingdancer @CiaraNi Almost all human interactions about business matters are like your Germany example, to me. Why would I not be allowed to do it myself, and not bother a person?
If it can't be done online, I usually just won't do it. I estimate that avoiding human contact and phone calls costs me $200-800 a year, and I'm relatively happy to pay it.