Personal gripes of this modern age – these are general and have absolutely nothing to do with life in France in particular so I am not looking for any discussions which might include criticisms on that subject, there have been many of those in the past.
My list starts as follows what are yours ? :
GENERAL GADGETS etc.
Scart plugs – black plugs into black inserts and you need a torch and a good pair of glasses to be able to insert them - at least the inserts on the back of the gadget could be white.
Electric extension leads with security tabs in the sockets and you have to push, shove, wiggle, etc. for ages before you can get the blasted plug in.
Microwaves ovens with bleep alarms which sound every minute until you open the door.
Light bulbs guaranteed for at least a year which only seem to last a couple of months – who takes them back and complains – not many of us I think.
Cold calling - too long a subject to embark on - now I never answer the phone unless the caller's name is in the window or I recognise the number - stops a lot of it.
INTERNET :
Online order forms etc. – you make a mistake or omission you have to enter all your details again from the beginning
Websites
who quote a delivery date or within period but then change their minds after you have placed an order.
adverts which jump about along the top of what you are reading and can’t be removed. Some tell you that you have won a prize. Microsoft had a spider running across the top of the screen a couple of years ago.
Websites you can’t get into without becoming a customer and signing in – I don’t bother if my only interest is in their product range etc. and nothing specific
Having to have a password to get into silly sites like Pinterest which have no security risks
Websites who offer you and you download a free program like AVG and every day they pester you to buy it or upgrade.
Angloinfo – everytime you want to change pages you have to ‘escape’ from their franchising advert. Also their administrators appear to be are chosen for their jobsworth abilities
TV
Why do they always put the sound up when the adverts come on
When you want to find out the name of an actor at the end of a film, they put the cast etc. over to one side so you can’t read it and start telling you about the next programme.
Why can’t the BBC have at least one break between an hour long programme – perhaps to advertise forthcoming programmes – enough time for you to make a brew or take the dog out for a quick 2 minute pee.