Online Annoyances (4 Viewers)

[DickyP]

After a happy hour of banging my head against a brick wall this morning I thought I'd start a thread where we can vent out spleen against stupid software.

My experiences that really spring to mind are.

Wanting to add a telephone number to an account which had, since I previously logged in, had introduced a new step of requiring a telephone number as part of the login, but which I didn't have a number recorded. The bot chat system just kept telling me to log in to change it!! And initially so did the human I first talked to when I eventually got a person to talk to. The company at least had the good grace to apologise when I complained, and gave me £30.

And on another account when I had forgotten my special information, clicking the link - 'Forgotten special information' insisted that I enter the current special information to change it!!

 

[Pat Hartman]

I've been trying to book a 3-leg plane flight. Both Expedia and Travelocity seem to use the same bad software. It kept dropping my entries and complaining that I needed to enter a return date when the return date was in the field plain as day. I finally figured out that clicking into another field didn't make the date register. You needed to press enter. Then you could pick the first flight but there was no way to proceed to the second and third. I finally called American Express and let a human book the flight.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I recently had image quality issues with my TV provider and their online menu/trouble-shooting system didn't have the options I needed. I had seen the problem before and remembered the diagnostic tests and palliative actions, so I performed them all - more than once. It involved rebooting the individual TV adapters and then rebooting the house gateway device. Did that, no joy. But try telling that to a web site. I finally got a person who understood what I had already tried and they eventually decided I needed a tech visit. But my attitude after the phone call was not one of pure joy, I can assure you.

 

[Mark_]

ellucian.

If you know, you know. If not, be grateful! Has the wonderful look, feel, and helpfulness of a 1970's terminal program. Would probably be easier to use if they actually let us see the documentation for it!

 

[BlueSpruce]

Wanting to add a telephone number to an account which had, since I previously logged in, had introduced a new step of requiring a telephone number as part of the login, but which I didn't have a number recorded. The bot chat system just kept telling me to log in to change it!! And initially so did the human I first talked to when I eventually got a person to talk to.

Many online portals send verification codes via text messaging as part of the login process to authenticate users. That process also ensures they always have your current phone number, and they're able to determine your location when sending text messages or calling. If you loose your phone, or change numbers, many of these sites don't offer alternate methods for logging in. Few sites offer alternate ways for authenticating, like email, hardware security keys, but most want to send text messages or call you so they can determine your location. Your phone is a beacon they can always home in on. In this day and age, if you don't have a phone and an email address, you can't get anything done. Everyone's hungry to get your phone number, email address, DoB, personal info. I provide fake email addresses and phone numbers to store clerks just to get them of my back. I keep my phone inside a Faraday pouch when I'm not using it. The pouch is lined with Lead and blocks all incoming and outgoing signals. I'm going to get as much privacy as I can.

 

[Jon]

Cookie popups. They are everywhere. I never read them and always click OK. They slow down my phone and computer usage, and they irritate me endlessly. On my computer I have some plugin to autopress the button, but not on my phone.

 

[Cotswold]

Why do so many sites now need you to confirm you are human? It must be a piece of spy software similar to CAPTCHA that logs some other site to log onto your PC. Generally, I will immediately close the prove you are human tickbox. Then find another that doesn't.
I am always on a VPN, so I don't know if that is causing the issue. Some sites refuse to allow me to open them, claiming some nonsense about unusual traffic. Google stuff used to refuse the TOR browser, which I tend to use more and more often. But these days not so much. I can only presume that it has found a way into TOR.

 

[BlueSpruce]

I am always on a VPN, so I don't know if that is causing the issue. Some sites refuse to allow me to open them, claiming some nonsense about unusual traffic.

I use VPN on all my devices. There are sites, such as banking and cell phone providers that will not let you login if you're using VPN and cannot determine your true location. My VPN settings provide "Split Tunneling", which allows you to specify which sites should bypass using VPN connections.

 

[Cotswold]

I'll look at those.
I have experienced payment failures when buying in another country on a credit card. Everything proceeds until the final payment conformation that falls over. In the end I switched off the VPN and it went through Ok.

 

[BlueSpruce]

Cookie popups. They are everywhere. I never read them and always click OK. They slow down my phone and computer usage, and they irritate me endlessly. On my computer I have some plugin to autopress the button, but not on my phone.

The Google Ads on AWF are getting more aggresive and dangerous as time moves on. It looks like AWF has fewer active members. Maybe the ads scared away several members.

 

[Jon]

The Google Ads on AWF are getting more aggresive and dangerous as time moves on. It looks like AWF has fewer active members. Maybe the ads scared away several members.

I say it again, no ads no site. We can stop the ads, but who pays for the site costs? The fewer active members is because Google now gives AI answers.

 

[moke123]

This is disturbing. Didn't know it existed.

Microsoft seizes 338 websites to disrupt rapidly growing ‘RaccoonO365’ phishing service

Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) has disrupted RaccoonO365, the fastest-growing tool used by cybercriminals to steal Microsoft 365 usernames and passwords (“credentials”).

blogs.microsoft.com

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Not that I think it will lead to a significant response, but Disney/Marvel might have some skin in the game. The linked article shows that this RaccoonO365 group is using a Marvel-trademarked image. I know the House of Mouse never liked it when you used a Mickey Mouse image, although the original "Steamboat Willie" image finally aged into public domain a few years ago. They show "Rocket Raccoon" from the Guardians of the Galaxy series, and that belongs to Marvel. Through them, therefore, it now belongs to Disney.

 

[ColinEssex]

I say it again, no ads no site. We can stop the ads, but who pays for the site costs?

So why was this site so much better 20 years ago with no ads? Were there no costs then?
Col