I was never asked nor did I give permission to any of the following and yet I have to live with the consequences.
Invasion of the Privacy Snatcher
Google never asked my permission to take a photo of my house. (I would have said no.) No one needs a photo of my house to find their way here. Maps and street directories do that job well. I also give directions to my house willingly to people I wanted to know. Hel-lo!
Dump-de-dump-dump (TV)
FCC never asked me whether I wanted to switch from analog to digital TV. Was the switch and the resultant mounds of old television sets that had to be disposed of environmentally sound? I think not. Was this switch necessary? No.
Now you see it, Now you don’t (Food)
Stop ‘N’ Shop (on Morrissey Blvd. in Dorchester) never asked if I liked the fresh fish counter before they took it away. There are several other things they used to carry that they’ve also eliminated – why I don’t know (like fish stock, peanut oil, certain brands of ice cream and cereal). Some of these items are carried at the Stop ‘N’ Shop in Quincy but that’s less convenient for me.
Bright Idea – NOT
The Federal Government never asked me what I thought about its decision to phase out incandescent light-bulbs in favor of energy-efficient company fluorescents. I wasn’t given a chance to vote on whether there was an alternative to the CFLS and the mercury they contain. (Turns out there is an alternative, the Super Saver energy-efficient halogen light bulbs manufactured by Sylvania in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. “Unlike compact fluorescent light bulbs, halogens do not contain mercury, but they meet the energy-saving criteria of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.” Read more at Made in USA: Energy-saving halogen light bulbs.
Another one bites the dust (local bank)
Wainwright, my local bank of choice, which finally opened a branch in my neighborhood only a year or so ago didn’t poll me when it decided to be acquired by Eastern Bank, a bank I never really heard of until the take-over. They’ve already changed one of the favorite things I liked about Wainwright – being able to make withdrawals in $10 increments. Now, it’s $20. Sometimes $10 is all you want, need, or have.
Customer Dis-service
None of the major companies polled me to ask what I thought about their getting rid of actual operators to answer phones and questions nor did they have me weigh in on the self-service stations that have popped up everywhere – making so many citizens scan and pack the items they are buying. I’ve blogged about this before but it bears repeating – you are doing what used to be a paying job for someone else when you use the self-checkout system. You don’t get a discount for doing this. Hey, no one comes and does my job – why should I do someone else’s? (I don’t; I stand in line and wait for a real live human being to scan and bag my purchases and engage in small talk.)
I’m sure there are other things I could gripe about, but that’s enough for today.
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