This past week has presented me with some things which just boggle my mind. They may appear to be logical but somewhat defy my understanding of common sense.
SERVICE FEES.
1) Seems to me that the cost of something would include the supplier’s operating costs. In other words, “Why should A pay a fee to be allowed to buy something from B.” Case in point – within the past week I purchased some tickets for which I had a discount coupon. Great, a discount. When the tally was made: the advertised price of the tickets, minus my coupon, plus the “service fee”, the total was still more than the advertised price. To me the underlying message was, “Advertised prices are not always as advertised”.
2) A utility bill, which I must pay of course, shows the usage amounts and cost of the item. The cost is reasonable however the “service fee” which is then added is nearly twice the cost of usage. Wow. How was that arrived at? Perhaps the board members sat down and said –“ Hey, they can’t get along without this so let’s tack on an exorbitant “service fee” and make even more profit.” Oh well.
PASSWORDS
While I certainly understand the need for files to be protected in this age of internet hacking, spying and identity theft, my mind is beginning to wobble.
1) My collection of passwords is now 2 ½ pages long. Once you pass about ten or twelve passwords the ease of remembering them all disappears. So, okay I’ll just make them logical – – –
Oops, the rules are different for each required use. e.g. Must have minimum of 6 (or 8 or 10 characters). Cannot include #, $, %, ^, &,*. Must have at least 1 (or 2 or 3) capital letters. Must contain at least 1 (or 2) non-alpha characters. Etc. etc. etc.
And, of course one is encouraged to make them different, make them unique and change them often.
2) Recently I set up a library e-read account. Of course I needed a password to open my electronic reader, a different password to get into my library account and another unique password to be created for the e-read section of the library. Got the account all set up – don’t remember having to create an e-read password, I thought I had simply used my library card pin. Ahhh! Sat down later to read the book I thought I had checked out and the program asked for my ‘password’. After trying my library pin, several versions of some of the passwords I use, my email password(s), and everything else I could come up with as “logical” I gave up and used the device to play Scrabble instead.
3) I could go on and on about passwords but its time for me to get out my 2½ pages of passwords and change them all according to the rules of each one. Should be able to finish that in a couple weeks. Do you share these frustrations? Let me know by contacting me by email and use the word Frustration as the subject.
(By the way, my passwords are also on my computer in a password protected file. I can’t remember its password for anymore so I had to put them on that old staple we call paper.