Do relentless nuisance calls, litter louts or being kept on hold get you seeing red? All of these feature in a list of the top irritations of modern life. Can you identify with any of them?
A poll, conducted by Tandem Bank, asked 2,000 adults which parts of 21st century life caused the most stress.
Irritations included dogs mess in public places (57%), litter louts (39%) and noise pollution (37%). I can certainly sympathise with irritations caused by dogs mess, litter louts and noise pollution.
I can certainly sympathise with these. Living in a flat I try and make the most of my local park on a sunny day, but too often I find that a leisurely stroll usually turns to a dog mess dodging challenge, and a sunny day seems to turn the park into a dumping ground full of lager louts 🙁
Modern day annoyances
But it would appear that its telephone-related incidents that really get our goat. Being kept on hold is an irritation for 67%, and being passed around a call centre winds up 38% of those polled.
Unsurprisingly 77% agreed that nuisance calls are the most irritating feature of modern life. We’re well aware of the irritation that nuisance calls causes, with over 365,000 people backing our campaign to call time on them.
Linda McD previously told us on our boiler scams convo:
I had one boiler call yesterday and two calls from them today, and so did my sister. Yesterday I had a call from a man purporting to represent a group of independent financial advisers and also a call “from Windows”. I just hang up and don’t engage in conversation, but I’m sick to death of them. 1471 rarely produces a correct number, so it’s hard to report them through the proper channels.
Maybe you can identify with the 49% who find themselves irritated by unexpected fees and charges, like the 120,000 who have backed our Sneaky Fees and Charges campaign.
Garry White was annoyed by unfair car insurance charges:
I purchased a replacement vehicle in March last year. I started my insurance from the date of the purchase. I told the insurers I would be changing the number plate as soon as I had heard from DVLA. They told me I would have to pay an Admin fee of £25 as a change to the policy. I tried to argue that I was telling them now so they could take account of it but they insisted I would have to pay. It tried to reason that as soon as I heard from DVLA I would contact them. But no chance. All they had to do was press a few buttons on the keyboard and email me the change. Say 30 seconds work? This makes me so angry with car (and doubtless other types of) insurance.
And of those polled, 42% found misleading offers and unclear prices annoying. Saying we find these annoying too may be an understatement; we did after all lodge a super-complaint with the Competition and Markets Authority to report on our findings of dodgy pricing tactics.
As lorna baker explained on our misleading supermarket prices convo:
Quite often it is cheaper to buy the smaller pack but the supermarket is highlighting the bigger one. One stands there staring at it trying to believe what one’s brain is telling you
Over to you
So how about you then? Do any of these annoyances get your goat too? Are there any other irritations of modern life that get to you? Or maybe you’re a bit more relaxed than most of us – do you think we’re too easily wound up?
Which do you find most annoying? (pick three)
Nuisance calls (26%, 831 Votes)
Companies offering the best deals to new customers and not existing ones (15%, 491 Votes)
Being kept on hold (11%, 345 Votes)
Dogs mess in public places (11%, 336 Votes)
Litter louts (10%, 326 Votes)
Misleading prices and offers (6%, 179 Votes)
Unexpected fees and charges (6%, 176 Votes)
Being passed around different teams in call centres (5%, 175 Votes)
Noise pollution (5%, 150 Votes)
Having no internet connection (4%, 143 Votes)
Other - let us know in the comments (1%, 43 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,102
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