FROM THE GRIPE FILES
WHY AM I PAYING A "CONVENIENCE FEE"?
I'm buying the ticket myself. I'm entering my own information. I'm using my own computer. I'm doing all of the work.
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THE COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT
22 GRIPES ON FILE
DAILY GRIPE ARCHIVE
A collection of old daily gripes. Because some complaints deserve to live forever.
22 GRIPES
FROM THE GRIPE FILES
WHY DOES EVERY APP NEED AN ACCOUNT?
I just wanted to use the app. I did not want to create an account, verify my email, choose a password, answer three questions, agree to seventeen pages of terms, and begin recei...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
STOP ASKING ME TO TIP BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING
I haven't received the food yet. We haven't established that my order is correct. Nobody has carried anything anywhere. In some cases, I haven't even finished paying. Yet someho...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
WHY IS CANCELING HARDER THAN SIGNING UP?
Signing up required one button and a credit card. Canceling requires logging in, finding Account Settings, opening Billing, clicking Manage Subscription, declining three special...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
THE SELF-CHECKOUT IS ASKING TOO MUCH OF ME
Scan the item. Bag the item. Look up the produce. Enter the quantity. Place item in bagging area. UNEXPECTED ITEM IN BAGGING AREA. Now I need an employee to approve the work I'm...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
WHY DOES THE DRIVE-THRU SCREEN ASK FOR A TIP?
I drove here. I'm sitting in my own car. I ordered through a speaker. I'm going to reach through a window and take the food myself. And now the screen is asking whether I'd like...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
PLEASE STOP PUTTING QR CODES WHERE MENUS USED TO BE
I sat down at a restaurant and asked for a menu. Instead, I was shown a small square that requires my phone, a camera, an internet connection, a browser, and enough battery life...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
YOUR PASSWORD REQUIREMENTS HAVE GONE TOO FAR
Eight characters. One uppercase letter. One lowercase letter. A number. A symbol. Not that symbol. Also it can't resemble any password you've used since 2007 and apparently can'...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE A SUBSCRIPTION NOW?
Software used to be something you bought. Now everything wants a monthly payment. Apps. Cameras. Doorbells. Cars. Printers. At this rate my refrigerator is eventually going to s...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
THE SKIP INTRO BUTTON SHOULD APPEAR IMMEDIATELY
I've watched six seasons of this show. I know the actors. I recognize the song. I've seen the dramatic slow-motion shot of the building approximately sixty-three times. You don'...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
WHY IS THERE A COMMERCIAL AT THE GAS PUMP?
I'm standing outside pumping gasoline that I'm already purchasing from your business. Then the pump suddenly starts yelling at me about energy drinks, car washes, and today's en...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
STOP MAKING ME ACCEPT COOKIES ON EVERY WEBSITE
Every website begins the same way now. Before I can read the sentence I came for, a giant box appears asking me to accept cookies, manage preferences, reject optional cookies, r...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
WHY ARE HOTEL CHECK-IN AND CHECKOUT TIMES SO FAR APART?
Checkout is 11 AM. Check-in is 4 PM. That's five hours where the room apparently enters another dimension while someone replaces two towels and puts the decorative pillows back ...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
THE SERVICE FEE NEEDS TO EXPLAIN WHAT SERVICE IT PROVIDED
Ticket: $25. Service fee: $11. Processing fee: $4. Facility fee: $3. I would like an organizational chart showing which fee did what.
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
WHY DOES MY SMART TV NEED AN UPDATE RIGHT NOW?
I turned on the television because I wanted to watch television. Instead I'm looking at Updating... 23%. Apparently tonight I have been promoted from viewer to unpaid IT adminis...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
WHY DOES THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE ASK ME TO ARRIVE 15 MINUTES EARLY?
Please arrive 15 minutes before your appointment. So I do. Then I sit there for another 38 minutes while daytime television slowly removes years from my life.
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
STOP CHANGING WHERE THE BUTTONS ARE
I finally learned where everything is. Then an update arrives and somebody has moved the button I use every day into a new menu because apparently familiarity was becoming dange...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
WHY IS THE SMALL DRINK THE SIZE OF A BUCKET?
I'd like a small drink. Certainly. Here is 32 ounces of liquid in a container roughly the size of a household appliance. Apparently beverage sizing has completely lost contact w...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
WHY DO I HAVE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR APP TO GET THE NORMAL PRICE?
The item is $8.99. Or it's $4.99 if I download the app, create an account, verify my email, join the rewards program, activate the offer, and scan something at checkout. That do...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
THE RECEIPT DOES NOT NEED TO BE THREE FEET LONG
I bought three things. The receipt includes my purchases, rewards balance, survey invitation, return policy, coupons, advertisements, legal disclosures, and what appears to be t...
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
WHY IS THE MUSIC LOUDER THAN THE DIALOGUE?
Two characters whisper. I turn the volume up. EXPLOSION. I turn the volume down. More whispering. For the next two hours, apparently my job is to operate the volume controls.
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FROM THE GRIPE FILES
STOP ASKING ME TO ROUND UP
Would you like to round up your purchase for charity? Maybe. But I have questions about why the giant corporation and I are suddenly partners in philanthropy and my contribution...
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NO GRIPES FOUND.
Apparently Pat hasn't complained about that yet.