Category: Uncategorized

Curvy, and precious, and mine!

Oh yes indeedy, the magical library card was waiting for me when I got home on Friday, and isn’t it pretty?
I have to confess, it provoked Library Card envy in both Lorna and Sarah when they saw it – in fact, Lorna was quite outraged that hers wasn’t as snazzy. Sorry Lorna!
Thank you to the lovely people at Edinburgh City Libraries for sorting things out super-fast when they found out things hadn’t worked, and for implementing an auto-acknowledgement response for application forms submitted by email.
Library card: we haz it. And I shall of course be using public transport, if visiting the library…

Nope, it didn’t work

The whole “fill in this form and email it to us, we’ll send you your library membership card in the post, it’ll be so easy!” thing, that Edinburgh City Libraries promised me.

Unfortunately, like Kelly who commented in the previous post, it appears my Library membership application has got lost in the ether. Which is pretty concerning, seeing as my personal details are there. Where is that nice form with my name, date of birth, home address, email, phone number, ethnic origin and disability status on it, now? Languishing in an ignored email folder? Sitting in an untouched pile on a desk?
I’m thinking that a month after sending the form is probably plenty of time for someone to have managed to do something about it. It would also have been a good idea for them to have created an automated acknowledgement email in the first place, to have reassured me that the form I sent them hadn’t just disappeared into a never-viewed email folder. In fact, any sort of contact with me once I submitted the form would have been good, since they have at least three methods of contacting me available from the information I gave: phone, email and postal.
So now, the chances of me ever becoming a member are even lower than ever, as I have no trust in their ability to deal with things competently. And the chances of me wanting to refill the same form are even less, due to irritation.
Top tip: if you’re going to show how lovely and modern and useful your library service is by allowing people to join without having to take time out of their day to go into the library to fill out the form…make sure the service works? Otherwise you’re just pissing people off.

I got there in the end

Yes, today, I was a good girl, and joined my local library. I’ve not been a public library member since my university days, and I’m still unlikely to actually use it (and I’ve explained why before), but having options is always a good thing.

And the thing that finally made me join? Well, they made it so damn easy to do! I didn’t even have to go in to the library to do it (too busy on week nights, and likely to be the last thing that occurs to me at a weekend, if I’m not running around then too). I just had to go to their website, fill in this form (either do it online or print it out), and save it and email it (or post it) to them. Simples! Yay for Edinburgh City Libraries!
The card should be posted to me when it’s processed, I also signed up to get email alerts about library events, and overdue notices (although as a good librarian I would never get any of those. Honest. Though I would be in good company if I did), so maybe that’ll prompt me to actually go visit.
Someday.

HTC, you are not my Hero

Dear HTC, I love my Hero phonemibob, I do. I took a giant leap forward into the world of technology when I got it. A phone, that could go on the interweb? Amazing.

But a few weeks ago I noticed something: the end of the charger that plugs into the phone has wires showing, as you can see in the pic. I tend to think that tools that need electricity to flow into them will work best when that electricity doesn’t go elsewhere en route, like into me, via those exposed wires. And with time, those wires are only going to get more exposed.

So, I did something crazy. I emailed your customer support, asking about replacing this obviously defective cable. I did it here. This is definitely an email contact form, right? I did everything the form asked, attached the photo, took apart my phone and filled in the product S/N. And then I waited. I waited for an acknowledgement of my email.

Nothing.

So I waited for a response to my email, someone to say how you were going to go about getting the cable replaced.

Nothing.

A week later, I emailed again, referring you to my initial email.

No acknowledgement. No contact.

On Friday, after having given you 3 weeks to reply to 2 emails sent to you via the method they set up on your site, I’m going to go wild, and call you.

Now: can you answer the phone?