[Technology] Questions from a Luddite.

[1066familyman]

BACS has been around since 1968...

And I first heard and learnt about it roughly two years ago.

There appears to be another assumption going on here too. Namely that everyone is an office bod, instead of doing real work with their hands and actually creating and making things.

 

[dsr-burnley]

The thing about BACS is that you can go to your branch and do a bank transfer from there. If you still have a branch, of course.

And the staff will be able to take you through the process. If they still have staff, of course.

I'm moderately tetchy, though not with a smartphone because none of its services are worth the money it costs, to me. But one thing I absolutely won't do is put my money into a bank where I can't toddle into a branch and ask questions if it goes wrong. I have yet to be convinced about the infallibility of either banks, the internet, or call centres, and I am not going to put my trust in all three at once.

 

[dsr-burnley]

I've been wondering about the smartphone generation, and probate. What happens when someone who keeps all their data on a biometric protected phone, and they die? How do the executors know where the money is? The old fashioned way would be to look at bank statements and, if necessary, wait for more to arrive by post. How do they get hold of the information now?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

BACS you say?

Here we go again. His Mum won't have the foggiest what that means either. There's the assumption that everyone should just automatically know what that means.

I know junior, and he knows what it means.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Thanks. Yes, that's the conclusion I've arrived at. Which then of course begs the next question.

What if I don't have a printer at home or carry around a smart phone?

Sometimes, as shit as those times were in terms of many public attitudes, I'd gladly return to the 1970's. Things were so much simpler then.

We had computers in the 1970s.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Why can’t she send a cheque? I have a Barclays account and still have a cheque book. I rarely use if because my youngest grandchild is now 19, and BACS is so much easier.

Please don’t write old people off as tech illiterate. I’ve been retired a long time, but used computers at work.
I ask Nsc, friends and Google to find out how new stuff works. I know I’m not the oldest one on Nsc either.

Because businesses often no longer accept them? I’m still working (annoyingly) and have to use all kinds of software and apps that have changed the world, it doesn’t mean I like them. One is a work thing where I enter leave requests etc, when I was off sick recently I emailed HR to let them know and to explain that would be off until date x. I was then requested to use the app to enter different leave requests such as sick, annual and leave without pay, I was doing their bloody job for them.

This feels like a one way street with tech. If it makes money then businesses make it ridiculously easy to use, instant credit apps and online ordering etc, but once the money is taken you are on your own, tickets, wallets, QR codes, amount of info required etc.. I was told not too long ago that I could not make a purchase in store without agreeing to an ‘account’ being created in my name (not credit, more a customer info file), I let them know that they could continue to store the goods in their shop.

 

[GT49er]

Exactly!

That's another one....'Find us on Facebook'

That's instant shutdown for me. Never joined Friendface or Twatter for that matter. Any business or organisation that only allows me access to their services or info via those routes just gets ignored.

Add to that firms and organisations which don't include a contact phone number on their website - or if they have, it's a recorded answerphone saying, 'Did you know you can contact us via our website www.dot, etc.' (Yes of course I f****n' do - that's where I found this f****n' phone number!)

If eventually you get to, 'For anything else, or if you need to speak to an operator, press 6', the phone will then ring, and after a few minutes listening to a crackly recording of bad music, you'll likely get this ............ "We are receiving an exceptional volume of calls at the moment. Please hold and one of our operators will be with you as soon as possible."
This statement is a lie. There is no exceptional volume of calls; they are just saving money by not employing enough low paid operators based on the sub-continent (if they're employing any at all!)

 

[dadams2k11]

I've been wondering about the smartphone generation, and probate. What happens when someone who keeps all their data on a biometric protected phone, and they die? How do the executors know where the money is? The old fashioned way would be to look at bank statements and, if necessary, wait for more to arrive by post. How do they get hold of the information now?

Biometrics is easy to bypass. Try holding a recent picture of the owner, up to face recognition and see what happens .

Also, give someone a cold glass off water and then find a finger print, get some sellotape and transfer said finger print and put it on finger print sensor.

I have been successful with the finger print a few times, but had the most success with face recognition.

These have been used as party tricks and for work, rather than to try and gain access to someones phone without their knowledge.

 

[GT49er]

We had computers in the 1970s.

"We" is a rather loose word for computer ownership in the 1970s - a huge number of "Us" didn't!

 

[dsr-burnley]

Biometrics is easy to bypass. Try holding a recent picture of the owner, up to face recognition and see what happens .

Also, give someone a cold glass off water and then find a finger print, get some sellotape and transfer said finger print and put it on finger print sensor.

I have been successful with the finger print a few times, but had the most success with face recognition.

These have been used as party tricks and for work, rather than to try and gain access to someones phone without their knowledge.

Good idea in theory, though it might be tricky (not to say illegal) if they're already buried.

Do solicitors have access to legal means of unlocking phones? Or even worse, what happens if the phone can't be found?

 

[dsr-burnley]

We had computers in the 1970s.

The ZX81 (1K memory!) became available in 1981, hence the name. Sinclair's Spectrum was 1982.

They had mainframe and midi computers in the late seventies, but they were expensive machines that needed their own room.

 

[South Stand Bonfire]

Thanks, but there it goes again. It just assumes, first that I know what 'Google Wallet' is, and second, that once I find out what it is, that I want it.

How do the elderly with no computer knowledge or the desire or ability to use a 'smartphone' actually get by these days I wonder.

Why don’t you just upload the ticket to cloud and if you’re wallet doesn’t open for whatever reason you can then just access it via a hot spot.

 

[Nobby]

Thanks, but there it goes again. It just assumes, first that I know what 'Google Wallet' is, and second, that once I find out what it is, that I want it.

How do the elderly with no computer knowledge or the desire or ability to use a 'smartphone' actually get by these days I wonder.

Print out the email with the QR code - it will scan at the turnstile
If you don’t have a printer - I’m out.
Edit - just read above post.

 

[pasty]

I've been wondering about the smartphone generation, and probate. What happens when someone who keeps all their data on a biometric protected phone, and they die? How do the executors know where the money is? The old fashioned way would be to look at bank statements and, if necessary, wait for more to arrive by post. How do they get hold of the information now?

I’ve thought about this a fair bit recently. I’m in my late 50’s and Mrs P is early 60’s and although neither of us have any intention of popping our clogs just yet, I worry what would happen if I went before her.

I do pretty much everything online nowadays, banking, credit cards, insurance, pension etc but Mrs P is somewhat of a technophobe so lord knows how she’d sort everything in the event of me snuffing it.

 

[redoubtable seagull]

I fingered my first bird in the 70’s

Wrong thread?
Shouldn’t this be in the come on seagulls thread…?

 

[Robinjakarta]

BACS has been around since 1968...

Never heard of it and lived in the UK till 1987.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

She doesn't have a mobile phone, has no idea what the Internet is etc...

This sounds rather nice and peaceful.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

It's in your interest to try and keep up with the times or get left behind. I have all loyalty/ credit cards stored on my phone which makes shopping a doddle

 

[Van Cleef]

Add to that firms and organisations which don't include a contact phone number on their website - or if they have, it's a recorded answerphone saying, 'Did you know you can contact us via our website www.dot, etc.' (Yes of course I f****n' do - that's where I found this f****n' phone number!)

If eventually you get to, 'For anything else, or if you need to speak to an operator, press 6', the phone will then ring, and after a few minutes listening to a crackly recording of bad music, you'll likely get this ............ "We are receiving an exceptional volume of calls at the moment. Please hold and one of our operators will be with you as soon as possible."
This statement is a lie. There is no exceptional volume of calls; they are just saving money by not employing enough low paid operators based on the sub-continent (if they're employing any at all!)

Reminds me of the time I tried to contact Microsoft to cancel a direct debit. PAINFUL! Customer service is a fully automated, HAL like, hell. My blood pressure still hasn't recovered.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

"We" is a rather loose word for computer ownership in the 1970s - a huge number of "Us" didn't!

It depended on your occupation.