Comedic "things you would ban": minor things that irritate you

[py_megapixel]

Everywhere wanting feedback on how transactions went - the latest being a £1.49 purchase in Card Factory, and coffee & toast in Morrisons cafe.

Honestly guys - do away with this cost line, and let returning (or non-returning) customers tell you all you need to know about the quality of your operations.

This is particularly bizarre when subject of discussion is some mundane household object. I've purchased a few of these in the past few months where I have been asked for feedback.

A kettle. It's a jug that you fill with water and it gets hot. It does that job flawlessly, and if it didn't then I'd have taken it back to the shop because it would be useless.

A dustbin. It's a container with a lid that you put rubbish in. It does that job flawlessly, and if it didn't then I'd have taken it back to the shop because it would be useless.

I'm sure you get the idea.

 

[dangie]

Everywhere wanting feedback on how transactions went….

I get a feedback ‘How did we do?’ email from Boots Chemist after I’ve picked up my monthly prescription. Never answered one yet.

 

[Bald Rick]

Too many people, including contributors to this forum, don't know the difference between "its" and "it's". It's so easy! What's so sad, and embarrassing, is that foreigners, such as Dutch and Swedes, seem to get it right more often than we native speakers (writers) do.

I’m afraid that includes me. Specifically, I don’t know when to use “its”. I must have missed that lesson at school, and had a mental block since. I will usually deploy lexicographal gymnastics to avoid using the word.

 

[Gloster]

I’m afraid that includes me. Specifically, I don’t know when to use “its”. I must have missed that lesson at school, and had a mental block since. I will usually deploy lexicographal gymnastics to avoid using the word.

I also missed that lesson as my parents were set on me being a scientist. The simplest way to remember it is that ‘it’s’ is used for ‘it is’ and ‘its’ is for ’belonging to it’: it is the only time that the apostrophe-s does not indicate possession. It is a tiny bit more complicated than that, but that should almost always serve.

The grocer‘s apostrophe in a plural does annoy me.

 

[GusB]

I’m afraid that includes me. Specifically, I don’t know when to use “its”. I must have missed that lesson at school, and had a mental block since. I will usually deploy lexicographal gymnastics to avoid using the word.

It's easy to understand why people get this wrong. It is explained here:

Apostrophe Use | Apostrophe Protection Society

The rules concerning the use of apostrophes in modern written English are very simple. This page explains apostrophe usage with Plurals, general Apostrophe rules, Apostrophe abuse, and Apostrophe mistakes Apostrophe catastrophe

www.apostrophe.org.uk

This use, and misuse, of “its” and “it’s” can cause particular excitement amongst apostrophe pedants! The distinction is simple:


It’s – is a contraction of “it is” or “it has”, and uses an apostrophe to show that contraction:

• It’s important to get this right

Its – is a possessive personal pronoun (like “our”, “his”, etc) indicating ownership, or possession, or association of something, and does not take an apostrophe:

• The dog ate its bone and we ate our dinner

If you’re unsure whether you need “it’s” with an apostrophe, just expand out the contraction to “it is” or “it has”, and see if it makes sense:

• “The dog ate it is bone” - doesn’t make sense, and is incorrect.

Note that there is never a valid use for having the apostrophe after the “its” – thus its’ is always wrong.

---------------

The one that's currently getting on my nerves is "based off" or, even worse, "based off of" instead of "based on". It seemed to be more of an American thing at first but seems to be increasingly more common over here.

 

[izvor]

Apostrophe Protection Society

I have a friend who is a member. He's even more of a pain in the r's than me!

 

[DannyMich2018]

Everywhere wanting feedback on how transactions went - the latest being a £1.49 purchase in Card Factory, and coffee & toast in Morrisons cafe.

Honestly guys - do away with this cost line, and let returning (or non-returning) customers tell you all you need to know about the quality of your operations.

Exactly so annoying. How did your courier do? In most cases for me in get delivered to a shop so never see the courier. A few days after receiving something off Ebay email going on about feedback, text from bank, how did your visit go? Text from council how was the service when you phoned. It's too much and feels like been hassled.

 

[dcbwhaley]

This is particularly bizarre when subject of discussion is some mundane household object. I've purchased a few of these in the past few months where I have been asked for feedback.

I'm sure you get the idea.

In my case some machine screws.
They have a spiral groove and a slot in the head

 

[Bishopstone]

Exactly so annoying. How did your courier do? In most cases for me in get delivered to a shop so never see the courier. A few days after receiving something off Ebay email going on about feedback, text from bank, how did your visit go? Text from council how was the service when you phoned. It's too much and feels like been hassled.

Ebay is particularly odd. I buy a photographic slide for £4 and give the seller perfect feedback, which eBay can read and analyse if they wish. Then, a week later, an email arrives asking if I'll answer some questions about my purchase. I mean, what more could possibly be said, and how much time do they intend to spend mulling over a transaction that made them (eBay) a profit of about 30 pence?

In some cases, feedback requests are a cover for gathering customer information for marketing purposes, but as an eBay user since 2000 they already know where I live and what I buy, so I doubt this is a marketing front.

 

[Sun Chariot]

A wicked part of me wants to see How did we do? feedback comms sent for the following scenarios:
1) Our pub's door staff threw you out of our premises. How did we do?
2) Our police station held you overnight in a cell, before we released you without charge. How did we do?
3) You visited our brothel. How did we do?

Number 3 even better if sent to an email address also used by the recipient's spouse...

 

[Drogba11CFC]

I remember Facebook asking me to review the Royal Albert Bridge back in 2015.

"1 star. Tried to have a picnic on it and got run over by the 10:30 from Penzance."

 

[bearhugger]

Everywhere wanting feedback on how transactions went - the latest being a £1.49 purchase in Card Factory, and coffee & toast in Morrisons cafe.

Honestly guys - do away with this cost line, and let returning (or non-returning) customers tell you all you need to know about the quality of your operations.

It's even worse when you order something online & it takes a week for it to be delivered! I bought a new waterproof jacket after the last heavy rain months ago, I still haven't used it in anger because of the dry spell we've had.

 

[Gloster]

Customers, not staff, who try to block you when you go in to the main part of a supermarket through the gangway of a till that is completely clear. They self-importantly tell you that this is only for going out and you should use the In entrance. I am not queue-jumping, barging through a group of shoppers or pushing through doors: I just don’t see why what business of yours it is if I do that instead of walking to the entrance gates at the far end of the store and then back to what I want. Is your life so empty of meaning that you interrupt your shopping to do this or does it give you a thrill? The probable answer is ’yes’.

 

[Peter C]

I'd ban the slop AI adverts that are plaguing YouTube at the moment. Every time I click on a video, I get an advert telling me all I need to do to live until I'm 108 is tai chi (well it's a fake AI-generated 'person' and voice) - this after the adverts promoting a video game where the first line in the voiceover is "I don't think I like it"! Not to mention the fact that there are adverts seemingly every sixty seconds during the videos themselves...

-Peter

 

[Welly]

I'd ban the slop AI adverts that are plaguing YouTube at the moment. Every time I click on a video, I get an advert telling me all I need to do to live until I'm 108 is tai chi (well it's a fake AI-generated 'person' and voice) - this after the adverts promoting a video game where the first line in the voiceover is "I don't think I like it"! Not to mention the fact that there are adverts seemingly every sixty seconds during the videos themselves...

-Peter

Install Firefox browser and add uBlock Origin to it and you will never have to see YouTube ads again.

 

[43096]

Install Firefox browser and add uBlock Origin to it and you will never have to see YouTube ads again.

Which of course means that YouTube don't get revenue. If everyone did that, either it would be charge for or wouldn't exist. All very well some people being selfish, but...

 

[dangie]

Which of course means that YouTube don't get revenue. If everyone did that, either it would be charge for or wouldn't exist. All very well some people being selfish, but...

Exactly. Most of my viewing is YouTube. Yes it is a bit irritating at times when the adverts come, but I have a choice. Pay up or shut up. I could subscribe and remove adverts, but I don’t. Therefore I get the adverts. That’s absolutely fine by me. YouTube and its content makers need to make money. I’m ok with that. For the entertainment I get, a few seconds of adverts is a small price to pay.

 

[styles]

I just use an adblocker. Don't have to pay for anything, don't have to deal with adverts.

 

[75A]

I just use an adblocker. Don't have to pay for anything, don't have to deal with adverts.

For You Tube?
Is it free?

 

[Peter C]

Which of course means that YouTube don't get revenue. If everyone did that, either it would be charge for or wouldn't exist. All very well some people being selfish, but...

I wouldn't mind YouTube adverts if they were like TV adverts - i.e., at sensible regular intervals, and of decent quality. But the adverts on YouTube now are often AI slop and they often cut in rudely in the middle of a sentence which, when you're watching videos about serious events such as war and destruction, comes across as particularly stupid. Why can't AI software be put to use there, and put adverts at sensible places in videos? I'd be fine with that.

-Peter

 

[Chrius56000]

. . .The whole subject of weapons, war and destruction in itself should be a banned subject in itself – glorifying it on "You Tube" or social media only gives encouragement to the tinpots, autocrats and dictators who glorify in human rights abuse!

 

[pokemonsuper9]

. . .The whole subject of weapons, war and destruction in itself should be a banned subject in itself – glorifying it on "You Tube" or social media only gives encouragement to the tinpots, autocrats and dictators who glorify in human rights abuse!

Maybe take it up with the school system first? They certainly teach a lot about war and conflict.

 

[Lewisham2221]

. . .The whole subject of weapons, war and destruction in itself should be a banned subject in itself – glorifying it on "You Tube" or social media only gives encouragement to the tinpots, autocrats and dictators who glorify in human rights abuse!

Educating and glorifying are (or at least should) be two very different things though.

 

[Welly]

I wouldn't mind YouTube adverts if they were like TV adverts - i.e., at sensible regular intervals, and of decent quality. But the adverts on YouTube now are often AI slop and they often cut in rudely in the middle of a sentence which, when you're watching videos about serious events such as war and destruction, comes across as particularly stupid. Why can't AI software be put to use there, and put adverts at sensible places in videos? I'd be fine with that.

-Peter

Thank you - that is why I use adblockers on YouTube - I don't think it is selfish to use my time better than sitting through carp!

 

[dangie]

Thank you - that is why I use adblockers on YouTube - I don't think it is selfish to use my time better than sitting through carp!

Yes but it’s you that chooses to look at YouTube! Think of all the time you’d save if you didn’t.

YouTube is providing a service. Don’t you think it’s fair to give them something back either by buying a subscription or simply watching the adverts?

 

[Acey]

Thank you - that is why I use adblockers on YouTube - I don't think it is selfish to use my time better than sitting through carp!

Something very fishy about the above post !

 

[styles]

For You Tube?
Is it free?

Yeah, Firefox+uBlock Origin works for me. Or Brave with built-in adblocker.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Sep 2025 ==

Yes but it’s you that chooses to look at YouTube! Think of all the time you’d save if you didn’t.

YouTube is providing a service. Don’t you think it’s fair to give them something back either by buying a subscription or simply watching the adverts?

YouTube does need revenue to keep going. I leave that to the people who don't use adblockers.

Much like I benefit from the free flights I get with credit cards rewards, at the expense of people who don't pay their balance off in full every month.

 

[DelW]

I wouldn't mind YouTube adverts if they were like TV adverts - i.e., at sensible regular intervals, and of decent quality. But the adverts on YouTube now are often AI slop and they often cut in rudely in the middle of a sentence which, when you're watching videos about serious events such as war and destruction, comes across as particularly stupid. Why can't AI software be put to use there, and put adverts at sensible places in videos? I'd be fine with that.

-Peter

I sometimes use YouTube for long-distance train watching, via live webcams. I'm sure YT must have an algorithm that cuts in an advert when it detects an increase in on-screen movement. All the while nothing is happening it'll relay the stream, then just as a train appears an advert blocks it. It seems to happen too often to be coincidence.

 

[dangie]

Television dramas etc in which the same actors and actresses keep on reappearing. It’s often quite difficult to separate the role which you are now watching from the role they played before that and the one before that and……..

Supposedly there are many actors and actresses out of work. Maybe spread it around a bit.

 

[Strat-tastic]

I sometimes use YouTube for long-distance train watching, via live webcams. I'm sure YT must have an algorithm that cuts in an advert when it detects an increase in on-screen movement. All the while nothing is happening it'll relay the stream, then just as a train appears an advert blocks it. It seems to happen too often to be coincidence.

Bowled by u tube!