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

[Techniquest]

I mean maybe you don't, but I've certainly had conversations with family and friends about what washing detergents we use! Not exactly in-depth stuff but say my partner seems to have an itchy skin reaction to a lot of washing powders, but Daz is absolutely fine, for example. So if someone else mentions they're getting itchy skin from their washing, I'll suggest trying Daz. Talked about which brand of nappies to buy probably half a dozen times. I'll discuss TfW vs Avanti for a journey along the north Wales coast. On the whole I think people do actually recommend products and services all the time.

Maybe not on board WiFi of course

That sort of thing definitely, useful stuff. Similar with hotels/B&Bs/etc, finding a really fantastic hotel when you really didn’t expect much of a place is worth sharing with fellow travelling friends and family. My example of this was when I stayed at the Derby Conference Centre & Hotel last year. I didn’t expect much of a place, not researching it at all beyond the rating shown on the Booking dot com page.

It turned out to be one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed in, so I’m happy to recommend it to others. Breakfast being included was a bonus, especially as the buffet had hot food that I liked. Not too often I see that!

As for getting a survey for silly things, I got a ‘how did we do’ email for buying a ticket through the TfW app recently. I didn’t get one when I bought tickets the first time months ago in the app, which would have been more useful for a first time experience. Since then, I’ve used it a handful of times and can work my way around it with far more ease. No point in asking a seasoned traveller months after trying an app for an opinion.

Of course, I didn’t respond and they sent me another email asking me to rate them on TrustPilot. Absolutely not. If it was for a useful service that I would want to recommend or whatever, then fair enough. However, I have more important things to do than review everything I see/do on TrustPilot/TripAdvisor/whatever!

 

[Gloster]

Rather more stupid are the ones where you have little choice as to whether you use their service or not. ‘Yes, I will use Islandline if I want to travel to Smallbrook Junction again.” (Of course, I do have the alternative of going through a farmyard and across the farmer’s field before trespassing on the track to reach the platform.)

 

[styles]

Rather more stupid are the ones where you have little choice as to whether you use their service or not. ‘Yes, I will use Islandline if I want to travel to Smallbrook Junction again.” (Of course, I do have the alternative of going through a farmyard and across the farmer’s field before trespassing on the track to reach the platform.)

I was thinking about this in the SWR example earlier.

But actually I still think it can be valuable information. The idea behind NPS (though it has its criticisms!) is to allow companies to compare against each other. Islandline may be able to compare themselves to say an NPS score for the Far North Line, or a similar single-operator service in another country even. Even comparing to operators who don't have exclusive lines like TfW vs Avanti on the north Wales coastal line, it may give an idea whether passengers are likely to start ditching Islandline for a bus or driving instead.

 

[Statto]

Lids being screwed on to jars so tight you struggle to unscrew them, i bought a jar of Balti sauce (as i have some meat left over from a roast dinner that i decided to make a curry with it) but the lid has been screwed on so tight i can't open the jar (i have decent strength), but that's not the only offender, i've bought a few jars with various things lately like pickled Beetroot, pickled Gherkins ecc, but have been struggling to unscrew the lid.

Edit, so i tried to open the jar again, & still wouldn't open, then used the run butter knife around the rim trick & that worked a treat.

 

[The exile]

People who stand in the middle of the escalator with a hand on each railing.

Or indeed stand /walk slowly in the middle of anything, leaving slightly less than enough room on both sides. No issue with the walking slowly bit (particularly if that’s actually as fast as they can go) but, if you can, your first responsibility is to be aware of what is going on around you and react accordingly.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Mar 2026 ==

It's the standard 'net promoter score' (NPS) question.

It is a bit silly to ask it on something like WiFi, but I suppose they're asking how likely you'd be to recommend SWR to a friend, rather than just their WiFi?

I wonder how it would affect the responses overall if they added the words “if asked”?
The ones that really irritate me are the ones which either get the timing wrong “Did our gift-wrapped surprise Valentine’s Day gift for a girlfriend come up to your expectations” sent on February 9th, for example, or refuse to take being ignored for an answer.
While on the subject of ratings - tick-box ones that have no option for “middle of the road” or imply that praise is to be expected for “doing what it says on the tin”.

 

[AM9]

Or indeed stand /walk slowly in the middle of anything, leaving slightly less than enough room on both sides. No issue with the walking slowly bit (particularly if that’s actually as fast as they can go) but, if you can, your first responsibility is to be aware of what is going on around you and react accordingly.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Mar 2026 ==

There are some who have less than perfect balance and when on a mpving floor such as an escalator, need to:
a) hold onto somthing to stabilise themselves and
b) spread their feet enough to avoid falling.
Lifts aren't always available and scaling a fixed 20m + stairway is not an option even of it does delay others by a few seconds.

 

[The exile]

There are some who have less than perfect balance and when on a mpving floor such as an escalator, need to:
a) hold onto somthing to stabilise themselves and
b) spread their feet enough to avoid falling.
Lifts aren't always available and scaling a fixed 20m + stairway is not an option even of it does delay others by a few seconds.

Oh indeed - I’m not thinking of people like that, where it’s perfectly understandable. If someone’s clutching both handrails of an escalator is almost certainly for a good reason as it’s not exactly a comfortable /natural thing to do. It’s the “stroll along together holding hands but at the same time keeping socially distanced” or “let’s stop and have a conversation right in the middle of the aisle /pavement /top of the escalator)” when it would be so easy to move two feet one way or the other.

 

[Bald Rick]

While on the subject of ratings - tick-box ones that have no option for “middle of the road”

That‘s deliberate and actually good practice in Market Research, as it forces the responder to have an opinion one way or the other.

 

[jfollows]

Lids being screwed on to jars so tight you struggle to unscrew them, i bought a jar of Balti sauce (as i have some meat left over from a roast dinner that i decided to make a curry with it) but the lid has been screwed on so tight i can't open the jar (i have decent strength), but that's not the only offender, i've bought a few jars with various things lately like pickled Beetroot, pickled Gherkins ecc, but have been struggling to unscrew the lid.

Edit, so i tried to open the jar again, & still wouldn't open, then used the run butter knife around the rim trick & that worked a treat.

I have a short but substantial wooden stick which I use to bash around the lid in these circumstances, it usually does the trick and doesn’t break anything in the process.

 

[The exile]

That‘s deliberate and actually good practice in Market Research, as it forces the responder to have an opinion one way or the other.

If it is good practice to force a respondent to lie, then so be it. If I am offering nothing between “excellent” and “poor “ then 90% of the time I cannot provide my honest opinion and will in future give an extremely poor rating for being pestered.

 

[styles]

I wonder how it would affect the responses overall if they added the words “if asked”?
The ones that really irritate me are the ones which either get the timing wrong “Did our gift-wrapped surprise Valentine’s Day gift for a girlfriend come up to your expectations” sent on February 9th, for example, or refuse to take being ignored for an answer.
While on the subject of ratings - tick-box ones that have no option for “middle of the road” or imply that praise is to be expected for “doing what it says on the tin”.

Yeah the NPS question is standardised so that companies can make comparisons with others in their industry and sector.

There's plenty of criticism of NPS though. Everything from the question to the methodology.

I've been told about it in plenty of workplaces but it's never been part of my job to take more than a fledgling interest in the matter. I think companies can get too hung up on how they stack up against a competitor, instead of just striving for the best customer service possible.

 

[Techniquest]

If it is good practice to force a respondent to lie, then so be it. If I am offering nothing between “excellent” and “poor “ then 90% of the time I cannot provide my honest opinion and will in future give an extremely poor rating for being pestered.

I’ve done that before, just to express my disappointment in a poor survey. More often than not I’ll just quit the whole thing and not offer any opinion!

Sometimes the surveys come way after the event in question, so the important stuff they want an answer for has probably been forgotten by then. I got one sent to me when I got new glasses, 2 weeks or so after the event. That’s a bit too long to be expected to remember the details they’re after, in my opinion.

While we’re on the subject of surveys and big companies, here’s my moan of 2026:

Premier Inn. Their emails are sometimes relentless! When they had a free breakfast when staying between specific dates earlier this year, none of which worked for me, I was getting emailed about it so often it completely ruined my opinion of the hotel chain. At least every 2 days if not more often, which was ridiculous.

Thankfully I’ve unsubscribed from their emails now, instead I get bombarded by their annoying adverts instead on YouTube. The more they push their adverts the less I’m interested.

Interestingly enough, Travelodge don’t advertise much at all in my experience, it appears they don’t need to as they’ve got a good base of loyal customers. Works for me, these days I’ve surprised myself in looking first at Travelodge when staying somewhere, given I took myself away from the chain for something like 10 years.

Admittedly, I have got a 2 night stay later this year with Premier Inn when I head to the Commonwealth Games. Hard to believe it’s only a little over 4 months away now!

 

[Bald Rick]

If it is good practice to force a respondent to lie, then so be it. If I am offering nothing between “excellent” and “poor “ then 90% of the time I cannot provide my honest opinion and will in future give an extremely poor rating for being pestered.

Ah, if the only options are extreme, then I agree it’s not a good survey. Good practice is to have 3 either side, ie slightly, moderatley, strongly agree / disagree. Or “on a scale of 1-10… how much do you agree with this statement”

At least that’s what my Market Research company owning friend says. She might be wrong!

 

[cb a1]

From the perspective of 'using Market Research' to actually improve (or I guess en****tify) a product or service, I would want to garner as true a representation of user's opinions as possible. Hence answers such as "don't care", "ambivalent", "can't remember" would be important to me and thus good practice.
Conversely, I guess some people want to '[ab]use Market Research' for marketing purposes; e.g. "83% of our users rated this product as ...", so I guess it could be 'good practice' to achieve that outcome by forcing an opinion.

 

[bearhugger]

Conversely, I guess some people want to '[ab]use Market Research' for marketing purposes; e.g. "83% of our users rated this product as ...", so I guess it could be 'good practice' to achieve that outcome by forcing an opinion.

When they put up on the screen that 75% of 100 people recommend xx product, that means only 75 people out of billions on the planet would recommend it!!

 

[The exile]

Ah, if the only options are extreme, then I agree it’s not a good survey. Good practice is to have 3 either side, ie slightly, moderatley, strongly agree / disagree. Or “on a scale of 1-10… how much do you agree with this statement”

At least that’s what my Market Research company owning friend says. She might be wrong!

The scale is fine as long as it is accepted that “it’s fine” lies somewhere between 5 and 7. I can’t remember which large online platform apparently starts penalising at anything other than 10/10.

 

[DelW]

Lids being screwed on to jars so tight you struggle to unscrew them, i bought a jar of Balti sauce (as i have some meat left over from a roast dinner that i decided to make a curry with it) but the lid has been screwed on so tight i can't open the jar (i have decent strength), but that's not the only offender, i've bought a few jars with various things lately like pickled Beetroot, pickled Gherkins ecc, but have been struggling to unscrew the lid.

Edit, so i tried to open the jar again, & still wouldn't open, then used the run butter knife around the rim trick & that worked a treat.

If it's a metal lid, I stand the jar upside down in a saucer of hot water for a few seconds. The warmth expands the lid more than the glass of the jar, and it's much easier to free it. Less effective for most plastics though, their coefficient expansion seems to be smaller.

 

[Acey]

Lids being screwed on to jars so tight you struggle to unscrew them, i bought a jar of Balti sauce (as i have some meat left over from a roast dinner that i decided to make a curry with it) but the lid has been screwed on so tight i can't open the jar (i have decent strength), but that's not the only offender, i've bought a few jars with various things lately like pickled Beetroot, pickled Gherkins ecc, but have been struggling to unscrew the lid.

Edit, so i tried to open the jar again, & still wouldn't open, then used the run butter knife around the rim trick & that worked a treat.

I find that attempting to screw the lid tighter first helps ( sometimes )

 

[Peter Mugridge]

If it is good practice to force a respondent to lie, then so be it. If I am offering nothing between “excellent” and “poor “ then 90% of the time I cannot provide my honest opinion and will in future give an extremely poor rating for being pestered.

I'd agree with you; I worked in market research for nearly 40 years and we would always offer the middle of the road options as well; knowing how many people have no or an indifferent opinion is, if anything, more valuable than knowing how many people have the top and bottom opinions - and the latter is meaningless if one is forced into ticking one of those two.

When they put up on the screen that 75% of 100 people recommend xx product, that means only 75 people out of billions on the planet would recommend it!!

It's not quite that simple - if sampling is properly done and weighted, then some surprisingly small sample sizes can very accurately reflect opinions as a whole. The 100 in your example is, I would agree, rather on the small side for anything in depth - but would be quite adequate for a "general feeling" purpose. It would still need the sample to be properly weighted in the first place, of course.

Ideally, we would aim for 300 - 400. Once you get to a very large sample, usually just over 1,000 in size, you don't generally get better accuracy for the extra cost involved. If you want to really monitor trends over time, that's when the really large continuous panels with something like 8,000 to 12,000 members reporting on a monthly basis come into play - these are very expensive to run and are usually syndicated across multiple clients, each buying only part of the overall data for specific products rather than the whole range covered by the panel.

 

[DannyMich2018]

I'd ban or curb these so called Facebook 'stirrers' such as Callum Lyon, constantly moaning about cost of living food etc but in many cases completely exaggerating or making up the figures. Moaning about fuel too, anyone remember back in 2022 when it hit nearly £2 per litre? Another thing they do is put a pic of some food from a supermarket and say it's really pricey but you don't see receipt or everything there. Yes the cost of living can be high but these people on FB are just stirring things up.

 

[Steddenm]

I'd ban or curb these so called Facebook 'stirrers' such as Callum Lyon, constantly moaning about cost of living food etc but in many cases completely exaggerating or making up the figures. Moaning about fuel too, anyone remember back in 2022 when it hit nearly £2 per litre? Another thing they do is put a pic of some food from a supermarket and say it's really pricey but you don't see receipt or everything there. Yes the cost of living can be high but these people on FB are just stirring things up.

And those who bang on about palm oil in Cadbury chocolate (it has been in it for 40+ years listed as vegetable oil) and then goes on about Tony's Chocolate that "doesn't contain palm oil" albeit it does, listed as "emulsifiers". But then in the next video he is happily scoffing his way through crap from Farmfoods which is laden with palm oil!

 

[Megafuss]

Panel shows

 

[gg1]

I'd ban or curb these so called Facebook 'stirrers' such as Callum Lyon, constantly moaning about cost of living food etc but in many cases completely exaggerating or making up the figures. Moaning about fuel too, anyone remember back in 2022 when it hit nearly £2 per litre? Another thing they do is put a pic of some food from a supermarket and say it's really pricey but you don't see receipt or everything there. Yes the cost of living can be high but these people on FB are just stirring things up.

I've seen a lot of rail related examples of those complaining about ticket prices on facebook, some merely cherry pick the most expensive ticket possible for the journey, but others go beyond that and make up outlandish ticket prices. One which popped up in my facebook feed was about 4 times the price of the most expensive ticket.

 

[Lewisham2221]

I've seen a lot of rail related examples of those complaining about ticket prices on facebook, some merely cherry pick the most expensive ticket possible for the journey, but others go beyond that and make up outlandish ticket prices. One which popped up in my facebook feed was about 4 times the price of the most expensive ticket.

Usually with the date, number of passengers and/or single/return selection conveniently cropped from the picture to try and mask their deceipt.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Mar 2026 ==

I'd ban or curb these so called Facebook 'stirrers' such as Callum Lyon, constantly moaning about cost of living food etc but in many cases completely exaggerating or making up the figures. Moaning about fuel too, anyone remember back in 2022 when it hit nearly £2 per litre? Another thing they do is put a pic of some food from a supermarket and say it's really pricey but you don't see receipt or everything there. Yes the cost of living can be high but these people on FB are just stirring things up.

Ah, yes. I had to block/hide him from my feed as I was getting sick of seeing all his nonsense. His page claims "comedy and mental health awareness" but all he posts is negative, inflammatory and frankly false/inaccurate rubbish.

 

[Topological]

Panel shows

Are there any panel shows which are still comedic

 

[43096]

When one set of a pair of escalators is out of use, the remaining set being left in the down direction. Utterly brainless.

 

[Megafuss]

Are there any panel shows which are still comedic

Have I Got News For You has it's moments when it's not trying to be "middle class" humour, but no

 

[Bald Rick]

When one set of a pair of escalators is out of use, the remaining set being left in the down direction. Utterly brainless.

Actually, brainy, and deliberate. You are far more likely to be injured walking down steps than up steps, and the injury is likely to be more severe. And people who struggle to use steps (for whatever reason) struggle with them in each direction. Therefore setting the working escalator to down reduces the risk of injury.

Yes it requires people to put in more effort, but in a small way, that helps people get a tiny bit healthier

 

[Gloster]

The use of the phrase ‘go the extra mile’ as a buzz-word for doing your job well, not just sticking to the minimum. Recent ones that I have seen were a mention for Red Funnel ferries: if they went an extra mile they would hit the floating bridge, which has enough problems if its own already, before going aground in the Medina. Another was in a recruiting ad for drivers for Island Line: I do not want them to go the extra mile when heading for Ryde Pier Head.

 

[D1537]

That‘s deliberate and actually good practice in Market Research, as it forces the responder to have an opinion one way or the other.

That's fine in Market Research, but at a previous school I worked in we had a new Trust take over, and six months later there was a staff questionnaire about various aspects of the school.

A large number of the questions were multiple choice and had no neutral option, so you were basically saying that X thing that the Trust had done was really good or really bad. Considering some of the questions were effectively about the competency (or otherwise) of Trust management, and the questionnaire was compulsory but also logged your email address...

Equally, there was no "don't know" option, and some of the questions were really niche, about topics that many staff wouldn't even interact with.

And, of course, it had been set up in Google Forms with the "compulsory question" box ticked, so you couldn't post it with questions left unanswered.

Result: many staff refused to fill it in, which led to a right kerfuffle...