Mister Bump UK

Dissatisfied

Had my most unsatisfactory exchange with the WordPress support people the other day.

You know when you follow a new blog?

And you can manage how you find out when they post something new? Emails, notifications, etc.?

Well, every time I follow a new blog, WP gets these values wrong (i.e. not how I like them to be), so I have to go in and manually change stuff to how I like it, on every new blog.

It’s a small thing, but I got fed up of changing it every time. So I asked WP whether there was a setting I could change someplace which would make WP get it right, without me having to go and faff around every single time.

The reply? Here is how you open the Reader…

Er, no… My response? Please take the trouble to read my question. I realised that what I’m talking about is a bit fiddly, so I might have had to explain it some more, but I was at least looking for some indication that the analyst and I were on the same page.

They apologised for “mis” [i.e. not!] reading my question, then started asking me what emails I had received from WP recently. How should I know? I check that account maybe twice a week. They then wanted me to look through them. Bear in mind, I had never even asked about emails, this was all down to her – I was interested in changing a setting on the web site someplace.

Long and short, I got increasingly frustrated that this woman (who identified herself as Rachel) could not grasp what I was asking. To my credit, I think, I remained polite, although there was certainly a filter going on between head and hand. I was, however, curt. In the end I just said “sorry, this chat is unproductive” and closed the window. I would have happily spoken to her supervisor, but I was done speaking to her.

To my surprise I got a subsequent email response – not from this woman but from somebody who may have been her supervisor. They, at least, understood the question, although I think the answer is “tough”. I can live with that – it’s not a showstopper. What I did object to was somebody trying to feed me a line of bs.

So Rachel, I’m afraid, got a terrible review. Presumably, given her lack of ability to listen, she receives lots of other bad reviews. Frankly, WordPress strike me as a bunch of cutthroats, so I’m sure it is only a matter of time before poor old Rachel is asked into the manager’s office…

Published by Mister Bump UK

Separated with a grown/flown daughter. In life, I designed IT systems, taking a career break as a bicycle mechanic, until interrupted by a stroke in 2016, aged 48. On my way back into full-time work, I developed health-related apps and performed voluntary work. I enjoy composing limericks and flash fiction in my spare time.

35 comments

  1. Ive noticed this recent change, too. It used to be when you subscribed to a new blog you automatically got their posts coming — at least in the Reader. But you now specifically have to go to “Manage” in the Reader and ask if you want notification of new posts.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Christine, I’ve not noticed anything different. For me it’s the way it’s always been.
      Posts from new people arrive in my Reader as always and depending on how they’ve set their sites is the way I additionally receive the notification. I always go to Manage Followed sites so that I’m in control of how I’m informed about new posts and what information I receive.

      Liked by 2 people

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    • Must admit I did not botice it as a change, as far as I can recall is has always been like that on mine.
      I’ve also noticed (thought I noticed!) the settings set up differently, depending on where I followed the blog from, but I wasn’t paying enough attention at the time to swear it.

      Liked by 1 person

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  2. Seeing as I never work via the App, I’m on line anyway, so with each new blog I follow. I Just click Reader and then click Manage Followed Sites. The latest blogger is at the top of the list so I just choose what I want to receive via e-mail or notifications.

    Some bloggers set their sites so that we automatically receive e-mails of new posts, I normally cancel this option. I believe your site is set that way.

    Did you finally get sorted, did you learn anything useful?

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I believe I knoe how to make sure email notifications are “off”,

      Tell me, when you open “Settings”, what do you see? I see notifications – off, email posts – on, email comments – off. I’m fed up changing them for each and every new blog.

      Liked by 1 person

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      • I open Settings but I don’t see what you describe. What else do you open?
        I just click on Reader, Manage, and then click on Followed sites.
        As you can see the options for you are not activated, that’s because I rely on the reader to catch up
        These days I don’t follow new people very often, but when I do it only takes a second or so to choose how I wish to be informed.

        Liked by 1 person

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        • I have seen that screen, too! I thought I must have imagined it!

          But most of the time, I see 0-1-0, when what I actually want is 1-0-0.

          As I have seen both 0-0-0 and 0-1-0 I think we must get different defaults depending on how we enter “Settings”. I’m sure there was a way into Settings on an individual blog’s page on the Reader. I must say is seems particularlt silly to have a default setting of 0-0-0, because if so, what is the point of following?

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          • You’ve lost me a bit here!
            Perhaps settings is different on free sites, subscription sites and self-hosted.
            If you want to see the screen again, don’t attempt it via the desktop App. Click My Sites

            Liked by 1 person

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          • Sorry, I inadvertently clicked Send. I meant to continue with, nothing is the same via the App, it’s not comprehensive enough. I always work online.

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  3. They say they are helpful, but most times they are not. Ugh!
    I never use or have understood the reader, so I only get notices of new posts from those I follow by email. Works for me. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. I get the same trouble and I am very unsatisfied by it.
    I really hope they consider this problem in order to fix it quickly.
    I think poor old Rachel has been already “invited” in her manager’s office. It’s usually the case when he must intervene.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thx. I’m sure Rachel cannot hide. There must be somebody there thinking “what do we gain by employing her?”

      Thx for your other “likes” btw. I don’t follow likes religiously but I do sometimes take a peek. I hope you’re enjoying what you’re reading.

      Liked by 1 person

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  7. Every help line on a phone seems to be like this. If they speak understandable English, which is rare, they do their spiel and then stop listening or talk over you. I find an online chat is better but more time consuming. Basically I just stopped either, too frustrating.

    Liked by 1 person

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  8. It takes multiple efforts to finally find a “happiness engineer” who actually reads and understands you issue, and even then, you’re lucky if they ever get around to giving you a reasonable answer, much less address the issue.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Fandango, it’s a language issue, at least that’s what I tell myself. The engineers are home-based all around the world. I would prefer to connect with someone who lives just around the corner from me, at least they understand my accent!
      Trouble is, we never get the same person twice. You write, somone replies, you reply, but someone else reads your reply and has no idea what you are talking about and by the time the third and fourth one comes along neither do you, and you’ve now lost the will to live. 😂

      Liked by 3 people

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  9. I’ve NEVER followed a new blog and not had to faff about with the settings. Never once. So now if I find a new blog I want to follow, I go in and change the settings to my preference immediately. It is a bit of bother perhaps, but at least I don’t get a bigger ulcer, higher blood pressure and frustration from ‘talking’ to some boob who probably doesn’t speak English as a first language. I’m not dissin’ on call (‘chat’) center personnel mind you. Apparently English speakers don’t want to take the level of pay non-English speakers will settle for. But geez. Don’t pretend to speak the language if you don’t. Someone will notice soon or later and there will be the sort of non-communication you experienced.

    Liked by 2 people

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    • I finally received an email yesterday in which they said it was not possible, which is kinda what I thought from the start. I work in software and support people tend to be like that – full of bluster but with limited knowledge. The quality they should be selected by is the ability to listen and to hear what people are asking.

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