Sorry to bang on about this, but it’s driving me crazy. When did it become mandatory for one to have a smartphone, I must have missed the memo.
If you want to chat with Medibanks as a “priority member”, you can’t do it on the website, you can only do it via the Medibank app. Oh, you want access to your tickets to a concert, well, you have to download the Ticketmaster app, otherwise, too bad too sad! If you want access to the Government’s School payment, you have to download the Service WA App etc. Why is that allowed? It’s ageist and elitist and it disadvantages many people. The fact that I’m forced to waste my time and clutter my device, especially when I’m paying for the service/product, it makes me mad! At a minimum, there should be two ways to access your benefits, products, services or tickets.
Bang on all you like, because it drives me nuts too if that is what some organisation tries on.
Fortunately, mostly they can be ignored in my experience.
I share your frustrations. Many things are set up to use mobile and smartphone apps. We are a one mobile family, and it is challenging at times. But, we have found it is still possible to do things without a mobile/smartphone. But most still require online access or email as an alternative.
Possibly during Covid, when apps were the principal tool to allow things to start to return to normal.
Have you tried the old fashion phone call. Members can contact Medibank on their member phone number:
There are other options:
Have you tried paying at the school office or using BPay. But, if you want the free tickets to the zoo (an incentive to use the app), you need to sign up for the app.
Apps aren’t usually the only option (noting some online only businesses are app only) for interaction with businesses and government, but they are becoming more popular or the preferred method by some. Likewise they are also preferred by many consumers.
Technology changes things, an example is cheques. When something is no longer used, they get replaced by something new. Whether apps become the only way to do business or interact with other, only time will tell if it occurs.
We bought some tickets via Ticketmaster last year, the exclusive source for the venue in Melbourne. The choice was buying them from the app or not buying them. The choice to receive the tickets was through the app (ie no choices offered).
When the app linked to the tickets it included a warning that the tickets could not be snapped, scanned, or printed to work on the day. The ticket(s) in the app included a very strange to us animated bar code. The ticket scanner at ‘the door’ was stated to not recognise a static image as being a valid ticket. The ticketing system as described would stop counterfeiting and reselling (without Ticketmaster in the middle).
On the day everyone in the entry queue had their mobiles out and codes displayed.
Similar experience with events ticketed through EventBrite. It only offers an online booking and digital ticketing (paid). For free events where registration only is required it may be possible to make a phone booking. But in our experience only if the event organiser is prepared to facilitate it through one of the organisers staff answering calls and adding one to the registration list. However if one does not have a means to receive the digital acknowledgement and print or save to a handheld device it complicates the checkin at event procedure (manual check on arrival). Even our local elected politicians now use similar for any of their typically advance booked free member events. Motivations may vary.
Our RE tried to force us to use the Ailo app for rental payments. We had been paying via EFT for a year but owners changed agencies and when new lease came up it said payment must be made via Ailo. We said no, and that we would continue payments as before, they tried to argue but we said if they didn’t like bank transfer we could bring the cash into their office fortnightly!! Anyway, they caved. Not always easy but sometimes you just have to fight.
I read about the Ailo and similar apps in an article somewhere (it must have been the Guardian or the ABC), it made me so angry on behalf of the renters who seem to have no rights.
@Blancanieves Had to give you a like & I’m an IT pro… does that say something. I feel in terms of flexibility & useability we have gone backwards in the last 5-10yrs.
Ailo looks to be a licence to print money with nearly one third of Aussie households renting. If the promoters of the product continue to gain market share the upside is up to 1.5% of all rental revenue paid annually across the nation. A grandson of Ray White and ex Director of the Real Estate business is behind the product.
As pointed out in the 7News report the legislated requirements for payments by tenants differ between states and territories.
To note real estate letting agreements include a administration and management fees to be paid by the landlord. Why should a tenant pay extra for something the agent is already being paid for by the landlord - IE to collect and manage the rental payments? Tax deductible expenses for the landlord, but not so when paid by the tenant.
2.9 million (2) Australian families rent, with average annual rent more than $31,000 (1) per property. To the nearest whole number $90 billion a year. The size of the opportunity if one can add a fee to every rental payment and own the platform, legislation permitting.
(1) https://www.forbes.com/advisor/au/personal-finance/property-market-update/
(2) Home ownership and housing tenure - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Often it’s a case of sticking to your guns and not allowing them to bully you, property managers/ real estates are largely to blame rather than the actual owners of the rental property. And owners are ripped off too. As for Ailo, we have the owner’s contact details, and I’m sure they would be interested if we decided to leave solely because of being forced to use Ailo. We are the first decent long term tenants they have had after a run of bad tenants.
To stay on topic - what is it about these types of Apps which causes consumers concerns?
- Is it that the reliability and performance of the app is questionable?
- Are there concerns with the way data is secured against theft/hacking?
- Is there uncertainty as to privacy and with whom personal data/content is shared?
- Does the App actually improve on the consumer/customer’s experience?
- Does the App add genuine value the consumer/customer has actually requested?
- What are the assurances a particular App will be in use and supported for a reasonable period of time? (This could be many years if it is a long term commitment to the service/business)
- Is the consumer/customer being asked to pay for the use of the App - despite the outcome it delivers being to the benefit of another (business)?
The last reminds me of the sometimes debate about the need to tip in the USA to pay for the service received and staff employed to do so. It’s a strategy that a business is using to transfer the responsibility to the consumer/customer. However the customer has no choice in who the business hires to provide the service, just as with an App it’s also the business who makes the choice and not the customer. One could argue that in respect of choice one could go to another business. it may not be an option - given the market power in some sectors of a major enterprise/s, EG real estate, entertainment (live performance), government services (state/federal).
Feel free to add our own suggestions and comments.
Incredible as it may seem, there are actually people who simply use a mobile phone, as well, a mobile phone. With a bit of texting. Or a mobile app such as GPS. Or take some photos.
Like myself.
I have no desire to connect to the cell data network and thus Internet to do things I normally do with a broadband connected PC or Tablet.
I have no desire to use apps on a mobile phone with its tiny screen and tiny virtual keyboard.
I have no desire to have to pay for a data plan when I would rarely use data. So a PAYG plan is what I have and data allowance small.
I have no desire to replace my phone every few years just because app producers will only make their apps work on the latest versions of OS.
I have no desire to carry my phone around everywhere I go.
I’m trying to stick to my guns, but there are no options sometimes, so I’m complaining about it here, hoping that Choice has more power to do something about it. As for the apps used in real estate, how are the renters going to stand up to the big guns when many fear eviction? It’s grating that the property owners don’t do much to stop the practice, they’re probably just going with the flow unbothered about paying more, after all, they’re making a fortune.
I complain because I hate the lack of options/rights, despite being digitally literate and middle class, ie without no barriers to accessing. I do see how many people struggle with digital literacy, access to gadgets etc. There should be 2, 3 ways to do the same things, ie, have an app, but also send pdf tickets that I can print out etc, give me the choice, especially when I’m paying for the product.
Going back a few decades when apps were in their infancy, they were regarded as an important step to ‘democratise computing’, ie make computing power and capability available to everyone, technically literate or not, literate or not. At the time most applications were multi-purpose, very capable, and often somewhat complex to learn, and ran on computers and PCs.
The first wave of mobile phone apps reversed that almost to the point that one needed a different app to add 2+2 as compared to 2+3 to make the point in how limited they were, actually by the capability of the mobiles of the time rather than a lack of vision by the developers or communities.
The last few generations of mobiles have more computing power than the supercomputers of 40 years ago (although still not in all metrics). With the resources available in the hand the developers have taken single purpose apps and given them ‘muscle’ be it in security or usability, but each still is primarily a one purpose app such as for 1 bank, 1 ticketing system, 1 whatever, to keep it as simple as they can for as many as can be cajoled, pulled, or even shoved along to embrace the evolution of how we interact with governments and businesses, as well as ‘friends’ (social media).
One part of the puzzle remains puzzling and that is the competition amongst apps and their perceived standards where they are all the same in one respect but all different in another, be it operation or just look and feel and how organised.
As time goes on it will probably get worse if it ever gets better as there are so many bright, clever people who will always see a better way and try to ‘sell it’ to those who can pay the dollars to roll it out as their business/product 'differentiator.
And I haven’t even gone into - how much free space do we need to keep on our mobile phones for the apps? And I don’t even want to get into the mindboggling aspects of privacy, data etc. It all goes for the corporate interests, our governments, both of them, have no interest in protecting people’s privacy/consumer rights.
As inferred above I am also not a fan of needing an app for every dealing BUT as an IT Pro I do see it as a Catch-22. In many cases Apps are the cyber security solution of choice.
I get quite annoyed & have & will continue to complain when organisations ignore basic Cyber security; eg: Gov Depts that send pdfs via email with full a/c & identity details such as car rego, rates notices; REs & solicitors emailing legal documents beggars belief.
BUT there are still other options that don’t need to rely on an app - common one being online portals where you get an email & then login & download the pdf/document. More often now though even with this option since the Web is not as secure as your mobile device you still need an app to Multi-Factor authentication to get into that online Portal. With newer tech approaches like passkeys & laptop bio at least that might keep getting better. There are a few I use already recently where I can just fingerprint on my laptop to gain entry to a Web Portal.
We are long term renters by choice, and have no desire to own a house, consequently, we have a long and excellent rental record and I don’t think booting us out would be in their interest. As experienced renters we keep detailed records of everything and would not hesitate to go to a tribunal. I do have a certain amount of sympathy for owners of rental properties, especially those who try to do the right thing ie: keep properties well maintained etc. There are lots of rotten tenants out there, and not just in the lower end of the market so good tenants are not easy to find and any sensible landlord would be keen to hang on to a good tenant. Plus it costs them lots to change tenants. refusing to use the app worked for us anyway. I think legally they have to offer at least one alternate payment method.
My objections are:
Data security
Associated fees
Privacy
Zero benefit to us as tenants…actually requires more input from us as currently used bank transfer of rent is automatic and once set up requires no further action.
There is another problem:
As it is a third party to the movement of funds from the renter to the RE agent, then if held or delayed by the third party it is considered non payment of the rent and places the renter in the position of a breach. It has happened and can reach 1,000s of dollars. In the meantime the renter has to pay the owing amount and seek a refund from the third party.
