Blatant Discrimination.

[elfs]

It being the end of the month, I tried to contact my health insurer and pay the monthly fees needed to keep the service running. It wouldn't let me log in, saying that my password had "expired."

So I called and spoke to someone named "Frank," with a deep Mumbai accent, who told me that if I let the account go more than thirty days then it gets shut down. Since I only need to review it once a month, that means that eventually, without fail, a month will pass whereby 31 days have passed and my password will be expired.

Strike #1.

Then he tells me that he isn't empowered to re-open the account. There's no mechanism for changing the password on an existing account. Instead, I have to register as a new user to access the existing internal account (which is associated to the new web user via my taxpayer ID number). The other accounts will live forever, cluttering up his system, lifeless.

Strike #2.

After three tries at this rigmarole, he reads to me from the script. It's absolutely bonkers: "The first letter of your first name must be capitalized, and all the other letters lowercase. The first letter of your last name must be capitalized, and all the other letters lower-cased. Are you using Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or up?"

I tell him I'm using Firefox.

"I am sorry, sir, but we only allow users of Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or up on our site. It will not work with anything else."

Now, understand, this is a service for individual purchasers, mostly living at home. And yet his company supports only Internet Explorer 5.5 "or better." I asked him if he was aware that many households are Apple-only, and they will not be able to use his service. He can't leave the script: "Oh, I'm sorry sir, I don't know what to tell you."

Strike #3.

Fortunately-- in the way that a third nipple can be considered "fortunate"-- IE 6 runs on Linux. I fire it up and get into the system. Omaha puts the charge on her card. But Jumpin' Jesus, it's insane, it's corporate suicide, to be supporting only IE-- and IE 5.5! no less-- in 2009.

Comments

[danceswithlife]

Hm. Not to be a pessimist or anything, but as someone who works for the insurance industry this strikes me as a way to keep people from paying their COBRA so that they coverage can be discontinued. Most companies are totally unforgiving about late payments--you simply lose your coverage. And frequently the people who take COBRA are the ones who need it, and premiums don't come close to equaling the payouts, so losing their business is not a loss for the insurance carriers. :-(

Lola

[gromm.livejournal.com]

I was thinking that too.

Except I was also thinking "And if you think they're difficult to deal with *now*, just imagine what they're like when you have to make a *claim* on that insurance".

Heh.

[jenk]

I hear "work with IE 5.5" and wonder if they've updated it in the last 3 or 4 years.

It may work with Firefox, but it may not work with IE 8.

[urox.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid you've become a victim of your own microcosm (of which I know I'm guilty occasionally). The majority of companies out there still used windows and IE. I keep hearing IBM announce that they're moving to Linux and have yet to see it. And I'm pretty sure it's not going to happen based on other trends I've observed of the company. It took *so* long for a certain company I know to have Firefox even available for download on company computers.

Hmm...

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

Have you ever tried the IE Tab Extension? I've found that it's really good at fooling sites that require me to browse from IE. It used to be clumsy, but it's gotten a lot better.

Re: Hmm...

[duskwuff.livejournal.com]

Doesn't work unless you're running Windows already.

You'd be surprised at how long legacy software is around

[(Anonymous)]

Well, Elf, I know from reading your blog that you're fairly out on the bleeding edge of web design and production. There are a pretty large number of companies out there, though, that don't care. They see IT as a sinkhole for money, and want to spend as little money on it as possible, and if that means having a production system require IE5.5, then so be it.

In the last couple of months, I've seen myself or been told about by reliable acquaintances the following systems, in production:
* - Building heating/controls system which requires IE6 (and only IE6)
* - Security system, for electronic door locks, which requires WinNT 4.0
* - Several scanners which were multi-thousand dollar scanners when purchased, but will not work with anything newer than Win98.

In many cases, it's hard for IT to make the case that replacing antiquated systems will save money, or generate enough new revenue to justify in the money-controllers' minds that it's worth spending any money on.

Falbert