Renewals

A few weeks ago, I had a go at renewing our senior bus passes online - not because we need the money, but because having to pay with money can be a bit of a nuisance. All seemed to be going swimmingly, when I ran into what looked like various computer glitches at their end. I tried again a bit later on and all seemed to be well second time around - and my pass turned up in a couple of days. However, BH had wanted a new picture on hers - which did not turn up. After a fortnight or so, I sent in an email and a few days after that it did turn up, complete with new picture, not quite as dreadful as the last one. So the online experience was not too bad.

Then today, I thought I would try the same trick with BH's driving license. But this turned out to beyond me and after half an hour fiddling about online, I passed the papers back to BH for her to complete and post in the old way.

The desktop computer part I had been able to manage, including creating a new government log-on because the one that I already had did not work for these purposes: apparently not very joined up - yet. But I failed when it came to the special app, which I think was needed to upload a new face in real time. Loading a pre-existing image - which I had got ready - did not seem to be an option. And this required telephone skills which I did not have and BH to be present, which I did not have either. 

I suppose a driving license is a more serious document than a bus pass, so they do have to take it seriously, but it was far too serious for me. To think that I used to be considered an IT nerd.

PS: I forget how I renewed my driving license last year. Perhaps that was some previous computer system, not so tangled up with telephones.