Just tried using the UK government 'You can do it all online' website to check my state pension contributions.
They insisted I login. What, no account? You can set one up now.
Proceeded to enter all the info they requested. Access code sent to my phone, so typed it in. Set up passwords....
Then onto Now let's prove your ID. You can either scan a passport or a photo-driving licence...OR we can ask you questions about this list of official documents that you may have. I selected the list of documents route, because I do not have a current passpoort, and my driving licence is a perfectly still valid older paper version with no photo.
Then it requested which two of three listed documents I wish to provide code numbers from.
Two of those three documents were.........Passport, and Photo Driving License.
This means I cannot use their 'You can do it all online' website to do anything.
So I phone the contact us phone number on screen.....
There followed 25 mins of muzak interspersed with 'Your call is imporant to us', 'You know you can do all this online', 'An agent will answer you call shortly',
'Your call is important to us'.......
I got bored, and went into my studio to fire up cubase, to record a clip of their customer service.
Before I got to recording, a real person answered, and was eventually transferred to another department.
They insist on posting me a state pension forecast document, and will not discuss it further until I have reviewed that document.
How was your morning?
By the way, right now most of the cushy job-for-life public sector are currently on strike for inflation busting pay rises. I do not support them!