Cecily O'Connor
RedwoodAge.com
Hidden fees and not reaching a human when you call customer service are the top two exasperating annoyances that can sap even the most cheerful holiday spirits.
| Gripe | Score |
| Hidden fees | 8.9 |
| No human on phone | 8.6 |
| Tailgating | 8.3 |
| Cell-phone use by drivers | 8.0 |
| Incomprehensible bills | 7.8 |
| Dog poop | 7.6 |
| Unreliable Net service | 7.6 |
| Discourteous cell phone use | 7.6 |
| Waiting for repair people | 7.5 |
| Spam | 7.5 |
| Shrunken products | 7.2 |
| Very slow drivers | 7.0 |
| Unreliable cell-phone service | 7.0 |
| Traffic jams | 6.9 |
| Noisy neighbors | 6.9 |
| Poor airline service | 6.9 |
| TV/radio show shouting | 6.5 |
| Checkout lines | 6.4 |
| Speeding drivers | 6.1 |
| Passwords and PINS | 6.1 |
| Inaccurate forecasts | 4.3 |
That's according to a Consumer Reports survey of 1,125 Americans who scored 21 gripes on a scale of 1 to 10. The survey found that there are some pet peeves that get under the skin of older adults more than younger adults, women more than men, and Democrats more than Republicans.
While most of these irritants occur year-round, the holidays can heighten sensitivities to certain activities. Been stuck in traffic while trying to get to the mall recently?
Many annoyances on Consumer Reports list were technology-driven, with the cell phone called out on several violations, including unreliable service.
Not surprisingly, airlines were cited for poor service. However, they fared better on the gripe gauge that most activities on the ground related to personal finance and driving.
What
Miffs Americans?
In the top 10 list, Americans said tailgating was the third most irksome
activity, followed by cell phone use by drivers, incomprehensible bills, dog
poop, unreliable Internet service, discourteous cell phone use, waiting for
repair people and spam.
The survey said people over 50 were more annoyed than younger folks about eight of the choices, including speeding drivers, discourteous cell-phone use, e-mail spam and cell-phone use while driving.
Having to remember passwords and pins irritates women more than men. Women also were more annoyed by speeding drivers and products that shrank but still cost the same.
On the political front, Democrats said they were more annoyed than Republicans by television or radio shows during which people shout their opinions.
Among other pet peeves, residents of densely populated urban areas were more ticked off than rural residents by unscooped dog poop.Despite all the complaining, one group escaped the worst of the public's wrath: weather forecasters who get it wrong. They scored a 4.3 on the gripe gauge.
The full survey will be published in January's Consumer Reports magazine
