How much to say thank you?

[davidgillon]

Eep! Just went over to my GP's to thank them for arranging long distance repeat prescriptions while I was away from home and nearly got charged £85 for the privilege. They've brought in a new parking scheme where you have to type your car's reg into a keyboard in the surgery, or face an £85 parking fine. Only that detail's buried in a wall of text on signs in the carpark, only one of which is at a convenient height to read if you're a wheelchair user, and that's off to the side if you park where I do.

Pure chance one of the signs caught my eye as I was driving out and I had to go back and get the chair out again so I could figure out what it actually said and what I was supposed to do. The keyboard itself is off to the opposite side from the reception desk, so not obvious, and awkward to use as a chair user. I suspect anyone shorter than me won't actually be able to see the button you have to press to confirm your entry.

Comments

[hilarita]

Perhaps they could have told you when you came in? That would have been nice.
Also, seriously, having a new thing that's hard to use as a chair user? That sucks. (Though, thinking about it, when my GP surgery introduced a screen to check in to see the GP, they put it at a height where it's probably impossible to use as a chair user, and the reception desk is Quite Tall. Accessibility is for other people, clearly.)

[davidgillon]

I'm not certain how new it is, it's two months since I was last in the surgery, so they've potentially had time to forget it (and it's also possible it's been there for a while and I've been skating through). Thinking about it, there may have been something about it on the reception desk, except that's chest height, and the wheelchair height section is around the corner from it. I need to go back next week for a repeat prescription, I'll have a look and point it out if I need to.

I think the keyboard and screen had been deliberately positioned to be accessible to wheelchair users, it's just not very well designed, on the higher side of where it should be for chair users, and the button to confirm your entry is tucked in the very bottom right corner, with quite a high bevel around it.

[jesse_the_k]

Miserable interface, great catch!

[hamletta]

Ouch! My husband just got caught this way while parking in the usual spot by the pub, which forgot to inform anyone that they've changed their parking policy. He's protesting the fine now... Fun! But at least this was a pub, not a GP surgery, where they are supposed to make thing easier for people who might not be, you know, fully able?

Good on you for catching it in time!

[vass]

What the fuck even.