Booking tickets on-line is one of those tiresome chores of modern life, second only to trying to phone an NHS hospital with an automatic exhange in the list of frustrations in modern life.

How is it that with all the computer electronics available today to make life easier, ordinary dialogue between user/customer and supplier has been sub-contracted to geeks?

There is no way a standard website is a user-friendly way to do business. I had one the other day where I had to fill in my address four separate times through the process. Another one told me when I submitted my message that I had left one of the boxes unticked. I went back to find which one only to have all the answers I had carefully filled out over the previous ten minutes wiped.

A current gripe is with the system to book an overnight sleeper to Aberdeen. The website used to come up with an easy-to-use table showing dates and prices. I could then quickly choose a date that gave best value for money. Now I have to look laboriously through every possible day, note the prices on a piece of paper, then come back to the cheapest deal only to find someone else has nabbed it and the price has changed!

Then there are those websites that immediately after use send you a questionnaire to ask you to take part in a satisfaction survey. The most frequently asked and stupidest question is ‘would you recommend us/this site to a friend?’  Even if I have found the website stress free (which is rare) I always say no. Why would I talk to my friends about a commercial website when there are so many other topics to discuss – unless I wanted to warn them off.

Shortly I have the welcome task of booking a ticket on the north boat back to Unst. So as not to spoil the pleasure, I’ll phone. At least Northlink doesn’t have a huge anonymous call-centre… now there’s another subject.