Member Article

Nation of ‘Last-minute’ Brits let down this summer

With summer holidays approaching, new research released today reveals that people in the UK are being let down at the last minute because technology unexpectedly fails to work or is too slow.

The research, commissioned by the memory and storage experts at Crucial.com, reveals that over half of us in the UK (51%) are leaving tasks to the last minute as we think our PCs or mobiles will make them quicker (76%) and easier (68%). Top last-minute activities include looking up travel directions, routes and times (33%), shopping (23%), making payments (18%), contacting friends and relatives (10%) and booking holidays (10%).

Unfortunately, more than half of us (59%) have also been let down at the last minute, with 55% of people suffering setbacks at least once a month. The failures include devices freezing (66%), not connecting to the internet (53%), being painfully slow (51%), running out of batter (26%), and resetting themselves (18%). The implications of home or mobile technology failing at the last minute include having to pay more for items, travel, or services (30%), getting flustered and sweaty (21%), getting lost (13%), crying (3%) or losing a job (1%).

Although people think that using home or mobile technology to organise their lives is cheaper (37%), over £768million is being wasted each month due to technology failures, resulting in people paying more for holidays, shopping items, or services. People in the uK are also wasting over 97,000 days each month trying to rectify issues caused by home or mobile technology failing them at the last minute.

Roddy McLean, a computer upgrade expert from Crucial.com, said “We’re all used to jumping online last minute to look up information or make a purchase. However, if your computer is running slowly or is slow to boot up, these sorts of activites become stresssful. In the case of a slow-running computer, a simple memory upgrade could mean the difference between an easy day and last-minute trauma. Our advice is to act before it’s too late”.

Finally, although 56% say they are too dependent on technology and would struggle to cope if they lost it, only 16% would turn to traditional methods to complete a task, such as looking at a paper map or calling a timetable hotline“.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Crucial.com .