Is it just me, or is the print on just about everything getting smaller?The other day I had a little problem with my credit card (worn out from over use I suspect) and needed to call someone. I flipped the card over hoping to find a contact number and sure enough, there it was.
Actually, there were three numbers, all of which were in print approximately the size of ant droppings.
I squinted my eyes, then like a trombone player, held the card at various distances... and alas, they came in to focus; but which to call? I suspect this was explained in the few words which preceded each number, but sadly, those were in even smaller print (think baby ant droppings). Thankfully, at least they were not in the center of the card where a number of similar sized words, saying lord knows what, were totally obscured by the recesses caused by the embossing of the card number.
Eventually, I gave up, called the first number and was unceremoniously put in the queue of a rather annoying automated voice response system... which eventually lead me to some 'customer care centre' in India; but I'll save that story for some future day.
In any event, while waiting in the queue, I decided to check the other cards in my wallet to see if the use of micro print was a common practice. Lo and behold, it pretty much was, with the one exception being my American Express card on which the numbers were sufficiently large, but unfortunately the accompanying words were printed in white, on a light blue background.
Needless to say "I was not amused!"
To my younger readers, all this may sound like the rantings of an old grump. But demographic studies would suggest that in many parts of the world, there are actually more of us old grumps than there are of you; and as much as you may not want to hear this, with every passing day, you get one day closer to being one of us.
The use of small print on credit cards, labels and everything else may seem of little consequence to some, but for me they speak volumes of the competence of those who insist on testing our eyesight, not to mention our patience.
Often it's the little things (no pun intended) that make or break the brand.
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Jim, not sure if you also have a card from the Canadian op of the "world's local bank", but on both my Malaysian one and UK one, there's one toll-free number. It's printed at the top on reverse of the card, and is pretty easy to read. It's about twice the size of the T&C.
ReplyDeleteThat said, should the criticisms you rightly air, not just be directed at the banks in question, but at VISA and Mastercard for failing to apply and enforce an appropriate standard across the industry?
Your getting more like Andy Rooney every day, I have a book by him that will give you loads of ideas , Jim
ReplyDeleteSmall Print vs Big Print
ReplyDeleteLast year I went to the Burnaby Public Library looking for a book called “Hot, Flat and Crowded” by Thomas L. Friedman. As I couldn’t find it in the normal bookshelves, I asked a librarian who showed me to a bookshelf in a corner and I found that book there. I remember the bookshelf being called “Enlarged”.
I was quite amazed when I opened that book – every word is ridiculously large! It reminds me times ago when my college accidentally enlarged the fonts of my computer screen, we both laughed at the big strange looking words. However time has changed. Now it was wonderful to have that ‘enlarged’ book, because I was just diagnosed with cataract and have difficulty reading small print. I was very thankful for the publisher of that book. Besides it was good to know that there are books with big prints available, although not every book has an enlarged edition available nowadays.
I also noticed when I opened the book that it was quite new. I assumed that there are not many people interested in this book. However I immediately overturned this assumption because I didn’t find it in the ordinary bookshelf of the library. So it must be another reason, i.e. there are not many old grumps reading this book! I just joined the old grumps group recently (my eye doctor told me that I got cataract 10 years younger than most of the patients.). I’m experiencing the hardship most of old grumps are going through now - having difficulty reading small prints.
I learned from recent news that people are aging in Canada and around the world because of the baby boomers are reaching the majority soon. I think we need to do something to help old grumps especially in reading small prints. With fast development of technology, I believe that one day people can enlarge those small prints whenever or wherever they want by simply touch a button. A credit card may look like a thin Iphone with the word enlarging function.
Ling Jin