The Gripe Report: Top-Of-The-Screen Notifications, Jetway Wheelchair Abuse, To-Go Tipping

Happy Friday! Welcome to The Gripe Report!

I hope you had a great "International Talk Like A Pirate Day" yesterday. That’s a real thing and undoubtedly features more shoe-horned "booty" double-entendres than any other day on the calendar.

It’s been a great week for me so far, I had some family in town for a few days, but now I'm back to work, and it didn't take too long for me to be reminded of a big technology gripe of mine.

Have a gripe? Send it in!: mattreigleoutkick@gmail.com

For better or worse, I'm firmly under the control of Apple Inc. I'm not one of those cultish Apple people who has to have the newest phone every year, thinks Steve Jobs was some divine being (I'm more of a Woz guy), or who sticks an Apple sticker on the back of my car. It's just that every computer, phone, or tablet I have for work and personal use is Apple.

I like having everything integrated so I can bounce around from device to device, but that means I'm kind of stuck with the folks in Cupertino unless I want to drive myself crazy switching everything over to another setup.

This unfortunately means that I have to deal with all of Apple's shortcomings including one that I was reminded of this week.

I upgraded to IOS 18 on my phone and quickly found that Apple still hasn't done anything about notifications dropping from the top of the screen right as you're about to press something.

This has happened to me hundreds if not thousands of times. I go to click on a search bar but as my finger is en route to touching the screen, a notification drops down letting me know that my fantasy team is losing or filling me in on a sale at Guitar Center, and whisks me away to another app.

I can't believe that we're on the 18th edition of IOS and still no one at Apple has said, "Hey those notifications from the top of the screen sure are a pain in the ass. We should do something about that."

This guy thinks he's about to respond to a text message, but a poorly-timed notification will have him looking at football scores. (Getty Images)

I don't have the answer. Maybe when you press it by accident it says, "You sure about that, my guy?" and lets you back out of the accidental tap. 

But it's not my job to solve the problem; I'm just here to complain. That's what the eggheads at Apple are supposed to be doing, solving problems. So how about not making minor tweaks to existing hardware so Apple sycophants buy it despite not needing it?

Hopefully, this will be worked out soon, but I'm not holding my breath because this has been an issue for over a decade.

Anyway, enough of my yapping (momentarily; there will be much, much more), let's take a look at what you fine folks are gripping about.

Could there be some wheelchair abuse happening on our nation's jetways? Sure sounds like there could. (Getty Images)

Jetway Wheelchair Abuse

Bill is going to lead off this week with a gripe about the high number of wheelchair "assistants" he’s been seeing at airports these days.

This is a touchy subject, because some have legitimate uses/needs for wheelchairs in airports. I’m griping about the folks sitting in wheelchairs, lined up to be in the first group to board the plane, and are suddenly healed when it comes time to head down the jetway.  Last week I counted 27 people assisting eleven wheelchair-bound passengers board a flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Nashville. Two of these passengers had a total of nine passenger-assistants.  When the flight landed in Nashville, only three of the wheelchair-bound passengers actually required wheelchair assistance to get off the plane.  While waiting at baggage claim, my party watched one of these "healed" passengers hoisting her luggage off the carousel with no assistance and then gleefully walking out of the airport like she had a new pair of legs. My buddy stated that we just witnessed the miracle of Jetway Jesus. Truly amazing and disgusting how folks will fake a handicap to be one of the first to board a flight.

Bill in TN

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I get what he means by this being a touchy subject. No one wants to be the guy saying, "Hey, I've got a real problem with these folks in wheelchairs," but I get what he's saying because I've witnessed this phenomenon as well.

This absolutely happens and not just on planes, I've seen this method used to skip the line in theme parks too.

The way I see it, there are two categories when it comes to this sort of thing: the first is people who legitimately need a wheelchair, but then are used as a human fast-pass by the rest of their party. The other category — we'll call these people "psychos" are the ones who pretend to need the wheelchair just for preferential treatment.

Which, by the way, aside from staking your claim to primo overhead bin space, why would anyone want to board a plane first and then exit last? I want to be on that plane for as short a time as possible. If I could stick my foot in the door just as the flight attendant is securing the cabin and climb aboard as we're pushing away from the gate, I would do that.

Also, I love the name "Jetway Jesus." I wish he could turn the $5 bottle of terminal water I snagged at Hudson News into a robust Cabernet to help me get through the flight. 

It would also make for a good album title.

I get why there's not more of a push from airlines to fight this kind of behavior. No one wants to call anyone out for fear of being wrong.

That would be uncomfortable for all parties involved as well as for any in the direct vicinity.

POV: you just bought an overpriced coffee and are now being asked to tip the college kid who poured it. (Getty Images)

Tipping On To-Go Orders

I had to dig through the archives here at Gripe Report HQ (the one corner of the extra bedroom that my girlfriend lets me use as an office) and I couldn't believe that we hadn't touched on this topic.

Take it away, William:

Good afternoon,

I understood the tipping during Covid for to-go orders and being a good person to help them out.  But it’s 2024 about to be 2025. Why in hell do you ask for a damn tip on a to-go order? Tipping culture is out of damn control. 

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I've recently put my foot down when it comes to tipping too. I'm a great tipper at a restaurant (always 20% rounded up to the next dollar because I'm bad at math), but tipping at just about any non-table service restaurant has gotten insane.

I think during COVID times, people had no problem with tipping on to-go orders because we all knew servers weren't able to make money as per usual. But now? I don't get it.

I stopped at a place the other day and got an order of chicken croquettes that were like $6. The dude behind the counter did the ol' screen-spinaroonie move and the preset options had a minimum tip of 20%.

A minimum.

Considering the nature of this transaction was that I would pay for croquettes and then this guy would hand me the croquettes, I did not tip. I used to just hit the button and tip whenever, but not anymore.

If I'm standing to order, my food gets handed over to me over the counter, or at any point during the transaction I'm sitting in my car, I don't think that's tip-worthy.

I'll make exceptions for places where you order and then a server brings out your food and waits on you while you're seated but those places are few and far between.

This can be a hot-button issue, so be sure to send me your tipping rules: mattreigleoutkick@gmail.com.

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That's it for this edition of The Gripe Report!

Be sure to join us back here next week for more, and in the meantime, keep those gripes a-comin'!: mattreigleoutkick.com