So in the last two days I’ve ventured onto the websites of Bunnings and Harvey Norman. Both sites use location services to help you to vary degrees but both really suck at it.

The first is Bunnings. Now I’ve had issues with them in the past trying to be clever about my location. I’m on a wireless broadband connection so it “guessed” that I was in Sydney. They’re only 800km or so wrong. Of course changing the location at that point was a PITA because of course the site thought it knew better.

This time they’ve changed tactic. Instead of guessing where you are they ask you what your post code is straight up. I punched in “4350” knowing there isn’t a Bunnings within a good 50km or more. It then asks me which one of 44 matches I’m actually in. Your next nearest store is more than an hours drive and 80km away. The one after that is an hour and a half with 100km! IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE IN 4350 I LIVE BECAUSE ITS ALL THE SAME! STOP WASTING MY TIME!

Harvey “it’s hard to get people to work in my stables” Norman doesn’t fare that much better with its location finder. Though after interrogating you about which suburb you live in it has the gall to show you just how far you are away from its stores. I couldn’t pick a location in 4350 that put any of the other stores closer than 60km, that included Athol which was 12km away from the store. I mean seriously, IF NONE OF THE OPTIONS GO ANYWHERE ELSE WHY WASTE MY TIME? I live in Toowoomba, it’s a small town. You’ve got one near by store for 4350 how about you just get along with displaying me the information that I need? Otherwise you’re just making your service more irrelevant. I could have just as easily found “Toowoomba” on the list of “Queensland” stores instead of this arduous affair about selecting which one of 40 suburbs I live in after I told you my postcode.

Location services are supposed to make my life easier and quicker not make it so I have to jump through just as many hoops of pointlessness.