Austria: a failed state

In nineties radio series Blue Jam there's a doctor sketch, where the GP, with the patient physically in his consultation room, declares he's going to "do this over the phone".  He goes into the room next door, and calls the patient on the office landline.  He complains about hearing the patient through the wall, then complains about the bad line, and asks the patient to call back on an internal number.  On reconnection, the doctor says he's with a patient, and they have to make an appointment, which they do.  The patient has to leave, undiagnosed, and having received no medical attention.

Yesterday, I went to post a book to a friend in London from an Austrian post office.  The post employee said: you have to complete an online customs declaration form before being able to send it.  I said I didn't want to do it online, I'm in the branch, can I do anything necessary on paper here?  The employee said no, you have to do it online.  I said I don't have access here, I'd like to post it today, can I please do it on paper here.  The employee said no, you have to do it online.  I said what about people who don't have internet access, or choose not to use it for such things?  The employee said it's not our problem, if you're outside the EU you have to complete the "Formular" online.  There may even have been a Brexit snark thrown in.  I had to leave.

In the last year or so, I've successfully posted books to the UK from Brazil and from Romania.  On this measure, then, Austria is extremely backwards compared to both Brazil and Romania.

We already know Austria is a failed state, due to the forced vaccination program (unenforced) of 2022, unusable banking system, lack of greetings cards for sale without pre-printed messages, and so on.  The state railway operator already refuses to reply to letters with letters, indulging in petty virtue-signalling with "I am sure you also wish for the next generations to find a planet worth living on" (really).  Now it is not possible to turn up and post something outside the customs area, without carrying an IT infrastructure, and possibly printing infrastructure, with you.  Backwards.

I later returned to the branch, to find out the address to which I should send a complaint, but, you guessed it, Austrian Post does not have a postal address.  The employee gave me an 0800 number (0800 010 100) and added, for good measure, "you can look it up online".

The internet has gone from optionally sometimes making something better, to mandatorily making things much, much worse.