Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
And the even more irritating "at this time". (We have a perfectly good single word for "at this time" - "currently" or indeed "now").
Also, FAQ entries which are worded like this:
Why can't I order on the website and collect in store?
Unfortunately it is not possible for you to order on the website and collect in store. Please order for delivery to your home address, or visit your local store to see what they have in stock.
In other words - not answering the question in the slightest, and just repeating what the customer must already have known in order to ask the question in the first place. It's almost always a "why" question that suffers from this. If a business wishes not to publish a reason for its business decisions, that's fine by me, but it shouldn't try to pretend it is doing so.
Similarly, politicians failing to answer questions in Parliament (it's annoying elsewhere too but hard to regulate). A failure to provide, to the best of their ability, an honest and full answer to a question asked in Parliament should be considered contempt of Parliament and a criminal offence, with only a few exceptions on the basis of national security and commercial confidence which should need to be recorded in Hansard for audit purposes. If unable, there should be an agreement made for the answer to be obtained and provided (and recorded in Hansard for public record) after the session.
It seems that answering a totally different question than the one asked as it suits has become the norm, and it's disgusting. Even "no comment" would be preferable.