Why do people fall for this?

[revk@toot.me.uk]

Why do people fall for this?

Second time I have seen a nicely printed sign in a shop window with a #QR which when scanned says your free trial is over.

Just make the QR go to your own website FFS.

[helpful info: my free code tools https://qr.revk.uk and web QR encoder https://4.gg at bottom of page - includes a lot of QR abuse as well]

[karadanvers@social.chiefgyk3d.com]

@revk thats why i run my own short url with qr code website to avoid this

[revk@toot.me.uk]

@KaraDanvers well so do I, but done carefully (eg all caps) these shops would have a QR that is almost as small when direct to their site.

[bencotterill@mastodon.social]

@revk @neil Never put a qr code in your window. Never scan a qr code in a window. Easy.

[mojala@mementomori.social]

@revk People don’t know how to make it and they wouldn’t think other people are such assholes to enshittify such a simple service.

[pmdj@mstdn.social]

@revk @KaraDanvers Ah, but then they won’t have access to analytics that nobody ever looks at. (Let alone has any idea what to do with the information.)
Unfortunately, it all comes down to the assumption that *all* of tech is too complex to understand, so “normal people just running a small business” just have to blindly trust a bunch of random service providers.

[revk@toot.me.uk]

@pmdj @KaraDanvers I would usually have ?QR on the URL to allow web logs to show usage levels.

[trogluur@social.linux.pizza]

@revk they probably used one of the qr code generator websites. This is how they often make their money. I've worked with people who legitimately thought something about the QR codes themselves cost money because of these scammy sites.

[rogerbw@discordian.social]

@revk "ooh, can you do that?" "Can you do it for me?"

[neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk]

@BenCotterill @revk I quite like QR codes.

[bencotterill@mastodon.social]

@neil @revk I quite like easily readable and rememberable URLs

[neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk]

@BenCotterill @revk Yep, both have their place.

[jelte@mastodon.nl]

@revk because most people don't know that a qr code is just some text in reliably scannable form. They think it's some complicated magic thing that requires Services.

[kitten_tech@fosstodon.org]

@revk a similar thing that saddens me is shop/van signs saying "https://joes-garden-services.com/ joesgarden2241@gmail.com"... You've got that lovely domain, why not use it for email?

[bencotterill@mastodon.social]

@neil @revk Only time I can see the need for a QR is for something very specific.

I.e. I am vegetarian and coeliac. So for the hundredth time I will be told that the only thing I can eat is a tiny overpriced bowl of olives.

[jonossaseuraava@post.ebin.club]

@jelte
@revk
Same deal with rest of tech as well

[neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk]

@BenCotterill @revk

I prefer to see a QR code alongside the information contained within it, rather than just the QR code, but as an easy means of transferring data, I like QR codes.

[bencotterill@mastodon.social]

@neil @revk I prefer the staff to know it off by heart. I did.

[neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk]

@BenCotterill @revk We are still talking about a shop window, right?

[bencotterill@mastodon.social]

@neil @revk Yeah.