Thoughts about Realme?

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Kyanar

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Reply # 908695 6-Oct-2013 09:33

Geektastic:
gnfb: Was just skimming through this realme online thingy. I'm not really sure the point? Or Are the banks going to bring in another level of security for online transactions?

Looking at it (and trying hard not to put my TFH on!) I really cannot see when I would ever use it. I avoid interacting with the government as much as possible in any case!

Heck I don't even register to vote because I don't see why I should be on a publicly accessible list in order to do so.

You shouldn't really be admitting that, it's a criminal offense not to register to vote. Just do what I do, register late as a "special vote" every election period - it means the books have already been printed.

The main thing it's good for is renewing passports apparently. With RealMe, you just sign in, click "Renew", pay your cash, and it's in the mail already - no additional verification needed.

Geektastic

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Reply # 908702 6-Oct-2013 10:00

Kyanar:
Geektastic:
gnfb: Was just skimming through this realme online thingy. I'm not really sure the point? Or Are the banks going to bring in another level of security for online transactions?

Looking at it (and trying hard not to put my TFH on!) I really cannot see when I would ever use it. I avoid interacting with the government as much as possible in any case!

Heck I don't even register to vote because I don't see why I should be on a publicly accessible list in order to do so.

You shouldn't really be admitting that, it's a criminal offense not to register to vote. Just do what I do, register late as a "special vote" every election period - it means the books have already been printed.

The main thing it's good for is renewing passports apparently. With RealMe, you just sign in, click "Renew", pay your cash, and it's in the mail already - no additional verification needed.

And that is what makes it so, so wrong. Why should it be an offence to make a choice not to be on a list?

In any case, turning up with a NZ passport on polling day ought to be adequate proof of entitlement.

Don't they just add you to the next printed list if you do what you suggest though?

PaulBags

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Reply # 908742 6-Oct-2013 12:29

Kyanar: Just do what I do, register late as a "special vote" every election period - it means the books have already been printed.

That won't do you any good unless you move every three years.

stevenz

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Reply # 908811 6-Oct-2013 16:46

I like helping!

@KnightNZ

Kyanar

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Reply # 908871 6-Oct-2013 18:55

PaulBags:
Kyanar: Just do what I do, register late as a "special vote" every election period - it means the books have already been printed.

That won't do you any good unless you move every three years.

In that case, I guess the government is just plain incompetent - I've been told every electoral period that I'm not enrolled to vote and that I have to go on as a special vote. Not complaining or anything.

Then again, couldn't one theoretically lodge a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner about the publishing of the electoral roll? Your name, address and occupation are, after all, (semi-)private information which theoretically should be protected by the privacy act, which the Electoral Commission is theoretically in breach of by publishing the Roll in public libraries.

PaulBags

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Reply # 908879 6-Oct-2013 19:28

Kyanar:
PaulBags:
Kyanar: Just do what I do, register late as a "special vote" every election period - it means the books have already been printed.

That won't do you any good unless you move every three years.

In that case, I guess the government is just plain incompetent - I've been told every electoral period that I'm not enrolled to vote and that I have to go on as a special vote. Not complaining or anything.

Then again, couldn't one theoretically lodge a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner about the publishing of the electoral roll? Your name, address and occupation are, after all, (semi-)private information which theoretically should be protected by the privacy act, which the Electoral Commission is theoretically in breach of by publishing the Roll in public libraries.

You'll have to cast a special vote if you visit a polling booth outside of your electorate, since the list of potential local MPs will be different for you. That's not the same as not being enrolled, and if you went along on election day and weren't enrolled then there is no way you could vote.
I'm not sure if it's the post office or the library or both, where you can view the roll, but you might find if you go and check that you actually are on the electoral roll.

mrphil

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Reply # 909069 7-Oct-2013 09:30

abit off topic but has anyone applying for a passport renewal online?

i started my renewal online yesterday afternoon but got called away so i saved the form to be completed later but every time i log back into the passport site with the realme it comes up with a "unexpected error and that i cant continue my form" what use is this service when it bloody doesnt work!

Boo to you passport/realme site

Geektastic

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Reply # 909981 8-Oct-2013 17:07

2 people support this post

mrphil: abit off topic but has anyone applying for a passport renewal online?

i started my renewal online yesterday afternoon but got called away so i saved the form to be completed later but every time i log back into the passport site with the realme it comes up with a "unexpected error and that i cant continue my form" what use is this service when it bloody doesnt work!

Boo to you passport/realme site

no but...when I applied for my first NZ passport last year, I needed it quickly because my UK/EUSSR one had expired and my father was extremely ill and I knew I may have to depart for the UK at short notice.

I did my citizenship ceremony (swore allegiance to the Queen, who was already my Queen!) on one day, filled the form in that afternoon and my wife took it to the passport office in Wellington at 1030hrs and explained the circumstances. I had that passport in my hand by 1630 on the same day!!

Now THAT is the sort of customer service I expect in all things and at all times.

Tinshed

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Reply # 910029 8-Oct-2013 18:46

Okay, I am now fully verified. received an e-mail today so logged in and was immediately, or almost immediately, sent a code via SMS to my phone to confirm my login details. Interestingly was asked if I wanted to verify my physical address which I have already done via NZPost. Hmmmm. Checked the tab called "Login history" and I had 96(!) entries when I logged in and now have 132(!). Hmmmm, that is a lot of entries, which may please geeks among us (whoops, that is most of us) but seems excessive to say the least. System logs are for sysadmins, not for users. I like the idea of RealMe but I wonder if it hasn't been over-thought or that the user experience is a bit over-done. Of course, I haven't used the system in anger yet, so still early days.

One thing I would like to see is the actual photo that was taken when I went to the Post Office, sorry, Shop. Anyway, will see how we go.

Tinshed
Wellington, New Zealand

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