Validation Irritation

I try to pay all my bills via internet banking. It's fast and simple and involves the least effort, so why shouldn't I? I log onto my internet banking site, select the Make a Payment option, specify the amount and choose when the payment is to go through. So far so good. Now I have to choose if I want to Pay a Person or Make a Bill Payment. Again, an easy choice since I have an EDF Energy gas bill to pay, and I know from past experience that the latter option saves the user the tedious effort of typing in the account and sort code information. Computers are good at such mudane tasks. I fill in a search textfield and it quickly finds "EDF Energy", which I duly select. It just couldn't be easier. I fill in the Reference field with the account number found on the paper bill and click on the confirmation button. I hover my mouse over the spot where I know the logout button will appear in premature anticipation of getting back to my work after an efficient process. I silently thank the Internet and how easy it's made everything.

Hang on... what's this?

We are unable to validate the reference number you have entered for EDF Energy. Please enter your 13 numeric digit starting with 63 from your bill. Please check and re-enter your reference number.

Huh?

I check my bill. My account number starts with 53, not 63. What do I do? I click Back a few times and see if there's another "EDF Energy" option I should have picked, but there isn't. I try the same process in the hope that this was just a one-off warning. After a short while I give up. Luckily EDF's account number and sort code are printed on the reverse of the bill, unlike Cambridgeshire City Council council tax bills, which will be the topic of a later blog, so I have to run through the Pay a Person option, which of course doesn't try to be smarter than me.

I'm not dissing validation. A smart person or smart application will anticipate mistakes and graciously help out, but should it really be an enforcement, rather than a polite warning? Why not let me select the option "Yes, I know it's not the account number you expect but I am knowingly overriding your advice"? Putting in such restrictions simply means that it will break when they decide to allow a new set of numbers, but forget to update the validation settings with the banks.

Of course, it could be that I'm just special and I'm the only EDF Energy customer who has this unique '53' account number prefix? Whatever the reason behind this failed functionality is that it took longer for me to go via the route that was supposed to make my life easier than it was had the computer not tried to help me at all.