Chicago's Construction Permit workflow is incompatible with pop-up blockers

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38916514
by mring33621 • 3 years ago
2 0 3 years ago

My wife and her business partner flip houses, in Chicago.

Their buyers prefer that work is done with permits, so they are getting permits for their latest project.

The city has a new, all-online, permit system, so it's easy, right?

Not right! Unfortunately, their current licensed plumber is unable to 'accept' the approved plumbing permit, due to the fact that the city's web application requires him to turn off his pop-up blocker to do so. He doesn't know how to do that and does not want to learn. So they now have to find another plumber and either revise or redo the permit, setting them back a couple weeks of time and carrying costs.

Yes, this is a 'people' problem, but it is also a 'not understanding your customer base' problem, in that licensed tradespeople aren't necessarily tech-savvy enough to use the new permit system.

Anyway, this is extremely frustrating for my wife, but I thought HackerNews might like it.

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