This is how it works

So I had to renew my vehicle registration the other week. I get a notice in the mail and they say I can renew online. Perfect, I won't have to leave my place and stand in line at the dreaded registry.
This is weeks ago and I get confirmation and the new pink registration card and think nothing of it. But then I realize I need the stickers for my plates. Where the hell are those? And when are they going to mail me the new ones for '09?
Today my plates expired so I got on the horn and asked someone where the stickers are. The lady told me to pop into a registry. Ahhhhhhhhhh, but this defeats the whole purpose of renewing online. The Internet is supposed to make our lives easier.
I was not too happy, but in the end there is a registry in my parking lot and there was NO LINE! Amazing in itself. So I got it all taken care of in a matter of minutes, but why is nothing ever easy? I'll give one more example. I want to buy something online already. I needed a case for my mp3 player. It's not an ipod so you simply can't find anything in a store. So I go to the Creative website and find the case on sale for $10. By the time I got to the "check-out" they inform me it will cost $40 to ship it here. Yeah, right! So I went to Future Shop and found one on a discount table for ten bucks without the shipping!
Maybe things will get easier, but every time I try to do something on the computer it takes me an extra four or five tries before it works. I've often thought it's the operator and not the machine. Now I am not so sure.