Stupid stupid lifts

Or elevators or whatever you would like to call them.

My office building has a set of lifts. Unlike normal lifts, you push the button for the floor you want BEFORE you get into the lift. A little display then tells you which of lifts A,B,C or D will serve you. You then get into the lift and get taken to your floor, one of up to 3 the lift will stop on.

So far, so good, I hear you say. Why the unhappiness? Because occasionally I am allocated, say, lift C. Lift B will come down, disgorge a bunch of happy, smiling, people who haven't had to wait an eternity for a lift, and then go up again. Lift C will then turn up 5 minutes later in a massive sulk, sit at the ground floor for a further 3 minutes and then begrudgingly take me to my floor.

Could I take lift B? Well, yes, if I want to go to a floor other than the one I want. I could then have all the fun of getting out, pushing the button again, being started at by people who know I don't work for their company or have any business on their floor and wait for a further 5 minutes for another lift to turn up.

Whoever designed the lift algorithms for my building is either a) an idiot or b) likes wasting people's time.

Still it's better than walking up 29 flights of stairs.