Electrical glitch?

[Barry14UK]

I generally keep my remote alarm/electronic door controller in the driver's pop out drink holder whilst in the car.  There have been a couple of times when for some reason or another I have left it there and tried to lock the car using the little indent in the handle and  here has been a warning beep at the same time being preventing the door being locked and the alarm set.  This the correct way the system should work as it prevents you locking yourself out.  However, yesterday I inadvertently left the key in this place, probably because I was carrying some items into my bungalow.  It was bucketing down and forgetting the usual key was still in the car, I picked up the spare and used it to lock and set the alarm. It did this and there was not the usual warning beep.  I unlocked it with the spare controller this morning and retrieved the one left in the car.  The batteries in both controllers are fine and both operate the system as should now. The drink holder is made of plastic and was in the open position anyway, so not providing a Faraday cage.

It's things like this that make me concerned about relying so much on electronics.  I remember Ford had problems  with some of their cars cutting out unexpectedly, due I believe to fault in ECU.  Don't know I would be happy with steer by wire as in new BZ4 and RZ even if systems used in air planes, but probably duplicated there.