Well, the SSA office called back. Actually, it seems I'd spoken with the supervisor, who tracked it down and made the pleasant lady I'd originally dealt with call me back. (He had asked if we'd provided a vaccination card as proof of ID, and when I mentioned how extremely unprofessional the woman at the desk had been, he said, "Oh, okay, based just on that, I know who you dealt with. OK, I can find it now." Lovely. I got his problem child. We're paying this woman to drop the ball and foist her attitude and personal philosophies on citizens. Makes ya feel all warm and fuzzy, doesn't it? Your tax dollars at work.
When she called back, she began the conversation with, "I have all the original paperwork here, and I've *just* re-faxed the copy of your birth certificate to Montgomery."
What?
"Well, sometimes faxes don't go through, and we have no way of knowing."
What?!? (I'm sorry, but the last time I worked in the corporate world, it was for Xerox, and I am very well aware that fax confirmation is a standard feature on business machines. And that was ten years ago. You know when it went through.) So what she meant to say was, "Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. I never checked."
I asked if she has, oh, a phone number in Montgomery, so that she could call down there to confirm whether they received it. She said it's their policy to wait. Then she started in on how difficult it is to get a number for a child if you don't do it immediately upon birth, and that's why hospitals handle it, and really, if we hadn't waited so long...
(Sooooo, if we hadn't waited so long, you'd have checked to see if the fax went through? Or if we hadn't had a homebirth, you wouldn't have your hackles up? What, exactly, is the problem, here? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like Federal Gov't inefficiency, to me.)
I cut her off and let her know that I expect to hear from her regularly on this, and I will be calling weekly until I have a number. (What other options do I have? If there's a way to be more proactive on this, or circumvent the woman, please fill me in.)
And yes, yes I do look at situations like this and absolutely wonder at how anybody thinks nationalizing any industry is a good idea. It's a terrifying concept.
argh.
Dy
3 comments:
Hi! "Long time listener, first time caller" :P. I think you are handling this appropriately considering the insanity of the situation. Being nice usually works, but sometimes, you have to let them know who's boss (YOU b/c you pay taxes) and let them know you will be as annoying as possible until they do thier job. And, sigh, sometimes it will be worth it to them to actually do their job just to keep you from calling back! And, by the by, I've noticed that those who preach love, peace, and tolerance (through gov'ment socialization) tend to be EXTREMELY untolerant of those who disagree with them. Funny, huh?
Hi, there, and thanks for calling in. *grin*
You know, I'm right there with you. I do believe in being nice. And I do understand that the people behind the counters usually catch the brunt of things they have no control over. What bothers me with this is that I can't say, "You're doing a poor job, and I will take my business elsewhere." We're being held hostage by our own "servants" (not just us, but those trying to go through Immigration, those having to deal with the licensing and taxation, the school boards - so many people - we actually have it easy, which is scary). It's still beyond any words I have to describe.
I will be calm. I will be firm. I will be consistently annoying. (My new mantra. *grin*)
Dy
I think "calm, firm, and consistently annoying" sounds perfect. I hate government agencies. The last time I was at the DMV it took HOURS to get through the line (and I had an appointment!) and when I did the lady said she couldn't help me and I'd have to come back. I nearly cried, it was so frustrating. My goal in life, now, is to never go back to the DMV. Think I can do it? ;)
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