BIG BROTHER - A Logical Life?

Okay, today I'd like to rant for a couple minutes about my (ours) daily battle for logic. I know I'm not alone in my misery; it seems everybody I talk to has similar issues. Let me tell you about something I'm dealing with today that defies logic in a way even Mr. Spock would contest.

Two months ago I opened a new checking account with a regional bank in my town. I was tired of my problems and overcharges with a big bank that I had been doing business with for several years. I thought that I was simplifying my life at the time.

I'm semi-retired; I receive a check from Social Security every month, which I have deposited directly into my checking account. I filled out the transfer forms at my new bank, checked them over for accuracy, and sent them to Social Security (SSA) to make the changes to my deposit.

In May, my check was not in my account as it should have been. In June,  my check wasn't deposited either. Both times my check was cleared the day after; no big deal, I thought at the time. We'll get this straightened out.

I then received a call from my new bank stating that SSA had sent my check to them both months, but they were sending it to the wrong account. The account number they were sending it to was one number off from my actual number. I was told to contact the SSA by my bank, and make the corrections so that this wouldn't happen a third time.

Well, guess what? The less than helpful person at SSA told me I needed to give her the WRONG account number for her to access my account. She didn't seem to care that it was an inputting error on the part of one of her fellow government employees; it didn't matter. I asked her if I could just give her my name and SS# to access my information, and she flatly said no.

She told me to call my bank to get the incorrect account number before calling back, and then added that the office was closing at noon. It was 11:40! Since then, I've been back and forth three times with someone from my bank and I've yet to get the INCORRECT info!

It's two o'clock and I just got the info from my bank, so tomorrow I get to deal with this all over again (remember, the office closes at noon on Wednesday).

Most of us recall the "happy times and blah, blah, blah" that was dished out years ago by the computer industry; life was going to be simpler and faster and we'd all have more time for enjoyable things. What happened to all that?

It seems the further we get into the "Technological Age" the harder it is to get simple things done correctly and expediently. It doesn't matter what government agency or big corporation it is, doing business has become next to impossible for the regular people out here. My favorite is when you call a company with a problem and you get one of those pleasant computer voices that asks you to repeat almost everything you say before you beat it into allowing you to speak to a live person, who often resents the fact that he/she has to deal with your problem.

This is easier? For the companies who've laid off thousands of real people so their pleasant systems can take your call at a miniscule cost compared to paying people wages and benefits it's a lot easier. But it's a nuisance for the rest of us who, by the way, are paying for their (lack of) services.

I'm not one of those people who think that things will change if I bitch about it long enough. I'm old enough to understand that it will probably get worse before it gets better, but wouldn't it be nice to actually deal with real people who can help you solve your problem? Or have someone in "Customer Service" treat you like you're the customer, and not just another pain in their butt?

Sorry! I know I'm living on Earth, and not some distant planet. But, like every old fart you know, here I am whining about the "good ol' days" like it was Utopian. And you know what? In many ways it was!

I think Will Rogers summed it up best when he said: 

"There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you."  

If he could only see it now!

And from our favorite old "rooster," John Wayne, comes these words of wisdom:

        "Life is hard: it's harder if you're stupid!"

From Baisden Live: "Sometimes all you need is 500 million dollars!" 
         
Sounds good to me! I think that would solve all of my problems; how about you? 

Have a great week!


Mark T. Bradbury, Author

For information on my book, "Serpent's Curse," please follow the link:
http://littlepondpublishing.com/book-titles/serpents-curse-by-mark-t-bradbury/ 
It's now available as a paperback at Amazon.com.

For those of you who would like to try the first seven chapters of my book "Serpent's Curse" FREE, please click on the link below:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1456c9f6ce6cc2b2