Red Tape Ranting

I decided that I needed a much longer and less structured rant. So deep breath, and here I go!

The "customer service" industry is absolutely retarded. Ninety-eight percent of the people you speak to can't help you. Why is it not a requirement to know SOMETHING about the way what you're "supporting" works before you get the job? If you have no idea what a DVR does or how it works, why are you my customer service person when I'm calling with questions about DVR? If I ask you if my HD box will work on a non-HD TV, don't tell me yes when I'm going to call back later and find out that no, in fact, it doesn't. If I tell you I've had eight addresses in the last eight years and I can't tell you which one of those I registered a stupid Barnes & Noble Membership card under because I've registered 18,000 cards under different addresses, don't wait ten minutes before asking me for my e-mail address instead. And Microsoft, if you make a crappy product like Vista that doesn't work with ANY OTHER PROGRAMS, then have the grace to either recall it or give the option to download Windows XP for FREE onto your new laptop instead of paying for an OLDER operating system to replace the piece of garbage you've infected cyberspace with.

And Social Security, I understand that you perform a lot of services, but if you say on your website that I can call a certain number in order to check the status of my replacement card application, then when I call up asking to check the status of my replacement card application, DO IT instead of talking me through a new application! If you say you provide a service on your website then you'd better goddamn do it, ESPECIALLY when you demand that I send you ORIGINAL passports and my ORIGINAL marriage license--I think I have a right to know where they are, ESPECIALLY since I need them to get a new learner's permit in this stupid state which renders my New York permit invalid.

And it would be nice, Barnes & Noble, if when we renewed my membership card in the store, you'd actually put down that we renewed the membership card in the store, you know, LIKE WHAT YOUR JOB DICTATES YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO so that when the time comes to buy hundreds of dollars worth of law school textbooks, we actually HAVE the thing we paid for two months ago. And when we call MEMBERSHIP SERVICES, don't you dare have the audacity to say that this isn't your department!!

Well, time to go to CVS to deal with what will no doubt be more bureaucratic crap as I try to give them new insurance information. Whee!