What little things drive you completely up the wall....?

[Twik]

In a word: bureaucracy.

Let's say my name is Mary Sue Balfour. Apparently when registering for grad school on some form my name got switched to "Mary Balfour Balfour." Now the registrar's office cannot be convinced that that is not my name. We have a go round every academic term where they say my tuition hasn't been paid, when it turns out that Mary Balfour Balfour's tuition hasn't been paid, but Mary Sue Balfour (who has the same ID number, birthday, address and phone number) has paid her tuition.

Every quarter, they request that I provide either A) a copy of the court document where I legally changed my name from Mary Balfour Balfour to Mary Sue Balfour or B) two pictures IDs; one with my "old name," Mary Balfour Balfour, and one with my "new name," Mary Sue Balfour. However since my name never was legally Mary Balfour Balfour, I can't provide any legal documentation that my name was changed to Mary Sue. Eventually some supervisor sighs and agrees to credit Mary Sue Balfour's tuition to Mary Balfour Balfour's tuition but I really need to fill out the legal paperwork.

Unfortunately this office releases the tax document that shows how much tuition I've paid during the year. This time I came armed with that and showed that all the information from the university's W-2 under the name "Mary Sue" was the same for "Mary Balfour." The supervisor visibly recoiled and said she couldn't look at anything with a social security number on it!

And no, it makes absolutely no difference to them that there is only one Balfour (much less a Mary Balfour) associated with the university and according to all the other systems, including payroll, HR and IT, her middle name is Sue, not Balfour.

I think I've told my graduation story before.

The university had a date by which all library books had to be back. I'd returned all mine five days before the due date. However, apparently it took a long time to scan them, so (as I was later told) the due date wasn't REALLY the date they should have been returned, but a week before that.

I discovered this during graduation, when instead of a diploma, my little tube contained a note that I would not graduate until I returned the books.

I went storming to the office after the ceremony, and was reassured that it would be straightened out "Thursday, when the library reports come in."

On Thursday, I was told, "Nope, nothing here about your books coming in. Try next Thursday."

After three weeks, I was desperate. Most jobs wanted proof I had a degree, and I couldn't get a transcript until I had returned the books that, as far as I knew, where already back on the shelves. I asked if they could tell me what books were listed as missing in my account, and I would pay for them, since the university had apparently been using a black hole as the book drop-off.

The response? "No, we can't do that, because we do not have the information as to which books you have not returned, let alone their cost. We don't even know which of the half-dozen university libraries the books belong to. We just know that you have not returned some books."

I went to all the libraries, and got them to sign off that I did not have any books out from them. When I returned, I was told, "We'll verify that on Thursday - you know, when the library reports come in?"

Fortunately, on the sixth Thursday, I hit a new staffer, who said, "Oh, you've returned them? No problem, I'll just put that into the system. There, you're now officially a graduate, and you can actually start applying for jobs. Hope being over a month behind your peers doesn't hurt."

Then, they couldn't find my diploma. Because it had been left lying around for six weeks.

[Margo]

In a word: bureaucracy.

Let's say my name is Mary Sue Balfour. Apparently when registering for grad school on some form my name got switched to "Mary Balfour Balfour." Now the registrar's office cannot be convinced that that is not my name. We have a go round every academic term where they say my tuition hasn't been paid, when it turns out that Mary Balfour Balfour's tuition hasn't been paid, but Mary Sue Balfour (who has the same ID number, birthday, address and phone number) has paid her tuition.

Every quarter, they request that I provide either A) a copy of the court document where I legally changed my name from Mary Balfour Balfour to Mary Sue Balfour or B) two pictures IDs; one with my "old name," Mary Balfour Balfour, and one with my "new name," Mary Sue Balfour. However since my name never was legally Mary Balfour Balfour, I can't provide any legal documentation that my name was changed to Mary Sue. Eventually some supervisor sighs and agrees to credit Mary Sue Balfour's tuition to Mary Balfour Balfour's tuition but I really need to fill out the legal paperwork.

Unfortunately this office releases the tax document that shows how much tuition I've paid during the year. This time I came armed with that and showed that all the information from the university's W-2 under the name "Mary Sue" was the same for "Mary Balfour." The supervisor visibly recoiled and said she couldn't look at anything with a social security number on it!

And no, it makes absolutely no difference to them that there is only one Balfour (much less a Mary Balfour) associated with the university and according to all the other systems, including payroll, HR and IT, her middle name is Sue, not Balfour.

I had a similar issue with my Council Tax. This is a tax you pay here for which is based on your address. If you are the only adult living in the property, you get a 25% discount.
So, I  was paying my tax, claiming my discount, no problems. A friend of mine moved in temporarily as a lodger , so, being a law abiding person, I notified the council that I was no longer eligible for the 25% discount.
It took them about 7 tries to get the new bill right (they kept trying to backdate it to the start of the year, then they worked it our manually but faileld to account for the fact that you pay over 20 months not 12, so 6 months in ou've paid more than half, etc)
Then my friend moved out, so I informed them, confirmed I was once again entitled to the 35% discount, and worked out what I owed and set up a new payment of my own.

I then started to get letters saying I wasn't eligibble for the discount.
I said yes, I was. Just me in the house.
They asked "So when did Mr M Lastname move out?
Me "?? - who is Mr M Lastname?"
Them - we have two people living at the property Mr M Lastname and Ms M Lastname (except they had my full name for both)
Me - "I think you have a typo. There is only one person here. Me. There has never been any Mr Lastname. If you look at the names, it's the same name - I think someone must have entered Mr instead of Ms into your system"
Them Yes, I see. So if you could just tell us when Mr Lastname moved out.

(About 9 months after this conversation took place I moved house. I'd had about 12 further bills in the mean time, all of them wrong in different ways. At one point they told me they owed me about £200, and I was very tempted to take it, but I couldn't. I think they'd got it wrong by about £10 in my favour at the time I moved out, and I did decide to leave it at that - I decided I'd probably spent that much on phone calls and stamps trying to sort it out.)

[Lorelei_Evil]

We had the insurance problem when we first put me on Partner's insurance. Her insurance covers domestic partners, we registered as domestic partners and had a piece of paper saying that yes we were in fact domestically partnered. According to her work, that's all we'd need to send the insurance company to prove I could be on her insurance. Then I had to have this conversation:

Insurance Person: In order to cover a spouse we need to a marriage license on file. You can send that to me at, blah, blah, blah.
Me: We already submitted our deceleration of domestic partnership. Do you have that on file?
IP: Yes we have that. But we need a marriage license.
Me: We don't have a marriage license, we're a same sex couple and can't get married in our state. But we are domestic partners. And domestic partners are covered.
IP: Oh yes, of course domestic partners are covered. We just need a marriage license.
Me: We don't have one.
IP: If you aren't married you can't be covered as a spouse.
Me: I want to be covered as a domestic partner.
IP: Sure, that's no problem, just need a marriage license.
Me: Your are aware same sex couple can't get married in all 50 states and in fact gay marriage is not recognized by the federal government? (this was a few years ago)
IP: Yes
Me: So you know that same sex couple can't get a marriage license?
IP: Yes
Me: And that domestic partnership is how same sex couples get health insurance for each other?
IP: Yes
Me: And you offer that for domestic partner in a same sex relationship?
IP: Oh yes of course!
Me: So...a same sex couple would prove they are domestic partners by sending you....?
IP: A marriage license.
Me: Ok, I get it you have a script. I need your supervisor.
IP: Miss you don't need to speak with my supervisor, we can work this out if you just send me a marriage license.
Me: That's just not gonna happen. Can you please transfer me to anyone else?
Someone else hops on the line
New Person: Ma'Ma I understand you don't know where to send a copy of your marriage license too? You can fax it or email it or send it via mail, which would be most convenient for you?

It took awhile but eventually we got a supervisor who apologized and assured me our domestic partnership paperwork was fine and I was covered and free to get sick. We've never had any other problems, so I'm assuming it was someone who was in training and just sticking to the script at hand. We also had someone at the bank insist to set up a joint checking account we had to be legally married. I knew that wasn't the case at all. I could set up a joint account with my next door neighbor if I wanted too. We called over a supervisor who got us someone else to set up the account and she had a discussion about how anyone can set up a joint account with any with the other person.

I feel for you!

I had a fun one last week with the insurance.  I've been going through physical therapy for a chronic issue with my ankle, but the insurance just was CONVINCED I had fallen and they could get someone else's insurance to pay for my injury.  Except that I didn't fall or anything.  An ancient injury in conjunction with an even more ancient surgery had resulted in tendonitis that I needed to get treated.  So I call the provider, who sends me to the insurance, who tries to hang up on me.  Fine.  I'll fill out your "incident report"  with no incident to report.  It's a chronic thing, and it flared up. 

Geez. 

[Shalamar]

Speaking of names ... my official name on my passport is, let us say, Cassandra Piggie-Smythe.  I made the mistake of booking a flight under the name Cassie Piggie-Smythe.  When I tried to board, the airline employee gave me a very hard time, saying "We have no way of knowing if this is actually you."  Never mind that the picture on my passport looked just like me, and never mind that it's extremely unlikely that Cassie Piggie-Smythe and Cassandra Piggie-Smythe are two different people.  He finally let me on the plane after I practically cried, thinking that my husband and children were going to go to Orlando without me.

[2littlemonkeys]

Communication, or lack thereof.

I'm dealing with a large project at work.  There are two supervisors and 1 manager giving me direction.  Last week, Sup 1 told me to do tasks A, B and C.  Later in the week, manager told me that Sup 2 gave her direction to give me direction to do tasks B, C and D instead.

Having been there, done that with many people giving out direction, I confirmed with Sup 1, Sup 2 and Manager that this change was correct (because there were cost implications).  I was assured that it was correct and that I can proceed.

Today, I got a slightly nasty note from Sup 2 asking what on earth was up with the project and why wasn't I doing tasks A, B and C and D?

I was all kinds of confused (and luckily, have an email trail to cover myself) and I started working to get it all sorted out.

Then I get a note from Manager saying that this wasn't my fault but in the future "we" should strive to communicate better.

The implication is that the "we" is "me" since I was the only recipient.

 

I don't know about her, but my communication was just fine.  I saw a significant change and confirmed it with all parties involved.  I was assured by all that the change was correct.  It's all fixed now (I think.) but I'm a little steamy right now.  Obviously, something got lost in translation between the three of them and poo happens but I really resent anyone implying that the whole house of cards fell because I don't communicate.

 

[2littlemonkeys]

I think I've told my graduation story before.

The university had a date by which all library books had to be back. I'd returned all mine five days before the due date. However, apparently it took a long time to scan them, so (as I was later told) the due date wasn't REALLY the date they should have been returned, but a week before that.

I discovered this during graduation, when instead of a diploma, my little tube contained a note that I would not graduate until I returned the books.

I went storming to the office after the ceremony, and was reassured that it would be straightened out "Thursday, when the library reports come in."

On Thursday, I was told, "Nope, nothing here about your books coming in. Try next Thursday."

After three weeks, I was desperate. Most jobs wanted proof I had a degree, and I couldn't get a transcript until I had returned the books that, as far as I knew, where already back on the shelves. I asked if they could tell me what books were listed as missing in my account, and I would pay for them, since the university had apparently been using a black hole as the book drop-off.

The response? "No, we can't do that, because we do not have the information as to which books you have not returned, let alone their cost. We don't even know which of the half-dozen university libraries the books belong to. We just know that you have not returned some books."

I went to all the libraries, and got them to sign off that I did not have any books out from them. When I returned, I was told, "We'll verify that on Thursday - you know, when the library reports come in?"

Fortunately, on the sixth Thursday, I hit a new staffer, who said, "Oh, you've returned them? No problem, I'll just put that into the system. There, you're now officially a graduate, and you can actually start applying for jobs. Hope being over a month behind your peers doesn't hurt."

Then, they couldn't find my diploma. Because it had been left lying around for six weeks.

Oh, UGH!

This isn't quite the same but I had my own library headdesk moment last year.
Long story short:

DH returned books in the book drop outside the library because I wasn't going to be able to get there before they were due. 

I later realized 4 were never returned. 

I called library, Librarian said they didn't have them and I now owed $$$$ unless I found them and then scolded me for being careless. 

I called DH, who assured me that he returned every single book (and I know they were all in the bag because I check them against my receipt to make sure one of the hooligans didn't feed it to the couch). 

I called back and begged someone to see if they were on the shelf.  Oh!  Look!  There they all are.  They were apparently re-shelved before being scanned back into the system. Then librarian scolded me for using the book drop and told me in the future, it would behoove me to bring them directly to the circulation desk.   So I guess the whole thing was my fault.   

[Desdemona]

Being told my disagreeing with someone means I don't understand them.

I'm in a seminar class on a contentious topic and the class is pretty balanced between people would who support either side of the topic. In class today there was a debate as usual and it was interesting to hear both view points. Then one guy on the side I don't support told me in the most condescending tone that clearly I'm not understanding him after I said I didn't agree. Considering we are all at least in our mid 20s, I think we have all should have learned that sometimes people can understand an issue and have two separate viewpoints by now!

[o_gal]

Insurance Person: In order to cover a spouse we need to a marriage license on file. You can send that to me at, blah, blah, blah.
Me: We already submitted our deceleration of domestic partnership. Do you have that on file?

Well, there's your problem right there. Sudden deceleration has been known to cause all kinds of problems 

[Diane AKA Traska]

Insurance Person: In order to cover a spouse we need to a marriage license on file. You can send that to me at, blah, blah, blah.
Me: We already submitted our deceleration of domestic partnership. Do you have that on file?

Well, there's your problem right there. Sudden deceleration has been known to cause all kinds of problems 

I thus declare you the winner of today's Internet!

[Seraphia]

Communication, or lack thereof.

I'm dealing with a large project at work.  There are two supervisors and 1 manager giving me direction.  Last week, Sup 1 told me to do tasks A, B and C.  Later in the week, manager told me that Sup 2 gave her direction to give me direction to do tasks B, C and D instead.

Having been there, done that with many people giving out direction, I confirmed with Sup 1, Sup 2 and Manager that this change was correct (because there were cost implications).  I was assured that it was correct and that I can proceed.

Today, I got a slightly nasty note from Sup 2 asking what on earth was up with the project and why wasn't I doing tasks A, B and C and D?

I was all kinds of confused (and luckily, have an email trail to cover myself) and I started working to get it all sorted out.

Then I get a note from Manager saying that this wasn't my fault but in the future "we" should strive to communicate better.

The implication is that the "we" is "me" since I was the only recipient.

 

I don't know about her, but my communication was just fine.  I saw a significant change and confirmed it with all parties involved.  I was assured by all that the change was correct.  It's all fixed now (I think.) but I'm a little steamy right now.  Obviously, something got lost in translation between the three of them and poo happens but I really resent anyone implying that the whole house of cards fell because I don't communicate.

 

Whenever I hear someone using "we" like that, I hear my dad's voice saying "Who's this 'we'? Do you have a mouse in your pocket?"

I hear you on the communication problems. The project I'm on at work has had MASSIVE communication issues, not the least of which being that I found out about a team member leaving via someone on our sister project reading the facebook status update of a friend of a friend, which was about the going away party of said team member. Yeah, you read that right. It's like six degrees of Kevin Bacon to find out basic things like "why isn't Anthony online today?"

[siamesecat2965]

Listening to my one boss on the phone, who is generally clueless about anything and everything.  Whether its what type of insurance our plan is (PPO) to the proper terminology for things, it really grates on my nerves. Then she gets snippy when whoever is on the other end of the phone doens't understand what it is she's talking about.

I just finished listening to her try and make an appt for a medical procedure, and rather than saying my plan is administered by X, but its a PPO and the network is y, she was babbling on about something, and getting frustrated that the dr.'s office had no clue what she was talking about!

[mbbored]

In a word: bureaucracy.

Let's say my name is Mary Sue Balfour. Apparently when registering for grad school on some form my name got switched to "Mary Balfour Balfour." Now the registrar's office cannot be convinced that that is not my name. We have a go round every academic term where they say my tuition hasn't been paid, when it turns out that Mary Balfour Balfour's tuition hasn't been paid, but Mary Sue Balfour (who has the same ID number, birthday, address and phone number) has paid her tuition.

Every quarter, they request that I provide either A) a copy of the court document where I legally changed my name from Mary Balfour Balfour to Mary Sue Balfour or B) two pictures IDs; one with my "old name," Mary Balfour Balfour, and one with my "new name," Mary Sue Balfour. However since my name never was legally Mary Balfour Balfour, I can't provide any legal documentation that my name was changed to Mary Sue. Eventually some supervisor sighs and agrees to credit Mary Sue Balfour's tuition to Mary Balfour Balfour's tuition but I really need to fill out the legal paperwork.

Unfortunately this office releases the tax document that shows how much tuition I've paid during the year. This time I came armed with that and showed that all the information from the university's W-2 under the name "Mary Sue" was the same for "Mary Balfour." The supervisor visibly recoiled and said she couldn't look at anything with a social security number on it!

And no, it makes absolutely no difference to them that there is only one Balfour (much less a Mary Balfour) associated with the university and according to all the other systems, including payroll, HR and IT, her middle name is Sue, not Balfour.

Ask them (the registrar's office) to merge the two files. We have to do that all the time.

Thank you! Apparently asking to "merge the two files" were the magic words. I got an official report that my name in the registrar's office is now officially Mary Sue Balfour.

However, my original point stands. I've had this argument with them a dozen times and nobody in their office ever told me that my files would have to be merged, they just said I needed to complete the change of name paper work.

[Shalamar]

Then librarian scolded me for using the book drop

I used to take the same fitness class as an employee of the local library, and oh my, the complaints she had about people using the book drop.  "People use it even when the library is open!  It's such a pain!"  I sympathize, really - the books end up all over the floor instead of nicely stacked on a desk, but the book drop is there to be used, right?

[Black Delphinium]

Companies that feel the need to make pink/girly versions of perfectly fine unisex toys-I'm looking at you NERF.


And Lego, you're on notice too.

[GlitterIsMyDrug]

Companies that feel the need to make pink/girly versions of perfectly fine unisex toys-I'm looking at you NERF.


And Lego, you're on notice too.

Once I went shopping for my friend's little boy and stopped an employee to ask "What would be a good toy for a four year old?" cause I wasn't sure and "helpful" employee said "Well the girl shelves are pink and the boy's are blue, is it a boy or a girl?".....I just bought some craft kits. At a different store. With unlabeled shelves.

Here's my guide for kids toys: