Monday, August 17, 2009

What's in a title?

I will not bore you but I did do it again, published only the title. Getting annoying that I have so ridiculous reflexes I suppose that I forget and just pinkie push enter.

Moving on… today I felt as if the telephones, yes phones were connected to me. You see we removed our long distance years ago from the house phone and only have it on our cells, yes we both have them. Sounds foolishly expensive with our low income?
Actually, we got quite a deal a few years ago and we have them for $59.99 plus tax for the two of them, with roll over minutes, which we never use up, and at the time the two phones were free too.
The house phone we use for local calls and 800 numbers, otherwise it is connected to the computer since we are still on dial up, best 24/7 deal we could get.

The reason I was on the phone all day long or at least it seemed that way to me was that on Saturday I finally received a letter about a hearing for my disability case. I say finally because I initially requested it back in April of 2007, and I was told that it should have taken less than two years.
The letter head said it came from Fort Lauderdale, and I thought that is where I would be having the hearing, and so I was told by a person in the Illinois office for assistance that I should contact them because I now meet a different criteria and my information should be updated, and so I tried to call where I thought I would have to go, which is nearly a six hour ride from here.
I called, 3X and got the same recording the number is no longer in service, and so it was not even an 800, but I did feel the necessity to contact them for all I wanted to discuss, and so I tried information for perhaps another phone number for the office, and the information person said there wasn’t any listing…mind you this is the Social Security Administration. I was determined so I asked for any number in Florida for Adjudication, and she said there was one in Tampa. I said aha, Tampa is only an hour and a half from here, better, but still not an 800 number either.
Tampa lady said no, according to her computer info on me no I must call Fort Lauderdale they are taking care of my case.
OK, I said but their phone is not working and I told her about the recording no phone there. All right she said I guess I can give you the 800 number …mmm, the 800 number of course there should be one of those, great give it to me I said! So I shut down the computer and used the house phone for the freebie!
I got the number and called and waited for about 20 minutes on hold, I was told that it would be only ten by the recording, and finally a man got on the line, he said he was in the Pennsylvania office, when asked, and I repeated my story to him, and he said mmm
Let me try and find you a number for them, and he came back after several moments of silence with the same DAMN number that had the recording saying it was disconnected! By now I was really frustrated to say the least. I tried calmly to explain that number didn’t work. Meantime hubby tried it again, the bad number that is… and miraculously it worked! I said thank you very quickly to the probably confused and now probably very annoyed man, and hung up and got back on my cell for another long distance call.

Well a woman there answered, a receptionist she said, and apparently she was the only person there, because as soon as she picked up she put me on hold. Then would come back on the line and ask me a question and no sooner say hold please. I said no, but she was gone! This went on for several staccato tries by me to talk to her holds, and finally I said call me, and she took my number but in my rush to comply I stupidly gave her the cell number which would make my minutes go down, and so when she did call back I gave her the house phone number, finally!
When I thought I had her full attention I told her that was way too far for us to come for our hearing and that my criteria had changed to another type anyway. She said oh don’t worry that it doesn’t mean I would have to go there they could do it by teleconferencing, I said oh OK, but I still have found out that I recently meet an all together different criteria. Well, this non professional receptionist who has a 10 line phone system all to herself said then you should call your local office, why I asked.

They would have to do the updates, she said.
And so now I could stay on our house phone since that office was local, but impossible to get through to, busy, busy, and busy.
A light went off in my brain to contact the attorneys, who said if I needed them to contact them, and they only make money if I get any, money that is; whatever did you think? LOL
And their number was also an 800!
So I called them and now we have an appointment for Wednesday!
Hopefully, they will take this horror of dealing with the United States government over and do it without anymore help than I am willing to give.

Long winded, so sorry, but that’s the way it was today!

Good night to all and to all be safe, take care, count those blessings and I will too!

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