September 28, 2011
1. Newblog2011: 09/28/11 The Vermont Food Stamps Office, Part 2
This morning, at 9:00 a.m. I called the Vermont food stamps office. Someone answered the phone and asked for my social security number, which I gave her. I verified my name, and then I asked her if she could mail a copy of my Vermont food stamps closure letter, which I have to have before I can complete my application for food stamps in Massachusetts. We had the following conversation, after she had looked up my social security number in her computer and verified my name.
Her: This is the call center, and I’m just answering phone calls. I don’t have a printer. I can let a worker know about your request, but I can’t guarantee that it’s going to happen.
Me: What do you mean, you can’t guarantee that it’s going to happen?
Her: It could take at least 3 days; we lost a lot of equipment because of the flooding and Hurricane Irene-
Me: Yeah, I understand what the line is. I’m a citizen, and you can’t keep that letter from me.
Her: I’m not trying to keep it from you.
Me: No?
Her: It would be best if you could come into the office in person to get the letter.
Me: I can’t do that, because I’m in Boston. The reason that I’m asking you to send me the letter is because I need it in order to complete my food stamps application in Boston.
Her: We did already send you the letter once, didn’t we?
Me: Yes, that was weeks ago. My life is very disordered and, although I’m sorry if I’ve inconvenienced you, it’s not that big of a deal that I lost the letter and have asked you to send it again.
Her: I just want to make sure that we already sent it to you.
Me: Yes, you did, and, as I’ve said, I’m sorry if I inconvenienced you by requesting another copy of it. Also, I’ve been on the phone with your office for more than a week. I spoke to someone, and I also left at least 2 messages, with a FAX number to which I asked you to send the letter, and also with my voicemail number so that your office could call me if there was a problem. Will you please just send me the letter? Do you have my address?
Her: I believe we have it on file.
Me: I’ll give it to you again, since your office has so many problems.
Then I gave her the address, which she and everyone else I’ve already spoken to at that office does already have on file, in their computers which don’t seem to have been affected by any kind of flooding. Every time I’ve called that office in the past week and a half, there’s been no message of any kind from the automated phone system that said “We at the Vermont food stamps office are having technical difficulties and may not be able to help you with your request.” Every time I’ve gotten someone from that office on the phone in the past week and a half, the first thing the person has said is “Hello, can I please have your social security number?” Then the person has looked up my social security number in her computer and has verified my name, address and phone number.
For that matter, the phones at the Vermont food stamps office seem to have been working in the past week and a half, when I have both spoken to 3 separate people on 3 separate occasions and have also left messages requesting that they send the letter, leaving my voicemail number where they can call me if there is a problem of any kind. I had no messages back from them, no information from them at all until yesterday when I got someone on the phone who looked me up in her computer and then told me that nobody in the office can send a FAX anywhere because they “lost a lot of equipment because of flooding.”
The first time I spoke to someone, a week and a half ago, she said “I’m e-mailing your request to a worker right now.” She wouldn’t give me her name but apparently she didn’t think to lie to me that the office had “lost a lot of equipment due to flooding” when she told me that she was sending someone an e-mail while I was still on the phone.
Copyright L. Kochman, September 28, 2011 @ 11:52 a.m.
1. Newblog2011: 09/28/11 The Vermont Food Stamps Office, Part 2
This morning, at 9:00 a.m. I called the Vermont food stamps office. Someone answered the phone and asked for my social security number, which I gave her. I verified my name, and then I asked her if she could mail a copy of my Vermont food stamps closure letter, which I have to have before I can complete my application for food stamps in Massachusetts. We had the following conversation, after she had looked up my social security number in her computer and verified my name.
Her: This is the call center, and I’m just answering phone calls. I don’t have a printer. I can let a worker know about your request, but I can’t guarantee that it’s going to happen.
Me: What do you mean, you can’t guarantee that it’s going to happen?
Her: It could take at least 3 days; we lost a lot of equipment because of the flooding and Hurricane Irene-
Me: Yeah, I understand what the line is. I’m a citizen, and you can’t keep that letter from me.
Her: I’m not trying to keep it from you.
Me: No?
Her: It would be best if you could come into the office in person to get the letter.
Me: I can’t do that, because I’m in Boston. The reason that I’m asking you to send me the letter is because I need it in order to complete my food stamps application in Boston.
Her: We did already send you the letter once, didn’t we?
Me: Yes, that was weeks ago. My life is very disordered and, although I’m sorry if I’ve inconvenienced you, it’s not that big of a deal that I lost the letter and have asked you to send it again.
Her: I just want to make sure that we already sent it to you.
Me: Yes, you did, and, as I’ve said, I’m sorry if I inconvenienced you by requesting another copy of it. Also, I’ve been on the phone with your office for more than a week. I spoke to someone, and I also left at least 2 messages, with a FAX number to which I asked you to send the letter, and also with my voicemail number so that your office could call me if there was a problem. Will you please just send me the letter? Do you have my address?
Her: I believe we have it on file.
Me: I’ll give it to you again, since your office has so many problems.
Then I gave her the address, which she and everyone else I’ve already spoken to at that office does already have on file, in their computers which don’t seem to have been affected by any kind of flooding. Every time I’ve called that office in the past week and a half, there’s been no message of any kind from the automated phone system that said “We at the Vermont food stamps office are having technical difficulties and may not be able to help you with your request.” Every time I’ve gotten someone from that office on the phone in the past week and a half, the first thing the person has said is “Hello, can I please have your social security number?” Then the person has looked up my social security number in her computer and has verified my name, address and phone number.
For that matter, the phones at the Vermont food stamps office seem to have been working in the past week and a half, when I have both spoken to 3 separate people on 3 separate occasions and have also left messages requesting that they send the letter, leaving my voicemail number where they can call me if there is a problem of any kind. I had no messages back from them, no information from them at all until yesterday when I got someone on the phone who looked me up in her computer and then told me that nobody in the office can send a FAX anywhere because they “lost a lot of equipment because of flooding.”
The first time I spoke to someone, a week and a half ago, she said “I’m e-mailing your request to a worker right now.” She wouldn’t give me her name but apparently she didn’t think to lie to me that the office had “lost a lot of equipment due to flooding” when she told me that she was sending someone an e-mail while I was still on the phone.
Copyright L. Kochman, September 28, 2011 @ 11:52 a.m.