Day 012 - Unhelp Desk
Jan. 12th, 2012 09:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wolfsbrideOne of my clients is getting a monthly stipend from the Health Department and one of the requirements to keep the stipend is that you have to fill out a form documenting what you're using the money for. On it they say if you need help filling out this form call this person at this number. I had a question about it since it wasn't balancing and I suspected the problem was in how they were asking for the information to be recorded so I gave them a call.
Health Department: Hello? - No, this is so and so's office. Such and such speaking. Just hello?
Me: Uh. Is this Elaine?
HD: No. What do you want? - At this point I'm wondering if I don't have a wrong number since the level of professionalism was absurdly low.
Me: Um. Well I have a question about the Stipend form. I was wondering if...
HD: I have no idea what you're talking about.
Me: Uh. Okay. Is Elaine there???
HD: Yes, she is. *long pause*
Me: Um. Can I speak to her???
HD: Oh. Okay. Click
Me: *boggling*
E: Hello?
Me: Elaine, hi. I'm calling about this form. It doesn't balance if I record the information the way you're laid out on the instruction sheet. It seems to me that by asking for the net wages AND the vacation pay paid out on one side of the sheet, you're duplicating information as the vacation pay is already included in the net wages. I was wondering if...
E: No one else has a problem with the form.
Me: Uh.
E: Are you looking at the right line because you know that's a common error looking at the wrong number.
Me: *thinking - lady it should be obvious that I'm not a clueless lay person here* No. I'm looking at Line D on both sides. Actually I do bookkeeping for a living so I'm a little more tuned in than most people would be.
E: Oh. Well no one else has a problem.
Me: Okay. Well, I'm out the amount of the vacation pay paid out. As I said, I believe this is because there's a doubling up since that amount is already included in net wages. Since you want us to show the amount of vacation pay paid out, I was wondering if I can subtract it off the net wages. That way I can show it separately as you have asked and I'll balance.
E: *long pause* OH! Well everyone just puts down net wages with a note saying that the vacation pay is included. They don't actually fill out the line that asks for Vacation pay.
Me: *headdesk* *thinking - well then, EVERYONE DOES HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOUR FORM* Thank you very much for your help. Bye.
Me: *mutters about idiots*
Oy vay.
Health Department: Hello? - No, this is so and so's office. Such and such speaking. Just hello?
Me: Uh. Is this Elaine?
HD: No. What do you want? - At this point I'm wondering if I don't have a wrong number since the level of professionalism was absurdly low.
Me: Um. Well I have a question about the Stipend form. I was wondering if...
HD: I have no idea what you're talking about.
Me: Uh. Okay. Is Elaine there???
HD: Yes, she is. *long pause*
Me: Um. Can I speak to her???
HD: Oh. Okay. Click
Me: *boggling*
E: Hello?
Me: Elaine, hi. I'm calling about this form. It doesn't balance if I record the information the way you're laid out on the instruction sheet. It seems to me that by asking for the net wages AND the vacation pay paid out on one side of the sheet, you're duplicating information as the vacation pay is already included in the net wages. I was wondering if...
E: No one else has a problem with the form.
Me: Uh.
E: Are you looking at the right line because you know that's a common error looking at the wrong number.
Me: *thinking - lady it should be obvious that I'm not a clueless lay person here* No. I'm looking at Line D on both sides. Actually I do bookkeeping for a living so I'm a little more tuned in than most people would be.
E: Oh. Well no one else has a problem.
Me: Okay. Well, I'm out the amount of the vacation pay paid out. As I said, I believe this is because there's a doubling up since that amount is already included in net wages. Since you want us to show the amount of vacation pay paid out, I was wondering if I can subtract it off the net wages. That way I can show it separately as you have asked and I'll balance.
E: *long pause* OH! Well everyone just puts down net wages with a note saying that the vacation pay is included. They don't actually fill out the line that asks for Vacation pay.
Me: *headdesk* *thinking - well then, EVERYONE DOES HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOUR FORM* Thank you very much for your help. Bye.
Me: *mutters about idiots*
Oy vay.
