"Inefficient, Mean And Certainly Not 'For The People'"
Liz Wainger didn't think much of her visit to a Social Security field office. She writes about it for Huffington Post.
10 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Fyi...link not working. But her "story" is nothing more than a complaint about how long it took and how complicated the issues she had are.
SS is complicated and requires people to interpret the problems/questions raised by the public. Unless people want to pay more taxes, deal with it. Additionally, a lot of the actual waiting is because many people with simple questions overwhelm the system and take time away from people who really need help.
We have local SSA offices that are just plain mean and rude to the disadvantaged and disabled. I understand SSA employees are overburdened with work, however, it is shameful to see them take it out of the very people they are being paid to assist.
We had a client told by a local SSA office "look lady, we can come in your house and take your dead grandmother's picture off your wall if we want to."
No, I don't have a birth certificate, but my birthday is December 14, 1949, and I will swear to it on my dead Grandmother's picture that is on the wall in my dining room..
Really 4:10? No wonder this Agency is in such a mess. Back when I started (in the Ice Age), it was all about the claimants. Would you believe that phones were actually answered by people, EVEN In BALTIMORE? That is almost unheard of now. We would go out of our way to help a claimant who called and we were applauded for it. Now, the claimant's are almost an afterthought. That is what happens when all management cares about are computer stats and metrics. I find it disgusting and if I could take that early out, I would.
The day after that publication, I had occasion to visit my local SS field office. I had made an appointment two days earlier through the 800 number.
When I called the 800 number, I was told there would be a 50-minute wait, but I could get a call-back instead of waiting on the phone. I received the call-back as scheduled. I was on hold for about one minute. The representative I dealt with was cordial, knowledgeable, and cooperative. She indicate that I needed to bring documentation to the field office and set up the appointment.
At the filed office, I had a brief, but not unreasonable wait. The claims representative was quite knowledgeable and helpful. I was out of the office in short order.
My experience with SSA over the years has been far better than my usual encounters with utilities, cable-TV companies, and banks.
10 comments:
Fyi...link not working. But her "story" is nothing more than a complaint about how long it took and how complicated the issues she had are.
SS is complicated and requires people to interpret the problems/questions raised by the public. Unless people want to pay more taxes, deal with it. Additionally, a lot of the actual waiting is because many people with simple questions overwhelm the system and take time away from people who really need help.
We have local SSA offices that are just plain mean and rude to the disadvantaged and disabled. I understand SSA employees are overburdened with work, however, it is shameful to see them take it out of the very people they are being paid to assist.
We had a client told by a local SSA office "look lady, we can come in your house and take your dead grandmother's picture off your wall if we want to."
@11:15 - I would love for you to identify that office.
Under what circumstances would a comment like that even be uttered? It is so outrageous, that it is difficult to believe.
No, I don't have a birth certificate, but my birthday is December 14, 1949, and I will swear to it on my dead Grandmother's picture that is on the wall in my dining room..
On any given day, someone could say the same thing about a grocery store, bank, library, gym, etc. One persons isolated experience means little.
Really 4:10? No wonder this Agency is in such a mess. Back when I started (in the Ice Age), it was all about the claimants. Would you believe that phones were actually answered by people, EVEN In BALTIMORE? That is almost unheard of now. We would go out of our way to help a claimant who called and we were applauded for it. Now, the claimant's are almost an afterthought. That is what happens when all management cares about are computer stats and metrics. I find it disgusting and if I could take that early out, I would.
4:52, AMEN.... No more place a face with the case... Just move the widgets... Right, wrong, ot indifferent, move the widgets..
Sucketh greatly.
The day after that publication, I had occasion to visit my local SS field office. I had made an appointment two days earlier through the 800 number.
When I called the 800 number, I was told there would be a 50-minute wait, but I could get a call-back instead of waiting on the phone. I received the call-back as scheduled. I was on hold for about one minute. The representative I dealt with was cordial, knowledgeable, and cooperative. She indicate that I needed to bring documentation to the field office and set up the appointment.
At the filed office, I had a brief, but not unreasonable wait. The claims representative was quite knowledgeable and helpful. I was out of the office in short order.
My experience with SSA over the years has been far better than my usual encounters with utilities, cable-TV companies, and banks.
In government, as well as everywhere else, you get what you pay for.
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