I wonder if the Minister could answer the concerns around the local offices not taking calls anymore.
I myself did have to collect benefits a number of years ago and the process was straight forward with payments coming directly into you bank account and now the fact that one must be made to go to the Post office to make a weekly in person collection seems ludicrous when the old system worked fine. This leads into the question on how it is acceptable that the offices like most gov't bodies will not or answer and hang up. I found a very interesting blog that was just posted that details this activity and the reaction that the head office had to his formal complaint.
In case the link does not work I will quote him below:
*******
"I do like not having to travel every time I want to make a public enquiry, which is not possible if you're one of the thousands with a claim lodged at the Clondalkin branch. For two consecutive days I consistently attempted to make phone contact, sometimes getting a dial tone, sometimes not. The following day I drove to the office and queued at reception, which took a lot less time than when I submitted my claim.
'I've tried to ring over the last two days.'
'The phones have been ringing all day,' the employee said.
It's been two and a half weeks since that piece of inverted logic. Today, I tried to ringing with the same result so I contacted a head office and explained the case.
'Yeah, the offices are under fierce pressure alright.'
'So, that's acceptable. Not answering the phones because they're ringing all day is OK?'
'Yeah.'
*********
This seems to be the standard at all the local offices... and the real point is when one travel to the office they tend not to be busy at all...
Why is it that with such high taxes and costs in this Country that out gov't departments all operate on a 3rd world standard? And why is it acceptable in their eyes?
Mark McGovern
Posted on 3 Jun 2009 11:25 am
Department of Social and Family Affairs:
I wonder if the Minister could answer the concerns around the local offices not taking calls anymore.
I myself did have to collect benefits a number of years ago and the process was straight forward with payments coming directly into you bank account and now the fact that one must be made to go to the Post office to make a weekly in person collection seems ludicrous when the old system worked fine. This leads into the question on how it is acceptable that the offices like most gov't bodies will not or answer and hang up. I found a very interesting blog that was just posted that details this activity and the reaction that the head office had to his formal complaint.
Link below
http://twtpro.blogspot.com/2009/05/dont-phone-us-well-contac...
In case the link does not work I will quote him below:
*******
"I do like not having to travel every time I want to make a public enquiry, which is not possible if you're one of the thousands with a claim lodged at the Clondalkin branch. For two consecutive days I consistently attempted to make phone contact, sometimes getting a dial tone, sometimes not. The following day I drove to the office and queued at reception, which took a lot less time than when I submitted my claim.
'I've tried to ring over the last two days.'
'The phones have been ringing all day,' the employee said.
It's been two and a half weeks since that piece of inverted logic. Today, I tried to ringing with the same result so I contacted a head office and explained the case.
'Yeah, the offices are under fierce pressure alright.'
'So, that's acceptable. Not answering the phones because they're ringing all day is OK?'
'Yeah.'
*********
This seems to be the standard at all the local offices... and the real point is when one travel to the office they tend not to be busy at all...
Why is it that with such high taxes and costs in this Country that out gov't departments all operate on a 3rd world standard? And why is it acceptable in their eyes?