Bureaucracies

Every company or branch of government has its own bent toward the creation of formalities aimed at the dealings between itself and its clients. As we have assembled the bills and account statements of my Mother and changed the mailing addresses or other features of the relationship for future ease of administration, we have run into bureaucracies of various complexities and strengths.

Surprisingly, the hardest company to deal with has been the cable TV company. Who would have thunk? Apparently the cable company has witnessed every kind of fraud and has instituted firewalls for almost every occasion. Since we planned on being here in Tucson for extended periods, we wanted to have internet access at the house so that we did not have to rent a seat at the local coffee shop just to check emails. I like coffee a lot, but do not drink it after noon and know that whenever I drink it it will without fail cause a reaction at the other end and many interruptions to the email retrieval process. Coffee shops are not a practical alternative for the long haul.

So we call the cable company to add internet. No, that is not possible without seeing a Power of Attorney (POA). No problem since I have one of those. Again, no, I must appear in person at the local office which it turns out looks like the waiting room for free government services with a DMV type pick-a-number twist. They do not really want to deal with customers in person, so they make it appear unpleasant and the wait time long. The same is true for a change of address with the cable company. They will not do that either without a POA and personal appearance before the Tribunal Council of Nameless Powerful Bureaucrats.

We discover a chink in the armor after considering that the actual customer of the cable company is female and since I have been the caller with the male voice it must only be a matter of decibels and frequency. Julie calls and can easily change whatever she desires. No visits, no POA’s, nothing. Just sit in the comfort of the house and alter the relationship at will. Taadaa!