I currently work for a real estate developer (yes, we are the evil people in AZ that keep eating up the desert to make way for newer and bigger shopping center....evil grin). My job when I started here about two years ago was to do the accounting/bookkeeping/office management. I love that part of my job. I love numbers (they always add/subtract/multiply/divide the same way every time...yes 1+2 always equals 3) However a little over a year ago the person who dealt with all of our property valuations, property tax, ag status reports and water use permits left the company. At this time it was decided that I would take over this job as it was pretty brainless....or at least we thought it was.
Now this is not a post complaining about my job. I love my job and I love who I work for and the office staff is great. It is a small company with about 8 people total in the office and I really couldn't ask for better people to be working with on a daily basis. I am able to pretty much come/go as I please. I get time off with the kids when I need it...dr. appointments, dentist appointments, school appointments etc...are not a problem here and that is part of the reason I love working here.
My post is more of complaint about our local government. More directly a complaint about the parts of the county governments that are in charge of valuation of land, filing of deeds and paying of property taxes. I honestly don’t know if there is a test that has to be failed prior to being employed by these offices or if you have to show you have an IQ of an ant, but the people that work at these places really don’t have a clue as to what is going on….when I can tell you how to do your job better than you know how to do it yourself…..there is a fucking problem…..case and point…the below conversation I had today with a clerk at the county assessors office….I shit you not…this is word for word what was said…..
“Assessors office, Kari speaking how may I help you?”
“Yes, Kari. My name is Lisa and I am calling from XYZ company. I understand that we need to file forms 82916R, 82617Z and 82915Y to qualify for AG status for our properties located at ABC location. Can you please tell me where I can go to pick up these forms as I am not able to locate them on your website?”
“Yes, I can help you with that….could you please hold while I transfer you?”
“OK, thanks!” (horrible holding music comes on……5 minutes (yes 5 minutes) still holding….)
“Um, yeah I just talked to my supervisor, we don’t have those forms here in our office, you need to go to our website and download them.”
“Ok, I would be happy to do that, but I am on the assessors website and I do see a link or any information on getting forms online.”
“How can you be online and talking to me at the same time?” (She actually said this!)
“We have a direct internet connection. We don’t use a dial up modem therefore I can talk to you and look at the web at the same time. Can you please direct me or have someone who knows what they are doing direct me to the right place to get the forms?”
“Um….hold please.” (more horrible hold music……10 minutes later….still holding)
At this point it is a mission to just hassle these people….Plus it is a BAD PMS day….so I am in the mood to piss some people off….
“Yes, this is Jack….can I help you?”
“Yes, Jack. My name is Lisa. I am calling from XYZ company. Kari was supposed to be finding out how I can download some AG status forms from the internet. Could you possibly help me with this request?”
“Yes, Lisa I can help you. You see we don’t have those forms online. You have to go to the Department of Revenue office located downtown to pick them up. We do not carry them in our office.”
“I’m sorry…you are saying that forms I must file with you are kept at the department of Revenue office and that once I get them and complete them I file them with your office. How does that make sense?”
I kid you not this is what he said ……
“It is part of our checks and balances so that the forms do not get misused!!”
WTF….how can they get misused….they are forms.…you fill them out…you file them and you wait…..
Luckily…I did get a direct number to the department of revenue…talked to a competent lady and she is sending 100 of each form…
Freaking government employees…..like we don’t deal with enough crap now we have to explain to them what we are looking for…and why we need it…only to find out they don’t have it….
Now this is not a post complaining about my job. I love my job and I love who I work for and the office staff is great. It is a small company with about 8 people total in the office and I really couldn't ask for better people to be working with on a daily basis. I am able to pretty much come/go as I please. I get time off with the kids when I need it...dr. appointments, dentist appointments, school appointments etc...are not a problem here and that is part of the reason I love working here.
My post is more of complaint about our local government. More directly a complaint about the parts of the county governments that are in charge of valuation of land, filing of deeds and paying of property taxes. I honestly don’t know if there is a test that has to be failed prior to being employed by these offices or if you have to show you have an IQ of an ant, but the people that work at these places really don’t have a clue as to what is going on….when I can tell you how to do your job better than you know how to do it yourself…..there is a fucking problem…..case and point…the below conversation I had today with a clerk at the county assessors office….I shit you not…this is word for word what was said…..
“Assessors office, Kari speaking how may I help you?”
“Yes, Kari. My name is Lisa and I am calling from XYZ company. I understand that we need to file forms 82916R, 82617Z and 82915Y to qualify for AG status for our properties located at ABC location. Can you please tell me where I can go to pick up these forms as I am not able to locate them on your website?”
“Yes, I can help you with that….could you please hold while I transfer you?”
“OK, thanks!” (horrible holding music comes on……5 minutes (yes 5 minutes) still holding….)
“Um, yeah I just talked to my supervisor, we don’t have those forms here in our office, you need to go to our website and download them.”
“Ok, I would be happy to do that, but I am on the assessors website and I do see a link or any information on getting forms online.”
“How can you be online and talking to me at the same time?” (She actually said this!)
“We have a direct internet connection. We don’t use a dial up modem therefore I can talk to you and look at the web at the same time. Can you please direct me or have someone who knows what they are doing direct me to the right place to get the forms?”
“Um….hold please.” (more horrible hold music……10 minutes later….still holding)
At this point it is a mission to just hassle these people….Plus it is a BAD PMS day….so I am in the mood to piss some people off….
“Yes, this is Jack….can I help you?”
“Yes, Jack. My name is Lisa. I am calling from XYZ company. Kari was supposed to be finding out how I can download some AG status forms from the internet. Could you possibly help me with this request?”
“Yes, Lisa I can help you. You see we don’t have those forms online. You have to go to the Department of Revenue office located downtown to pick them up. We do not carry them in our office.”
“I’m sorry…you are saying that forms I must file with you are kept at the department of Revenue office and that once I get them and complete them I file them with your office. How does that make sense?”
I kid you not this is what he said ……
“It is part of our checks and balances so that the forms do not get misused!!”
WTF….how can they get misused….they are forms.…you fill them out…you file them and you wait…..
Luckily…I did get a direct number to the department of revenue…talked to a competent lady and she is sending 100 of each form…
Freaking government employees…..like we don’t deal with enough crap now we have to explain to them what we are looking for…and why we need it…only to find out they don’t have it….
1 comment:
That is government red tape at it's best. What a joke!
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