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Flu Bureaucrats
Oct. 13th, 2010 07:58 pmThis is the last time I listen to a bureaucrat.
The boys and I needed flu shots. The county only charges $11, while everywhere else charges $25 or more. The county also has a web site that lets you pre-register and pre-pay so you don't have to stand in line. Well, cool. I made an appointment for Monday at 4:00, paid, and printed everything up.
A few days later, I got a notice in the mail that Mackie was missing a vaccination. Since the county gives those, too, I figured I'd get that done at the same time, no biggie.
Yesterday when the boys all got home, I herded them all into the van and drove over there. Already the waiting area was crowded with people needing vaccines and tests. I asked about the flu vaccines, and the woman behind the desk said that if we wanted an immunization, we had to fill out a form and wait for processing.
I eyed the waiting area. "I have an appointment for the flu shots," I said. "How about I get those right now and then deal with the other immunization?"
"You should wait and do them all at once," she said. "It'll be faster."
I was dubious, but went along with it. I filled out a form and waited half an hour for my number to be called. When it was, I went up to the immunization lady's desk, filled out yet another form, answered numerous questions, refused to give my social security number, and finally got permission to receive the vaccine.
"They'll call you by your original number," she said.
My original number was 16. Just as I sat down with the boys in the waiting area, a nurse called out, "Number four!" Ten minutes later, she called out, "Five!" I did some math and saw it was going to take several hours to get to us.
By now it was 5:30. The boys had been waiting for 90 minutes, and were becoming more and more hyper. (Three special ed kids in a waiting room = disaster.) I went up to the flu shot table and said, "Your office is clearly not able to handle a simple vaccination. I want the flu shots I paid for, please."
She retrieved the paperwork and sent us back to the flu shot area, where we found a long line. (!) I know there was no line at all when we first arrived. In other words, if we'd gotten the stupid flu vaccines right away like I'd suggested, we wouldn't have waited at all.
We waited twenty minutes as the line slowly shuffled forward. The only reason I didn't leave was that I'd already paid. We =finally= got in and got the freakin' shot. It took TWO HOURS, all told.
The county went to great expense to set up the pre-pay, make-an-appointment web site to avoid this very thing, and then gleefully went about sabotaging it.
That's the last time I listen to a bureaucrat.
The boys and I needed flu shots. The county only charges $11, while everywhere else charges $25 or more. The county also has a web site that lets you pre-register and pre-pay so you don't have to stand in line. Well, cool. I made an appointment for Monday at 4:00, paid, and printed everything up.
A few days later, I got a notice in the mail that Mackie was missing a vaccination. Since the county gives those, too, I figured I'd get that done at the same time, no biggie.
Yesterday when the boys all got home, I herded them all into the van and drove over there. Already the waiting area was crowded with people needing vaccines and tests. I asked about the flu vaccines, and the woman behind the desk said that if we wanted an immunization, we had to fill out a form and wait for processing.
I eyed the waiting area. "I have an appointment for the flu shots," I said. "How about I get those right now and then deal with the other immunization?"
"You should wait and do them all at once," she said. "It'll be faster."
I was dubious, but went along with it. I filled out a form and waited half an hour for my number to be called. When it was, I went up to the immunization lady's desk, filled out yet another form, answered numerous questions, refused to give my social security number, and finally got permission to receive the vaccine.
"They'll call you by your original number," she said.
My original number was 16. Just as I sat down with the boys in the waiting area, a nurse called out, "Number four!" Ten minutes later, she called out, "Five!" I did some math and saw it was going to take several hours to get to us.
By now it was 5:30. The boys had been waiting for 90 minutes, and were becoming more and more hyper. (Three special ed kids in a waiting room = disaster.) I went up to the flu shot table and said, "Your office is clearly not able to handle a simple vaccination. I want the flu shots I paid for, please."
She retrieved the paperwork and sent us back to the flu shot area, where we found a long line. (!) I know there was no line at all when we first arrived. In other words, if we'd gotten the stupid flu vaccines right away like I'd suggested, we wouldn't have waited at all.
We waited twenty minutes as the line slowly shuffled forward. The only reason I didn't leave was that I'd already paid. We =finally= got in and got the freakin' shot. It took TWO HOURS, all told.
The county went to great expense to set up the pre-pay, make-an-appointment web site to avoid this very thing, and then gleefully went about sabotaging it.
That's the last time I listen to a bureaucrat.
