Hip, Hip Hooray!
I Had a victory today!
It didn't start out as a battle. It all started as a bit of bureaucracy to work through. I needed a Social Security statement to do my mother's taxes and I couldn't find it. I tried online to get one but couldn't, of course, because her account closed when she died. I ran around in circles, for a while, (actually walked in circles while I was on hold several times for an hour), before I finally figured out that I had to go to a SSA office to do what needed to be done. My sister kindly went to the SSA office for me and got the necessary paperwork. A few more confusing times while I completed her taxes, but I finally waded through the bureaucracy to completion.
Completion, that is, for my mother, but not for me. Soon after my difficulties with my mother's SSA documents, I had some problems of my own. Ward and I were doing another look at our finances and looking into the best time to retire. This included examination of our SS benefits, but when I tried to log into my online account to get a statement, I got locked out--multiple times on multiple days. This included doing what was advised by two different phone calls to SSA for help. Finally, they said there was nothing to do except visit an office. Which I did. I waited about an hour in the crowded room for my turn during which the clerk at the office gave me a paper with instructions to fix things when I got home. And guess what? They didn't work.
Well, today was the day that I finally had a couple of hours to be on hold, so I called SSA again. And it was so simple. Eric, my helper, just canceled my old account and I set up a new one. And it worked!! I am one Happy person.
Hip, hip hooray!
I had a victory today!
I'm glad you finally had success. Those kinds of situations really try my patience. It makes you appreciate the helpful employees, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteKris, It was a very frustrating experience--especially when I traveled 45 minutes to get to the office to get the same instructions I had gotten over the phone. But waiting in that office made me very thankful that my problem was so minor. Most of the people were trying to clear up some kind of work situation where they needed a SS card to work. None of the ones I heard discussed were straight forward.
DeleteI am glad you were able to get that taken care of! :)
ReplyDeleteMe, too!
DeleteGlad you got everything figured out. Figuring out anything related to the government can be a pain if you don't have time to do so. :-/
ReplyDeleteWith Love,
Mandy
Thanks for visiting, Mandy. I would agree that many government things can be a pain. I guess that's because so many people are trying to do the same thing.
DeleteOh whew, that you finally got into your account. I have had trouble multiple times with just filing the yearly IRS three question post card for my tiny nonprofit. Went ok first two years. They had a contractor taking care of it. Then, the next year, when I tried to log in, over and over, took me ages to find out the problem was that contractor no longer existed and I had to create a new account with the IRS, as if I'd never been there. The next year, I was repeatedly denied access to my own account, because when I tried to log in, it would spool endlessly, and my own computer would log me out, for security reasons. then when I finally got in, chrome didn't want to allow the site and sent me warning after warning that the site I was on used old encryption methods that was not safe. Great, I thought. So I am dreading it this year, all for a three question post card filing.
ReplyDeleteOh, all of that sounds all too familiar. I would be dreading it, too, this year. Good luck. I feel your pain.
Delete