Bungle du jour a la Centrelink

Will it EVER end?

DH trekked out all the way to the C'link offices clutching her fortnightly application for payment form. The submission date hardcoded on the form was 12th September.

She was informed that the computer had it wrong and her submission date should be the 15th.

Q: Centrelink got it wrong, but guess who was to be penalised.

1. Centrelink
2. The mug customer
3. Don't know

A: Do you doubt it???

Centrelink got it wrong, therefore, DH was expected to drop everything and trek down to the C'link AGAIN on the 15th - WITH THE SAME FORM!

The functionary behind the desk looked shell-shocked and wouldn't budge, just kept repeating the same mantra, "Yes, I know its our mistake, but yes, you still have to come in".

Fortunately, DH, remembering her former middle-class incarnation, insisted on seeing a supervisor. This poor bloke scratched his head and reckoned he couldnt make head or tail of her file! And this despite the fact that her case is perfectly ordinary. She reported on the 3rd of August, should have started receiving payment thereafter, and its been one bungle after the other since.

Anyhow, the fellow eventually took pity on DH, changed the date on the form, and let her off the which is great because DH had a busy day on Friday. If you must know, she is an amateur actress, and she was desperately making props for the premiere of her latest musical comedy, (in which she is once again typecast as a fishwife)

Anyhow, it's a mystery. How can so many things go wrong with one simple file??? DH can only guess that God is watching over her blog, wants her to tell it like it is, and this is his way of sending her copy.