Did I tell you about the time when...

[Svenskaflicka]

I'm unemployed. I've been unemployed for 16 months. I live on social security. Last month, my phone broke down (cheap piece of...) and I had to buy a new one. I called the woman who handles my papers in the social office, and explained that my phone was completely dead, and I had to buy a new one. Now, since I need a working phone in order to be available in case a company calls and asks me to come for an intreview, could I have money from the social office to buy a new phone, please, Mrs Social Office Lady?
She said she doubted it, but she would talk to her boss and see what she said.
"OK," I said. "Then I'll get back to you in the afternoon, and hear what she had to say."
"Or I could give you a call," she said. "What's your phone number?"



The REALLY sad thing here, is that she has a well-paid job, and I'm unemployed.

 

[OldnotDead]

Dateline: October 30, 2310 - Stockholm Sweden

Today the famous social anthropologist, Iva Goodemind Tokishitoff, released a comprehensive series of documents which he asserts proves his controversial theory on the decline of Sweden in face of technological advances. As readers who have followed this story should be aware, Dr. Tokishitoff asserts that it was all the advances of technology that allowed the State to become a 'nursemaid' to a population that became less and less able to take care of themselves, forcing the eventual bankruptcy and absorption into the New Scania which now replaces what was Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.

Flying in the face of all the economic arguments posed by most others that it was the burden of the other European countries, Dr. Tokishitoff continues to assert that it was internal attributes that led to the failures.

One document he highlighted is from the transcripts of a case worker charged with taking care of a variety of unemployed Swede's shortly after the turn of the century. He states this is only one example of sloth that he found throughout the historic documented record. The list below are the entries of one particular case:

13.10.03 Ms. S. called and stated her phone was broken and she needed a replacement. Requested funds to purchase replacement. Funds request submitted to supervisory staff.

13.10.03 2nd call from Ms. S. - told her waiting for reply from superv.

14.10.03 Superv requested a form 5103 be signed, the funds would be approved. Called Ms. S. to request her fax number to send form. No answer.

15.10.03 Ms. S. called and left message, said she would call back. Left no phone number, no fax number either.

15.10.03 2nd call from Ms. S. - told her I needed to fax her a form. Told her laughter was NOT appropriate. Suggested she get a fax machine. Don't know why she thinks everything I say is funny.

16.10.03 Ms. S. called with fax number - apparently friend or neighbor.
Finaly received signed, faxed 1502. Sent to superv.

17.10.03 Ms. S. called - told her it would probably be ten days to get her funds. Offered to call her. SHE LAUGHED AGAIN!

22.10.03 Called Ms. S. - five different times. NO answer.

23.10.03 Called Ms. S. - five different times. STILL NO answer.

27.10.03 Ms. S. Called - told her I had been calling. SHE LAUGHED AGAIN!! Told her it is not right to laugh at government workers just doing their jobs. Explained the funds had been approved, but she would have to call from her home phone to release them to her bank account. System requires caller ID from her home phone. Had to terminate call when Ms. S. became incoherent.

28.10.03 Called Ms. S. No answer.

29.10.03 Called Ms. S. No answer.

30.10.03 Received call that several employers were unable to reach Ms. S. by phone. Filled recommendation with superv that Ms. S.'s status be changed to 'unemployed - no longer looking for work' - clearly not interested in future employment
. . . transcript ends.

Dr. T. reports that this and many other documents prove the lack of a growing, employable workforce that would have provided for any kind of sustainable economic growth. He contends that it was INTERNAL defects and not all the previously atributed outside economic factors that lead to the 21st century decline. His documentation is quite extensive and most historians say that they will have to look at the work closely and consider it.

Dr. T. was not, however, able to comment personally on this article. Calls to his listed phone remain unanswered.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

On the 26th of last month Verizon turned my DSl off because of a clerical error in their order taking office. I called and managed to stay polite when they told me it would be the 3rd before they could turn it back on. Come the third, nothing. I call back. My appointment has been moved to the tenth. No call, no message on my answering machine nothing. Come the 10th still no DSL, now I call in a rage. The girl tells me my appoinment has been moved to the 17th. I demanded a supervisor, went off on him and this is his reply, swear to god.

"Miss Thomas, I don't know why you are so upset, we sent you email telling you about the postponements."

I have been on their DSL plan for over a year. I didn't even have a modem in my machine at the time, much less a dial up plan. What kind of nimrod would send email to someone they have taken out of service telling them anything when my phone line still works and even has an answering machine?

For the sheer joy or it I would like to note when I got this old 2400 bps modem working and managed to connect through my roomates aol Account I found out their emails tell you nothing and suggest you call if you have further questions.

-Colly

 

[Guest]

That's what I like about cable net. You just plug your modem into the cable jack and then all you have to do is fill out the registration page and voila! You've got net.

We had a problem shortly after we got ours when I opened IE and kept getting a *your account cannot be found* kind of page. I called customer service (which is 24hrs) and the guy checked it out and said our account had been closed. Since there wasn't a notation saying why, he turned it back on and we were set to go. I called the cable compay a couple of days later about another matter and metioned our net account getting messed up. It seems that when the lady added the movie channels to our account, she deleted the cable net service .