I read your Editor’s Note of 18 October, Is it really that bad? on your visit to the Licensing Department and my answer is yes, it really is that bad.
I find your acceptance of the whole scenario of them not opening on time laid-back, to put it mildly. If their hours say opening at 7.45am in bold, as you pointed out, then that should be the time they open to serve the public.
You are forgetting that we pay their salaries as they are public servants. The man who thumped the door was quite within his rights to do so and if more people like him do the same and stand up for themselves, then the situation of ‘non-service’ in this country would not apply.
A few months ago my friend went to renew her driver’s licence. I know it’s not the same department as you were in, but it all falls under the Licensing Department Building. She was there for five hours and still walked out without getting helped. She is 77 years old and when her daughter tried to make a booking online, all they could give her was one in Westonaria. Really? Do they expect a 77-year-old on a government pension to drive to Westonaria and of course back again when her new licence arrived?
You said you shook your head is ‘disbelief’ at other people. Why? Is it so wrong to expect service? I’m not going to say good service, as that would be pushing it. Then you have the audacity to say “perhaps we only make it bad because everyone else is making it bad?” If you want to be so complacent, then good for you, but a vast majority of people in this country would like some type of service.
With your happy, laid-back attitude, nothing will ever change in this lovely country.
* Dear Liz, I think you totally misread my thoughts on the matter. I wrote about what I saw, and instead of choosing to work myself up and spoil the rest of my day, I decided to remain calm and patient because I went there prepared to expect the worse … and to my surprise, it wasn’t that bad. Yet, other people chose to complain the whole time, they chose to swear at the staff, they chose to argue and work everyone else up and make the situation bad – that was the moral of my ‘story’. Others make it bad and influence those around them to do/ feel the same. I am not blind to what goes on there and yes, like you said, we have reported on them so many times, but to no avail. We really try, but we can only do so much. – Ed.
