How much do we really know about who is responsible for what when we need help with a service? Not much.
What is the right pathway to take? Search me. Is it clearly signposted? No – it is as clear as mud.
When trouble strikes, ‘someone else’ is seemingly always the right person to talk to.
I recently had a problem with the household internet connection and called our provider.
When I eventually spoke to a real person, after I endured the compulsory identity inquisition, I was told the problem was likely with the NBN, itself, and that I should contact them. The telco person said they were not responsible and the NBN was, despite our hard-earned dollars going to the telco to provide us with a service and look after us.
Sadly, this is not the only example of shoving and shunting.
I spotted a water leak in a park and called Sunshine Coast Council. They said to call Unitywater, who told me to call the council. And all the while, the water gushed.
A call to the Department of Transport about a persistently late bus was met with blame assigned to the bus operator Kenetic and council maintenance operations. Because buses run on roads that are federal (highways), state (main) and local, who can say why these particular wheels were not going round as they should have? I was left confused – and with no promise of improved timekeeping going forward.
The council issues parking tickets but if you don’t pay them, you face court: a state government apparatus.
Some lowlife used my bank card number to book a very nice hotel room in New York, so I called my bank. After eventually reaching a real person, I blurted out my story in brief, only to be told that this was the wrong section and I would be put through to someone else.
I blabbed it all again, but because the transaction had already been cleared, I was told I needed to speak to another person in another section.
I just wanted my money back, but for a while, all I got was the chance to repeat my tale of woe.
For all the processes and procedures in place in government and corporate land, when things go awry, be ready for more swapping and passing than in an NRL game.
Dr Jane Stephens is a UniSC journalism lecturer, media commentator and writer.
