For the last week and a half I have done very little but assemble records, fill out tax forms, fill out forms from various financial institutions and have them witnessed, notarized, guaranteed and so on, and harangue with financial institutions’ customer service representatives. Here is a sample dialogue that actually took place yesterday:
Customer service representative: May I help you?
Me: Yes. [I identify myself.] After my call to customer service last week you sent me a form. I received the form and have some questions.
Customer service representative: Perhaps I can help you with those.
At this point began fifteen minutes of my asking questions, systematically going down the form I’d received and quoting it with the customer service representative having the same form in front of him, he mostly muttering.
Me: So, you really don’t know the answers to my questions?
Customer service representative: No. That’s Traveler’s Insurance’s form.
Me: Can you give me the name and telephone number of a contact at Traveler’s Insurance who might be able to help me with my questions?
Customer service representative: No.
Me: You sent me this form?
Customer service representative: Yes.
Me: You don’t know anything about the form?
Customer service representative: No, I don’t.
Me: Can you give me the name and contact information of somebody else there who might know something about the form or have contact information at Traveler’s Insurance?
Customer service representative: No.
Forty-five minutes go by in a similar vein. Finally, I’m connected to a supervisor (who, for all I know, is the person at the next desk). After twenty minutes of questions the supervisor agrees that what she’s told me is that I should cross out 75% of the form and write my own form. Am I wrong to be skeptical about this procedure? If anyone ever asks you to be the executor of his or her estate, run screaming from the room. Or make sure their affairs are completely in order before they die.
At least I’ve completed the first leg of my annual ordeal—my personal federal and state income taxes. Now onwards to my mother’s estate’s and trust’s taxes.
The customer service you received was unbelievably, shockingly appalling! I’m so so sorry this has been such an enormous job.
As they say, document, document, document.