When are we going to change ?

This morning I was terribly upset. For the last ten days I have been following with the Insurance fellow for filing my claim for the TV repair. He would say that he would come at 11.30 or 4.30 and would never come. Yesterday when I checked with him he said that he was busy with a major fire in a sub-urban factory. This morning when I called him he said that he was busy with some major claim. He was testing my patience clearly; for a pittance I had to call him ten times and wait indefinitely for his response !!! This is not the only experience for me in the recent past.

My car met with an accident; the insurance took more than 3 months. I had called my insurance officer more than 40 times, sent e:mails many times. The excuse was that the period was "annual closure" period and it was taking time. I got the money finally, but with some cut. Now I am following with the same guy for the rest...every day I get a new excuse.

I have been calling the lawyer for the Housing Society for the last one year, regarding our case against one of our members...now a days she does not pick up my phone...sends an SMS once in a while that things are going as per expectation. But what remains is "countless calls" unanswered.

We have to take Insurance for our building...one of the members suggested a cheaper insurance. I have been following up with him to get a quotation and start the insurance cover....after many follow up calls, I have given up....because he stopped taking my calls.

My experience with the bank officers is the same...they are sweet to you when they need something from you or to trap you in a bad investment. But when you need them...no way you can get them. They are always busy...no call is taken or answered later. No email is acknowledged !!! I see a great future......for the communication industry (more calls means more money to Airtel, Reliance, Vodafone....)

The same is the case with the travel agent...I am at their mercy....here the technique is different. Your call is taken and the sweet voice concurs with you...but nothing happens till you call again.....

There is something wrong somewhere....the caller ID has given some power to people to avoid inconvenient situations....people have become arrogant and inefficient. I am thinking of a good project on the cost of inefficiency, especially the "follow up" cost. India can be far better than what it is today if only we have the decency of immediate response to business calls (and social calls too).....but everyone is busy...that is what they would like us to believe. There does not seem to be any urgency to move....inertia provides people with a "lot of work".....to end up as a "busy bee".

Probably I am unfit for this society....I should not get impatient...(six months is nothing in your life of say 80 years)...things will happen ...don't waste your energy....that is what I am telling myself now.

I am sure this situation will change, when........the Sun rises in the WEST.