Thursday, September 18, 2008

filled with stupid people

That is what the world is filled with.

I don't know who was stupid. Me or the high school. They sent a notice about a parents' teachers evening with the date 17/9/08 on it. That was yesterday, which I had marked on my calendar. I was all set to go. I was happy, for a change, because my son is actually doing well this year. I hurry and do my shopping list, go to the getting-crowded supermarket, shop for the week, arrange for delivery, call a cab to first pick up Hubby who reluctantly decided to move from his couch/bed/tv to come with me and then the taxi rushes to the school and it's dark. The place is fucking dark.

"it doesn't look like there's any parents/teachers evening tonight." says the wise cab driver who is of course gonna charge me a fortune for a round-trip trip.

I plow through my bag full of stuff trying to find the paper that tells the date.

"Here it is" I show the cab driver and Hubby, who is getting totally irritated. "The date is the 17/9/08."

"But it says 'Sunday' says the wise old cab driver.

So should I have ignored the date, and read the entire thing in Hebrew? The numbers were easier for me because anyone can understand numbers. The school put the wrong date on and the right day. How was I to know?

But my son of course was like "How should I know?" when I came home furious that I wasted time, effort and cab fare for this. He kind-of-knew that there was something going on on Sunday but wasn't sure it was for his class.

Then he told me his teacher tried to call us all day.

"But darling, I had my phone with me the entire day. I would have known if she was calling. She didn't call."

"Yes. She tried all day on our house phone."

"WHAT HOUSE PHONE?" said Hubby and I in unison (for a change)

We hadn't had a house phone since June 2007.

"I gave her your cell phone. I told her we don't have a house phone."

Yup, the house phone she was trying to call us on, which is still listed in the phone book. I'm not gonna even bother trying to tell the phone company to unlist that ghost number.

This afternoon my daughter calls me.

"Someone called from Maariv L'noar (a teen magazine) and said they had been sending us a gift subscription for a year and would we be interested in renewing. I told them 'What gift subscription?' We never got any magazine. And then they told me where they sent it to. I told them 'we haven't lived there for 10 years already.'"

I vaguely recall filling out a form - with my correct address - a year ago when my son began his orthodontic treatment. But somehow, these fools managed to dig up my very old address. I once called them to tell them we weren't receiving it and then they said 'ok, ok' and I never heard from them again, and never had the patience to pursue a free gift.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's when things like that happen that you wish you could send the stupid people a bill.

Taxi fare wasted - 25 NIS
Time wasted - 200NIS
(calculated per hour times number of people)
Annoyance fee - 100NIS
(it cost money to annoy me)
Extra fee for my sore throat after screaming out random curses on you - 50 NIS
Stamps for sending this invoice - 2NIS

Total - 377 NIS

Due within 30 days by check or bank transfer to account XXXXXXX
For any inquiry, please contact customer service at 1-800-BITE-ME

Anonymous said...

And wouldn't you know...such things happen all over the world.
I had a routine check-up at the dentist scheduled 6 months ahead. About a month before I realized I would not be able to make it. I call them and cancel it. I say I will call them when my schedule clears up. A week before the old date the dentist's office calls to remind me of my (cancelled!!!) appointment. I explain and ask them to really cancel it! The day before the (cancelled) date and it happens to be the day I am leaving for a trip, I answer the phone, suitcase in hand. It is the dental office, calling me to remind me of my appointment tomorrow!

And this even isn't the government workers...
Anna

Unknown said...

Hey Dude - definitely right. I wish you were my lawyer. We'd get people sorted out real quick in this town, dontcha think?

Anna, sorry you have the same kind of annoying dumbkopfs wherever it is that you live