Tuesday, December 6, 2011

my call to the SSA

Six months home and our son still has no social security card.  I called the toll-free number this morning (because, of course, there's no local number to call) to find out what to do.  Here's how that went down. 

Me:  OK, kids.  Mom has to make a phone call.  Quiet please. 
SSA:  Please state the reason for your call. 
Me:  Social security card.
SSA:  OK.  I can help you with that.  To learn how to obtain forms, please press...
Me:  {shouting at the kids coming in and out of the deck door and letting in freezing cold air}  SHUT THE DOOR! 
SSA: ...I'm sorry.  I didn't understand you.  Please choose from the following options. 
Me:  {listening to options}  Shh...Mom's on the phone. 
SSA:  I'm having trouble understanding you.  Please wait while I connect to you an agent.  Your current wait time is 10 minutes. 
Me:  ARGH.  {hanging up} 

Me:  {calling back and following the initial prompts}  New card. 
SSA:  I'm sorry.  Please state which type of card you need. 
Me:  Social security card. 
SSA:  OK....blah, blah, blah, etc.  To hear the list of supporting documents you will need, say "documents." 
Me:  {Shutting myself into the hall bathroom so I can hear} 
SSA:  {Hearing the door slam}  I'm sorry.  I didn't understand you. 
Me:  {silently, to myself} argh.  {aloud}  DOCUMENTS! 

And so on.  You get the point.  Apparently a soundproof room is a necessity when responding to a government agency's voice prompts.  I hope dealing with the local office in person is less frustrating. 

7 comments:

Amy said...

I had to giggle at this!! Here's our run-down of getting Milo's SS card:
>We got home from China on May 22
>45 days for immigration (CoC)
>3 trips to local SS office
>1 call to Homeland Defense- transferred at least 5 times (once getting (accidentally?) connected to a pretty high-up director in DC)
>1 follow-up call to supervisor at federal SS office
>10 days later, received card
= 70 days to receive ss card
WHAT A NIGHTMARE!!! Bureaucracy red-tape at its finest!

Good luck to you!
Amy

Jennifer said...

Ohmyword, that has happened to me so many times...not talking to social security but I totally know what you mean! :) Hee, hee!

Krissy said...

maybe next time, YOU bundle up and go outside... it might be more "soundproof"... alas, more chilly too... HA!

Rita and John said...

Oh, no! This does not make me hopeful for getting Michael's Social Security card. Your phone conversation is too funny.

Michelle said...

We never got the one that they were supposed to issue automatically, so we went into our local office to apply for one. It took about an hour, but we got the card in the mail just one week later. Good luck!!

Nicole Renée said...

Ohhhhhh good gracious can I relate to that!! So did you ever get anywhere on the phone? We also, do not have a SS card for Brooklyn and I am dreading dealing with it. Do I HAVE to go to the SSA office??

Beth G said...

Oh funny, and yet not so funny! I had a similar conversation with our insurance today! That's 40 minutes of my life I'll never get back and it was all a waste of time. I ended up informing THEM that I didn't have to fill out an app for an adopted child! "Oh, you're right!" they said. Argh!