Does anyone here speak bureaucrat?

[Dennis]

OK, here's the letter I got:

Dear Sir:

This letter is concerning your request to amend your Social Insurance Number record.

Your record has been amended to indicate your name and your gender as requested.

Although your Social Insurance Number indicates your new name, your previous name will remain on your Social Insurance Number record since the name and gender are recorded from the document submitted. You must provide a new document which reflects your new name and gender in order to amend your record.

If you have any questions, please contact us.


Um, yeah, I have one. WTF???

I have read and re-read those two paragraphs and cannot see how they don't completely contradict each other. Is the record amended or isn't it?

Guess I'll be contacting them.

Dennis

[Dennis]

Update. So I tried to contact them. First I tried the 1-800 number on the letter. After wading through a phone tree, it told me it could not access the service requested and hung up on me.

Then I tried the website, which had no email address on the "contact" section. Just a link to the FAQ, of which this is not one.

Ever see the movie "Brazil"? I feel like I'm living it.

Dennis

[stephanie_craxford]

Hello Dennis,

It seems as though you are being sucked into the dark vortex of beaurocracy  .

Which office are you dealing with, a federal one of provincial one. I went to the HRDC, Employment Canada Office in person and they ammended my records on the spot, after they had the proof in their hands.

There is definitely a contradiction in your letter as well.  When I received my new SIN Card in the mail there was no letter that accomanied it just the regular form that said I should retain the form for safe keeping should I loose my card.

Chat later,

Steph

[Dennis]

It's federal - HRDC. I went into our local office and presented my ID and documentation. They sent the request off to New Brunswick to enter the information.

I did finally get hold of someone by trying every option on the phone tree. Apparently the information has been amended and I am male by their records. The inclusion of the other paragraph appears to have been an error.

This is an entertaining process. The first change of name certificate I received had my female first name and male middle name on it. I can hardly wait to see what screwups the rest of this process reveals.

Dennis

[beth]

          i understood this to mean that the record had been amended but included your old name as evidence because that was how you signed to amend it. by sending another document, using your new name, you will eliminate the notation of your old name from the document.

but i could be wrong

beth

[Dennis]

The documents I provided in the first place had the new name, but that is one way to resolve the contradiction. Just appears to have been an error in the letter though. They forgot to delete one paragraph.

Dennis

[Shelley]

Hi Dennis,

I work for a government department and understand exactly what they are saying, is that scary or what.

It's actually quite simple. When you sent in your request they actioned under the name that requested it. This is because you had to tell them you old name so that they could change the record. This action therefore is attached to your old name. Now while they have changed your name in the system the system won't recognise it until they recieve correspondence under the new name and the new record is accessed. All you need to do is send them a letter under your new name acknowledging their correspondence or some other minor thing like requesing confirmation of something and ther you go.

Remember their from the government and there here to help.

Shelley

[Leigh]

Remember there from the government and there here to help.

You cannot be serious?

[Cassandra]

I used to work for the state. That was one of our ongoing jokes.

"Hi, were from the government and we're here to help you." Har, har, har.

Cassie

[Dennis]

I used to work for the government and when someone, frustrated with regulations, used to say "I pay your paycheque", I always wanted to say, "so you're the cheap bastard. Gimme a raise dammit."

Shoulda done it in my last month there.

Dennis

[Terri-Gene]

so you're the cheap bastard. Gimme a raise dammit."

Hah,  considering thier personal share of taxes that went into my wages, I used to simply reach into my pocket, find a nickle and flip it to them telling them "heres your money back".

Terri

[Shelley]

Hi Leigh,

No, but it does the breakthe ice when I do public presentations.

Shelley