When Gas Companies Are Full Of Hot Air

Another fabulous day at work...

We are in the process of applying for a building permit for one of our projects. Part of this process includes applying for natural gas. So today I pulled out some blank applications, proceeded to spend an hour looking up the information to fill them out as several people are asking me "When will it be done when will it be done when will it be done" because of course the decision to apply for the permit was made at precisely 10:03 a.m. and the powers that be didn't understand why we couldn't have the permit in hand by 10:11 a.m. I then faxed them to the appropriate utility company and went about my day.

Imagine my frustration when I happened by the fax machine later in the day to see all of my applications faxed back to me with a note that said that I had used an old form, and as such, these applications could not be processed. Would I please fill out the new form that the utility company had so thoughtfully included in the fax and send it back?

I took a deep breath, because, really, what else was I going to do, and sat back down to redo them. But that is when I was met with a very confusing sight. You see, I could not tell the difference between the "new" form and the "old" form. The disclaimer appeared to be the same. All of the requested information was the same. The actual format of the form was the same. I literally had to go through the form line by line to try and find the sections that had been changed.

And you know what I found? They removed one question. They switched the order of the questions in one section. And they added a "print name" line to the signature section.

Seriously? I have to redo four applications because you've made what basically amount to some aesthetic changes? And these changes are so significant that you can't possibly be prevailed upon to process an "old" form?

Where is the vending machine with the Hostess goodies when you need it?