K, why is it that I so rarely find myself dealing with industrious, talented and patient - words which I take to be the opposite of lazy, talentless and whining - people in my dealings with the private sector?
Lots of examples, but here are just a couple from recently...
I reached the end of an insurance deal last month and received the cheque due. Shortly thereafter, a letter came thanking me fulsomely for my 25-year investment with the company. Great, you might think, except that my name was misspelt! No attempt to check even after a quarter of a century of dealings, correspondence etc?
At around the same time, someone at my Building Society started badgering me for evidence that I would be able to pay them, despite the fact that I had already provided such evidence aplenty. In the end, an appeal to a higher level in the company sorted things out, but why was I subjected to the hassle because some dim functionary couldn't be bothered to verify matters for himself?
I could go on with masses of further evidence of the utter incompetence of private sector employees...don't even get me started on Comet!...but I'll leave it at that.