Can we talk about the time I finally got a straight answer from a city clerk?

I needed a specific permit form for a home project and called the office like 5 times, getting transferred in circles each time. On the last try, I just asked 'Can you please give me the exact website link and form number I need to download?' and the guy actually did it. Has anyone else found that being super specific with your question is the only way to get help sometimes?

4 comments

4 Comments

kevin_lane2mo ago

Wait, you actually got a form number? I mean, I've had them send a link before but never the specific number. That clerk must have been having a seriously good day.

milesbarnes15d ago

A form number is just a breadcrumb trail to a dead end half the time. I've gotten form numbers before and still ended up on hold for 45 minutes just to hear "oh that form is outdated." Clerks are human and they make mistakes too, that number could be wrong or not apply to your situation. Plus a link actually takes you straight to the page, a number still requires you to search for it and hope you find the right one. I'd take a direct link over a form number any day, at least I know I'm looking at the same thing they are.

alexpalmer2mo ago

Right? It felt like winning a weird bureaucratic lottery. Usually they just send you into a help page black hole. That clerk was definitely on a mission.

kai_ramirez382mo ago

Got the same thing last month with a parking ticket appeal. Lady on the phone actually read me the exact paragraph from the city code that applied, saved me like two hundred bucks. Felt like finding a cheat code for real life.