Is the Department of Children and families rude where you're from?

[Zephie]

My husband and I have been dealing with the rudeness at the Dept of Children and Families in Florida for well over a year now. After we were hung up on twice yesterday and told that no one was able to correct our food stamp case god knows how many times, he finally was directed to a voice mail where he left a message with the director (?) about the quality of service at the call center. We have been lambasted, laughed at, hung up on, insulted, and talked down to for our income status so many times (and once for our religious beliefs when we asked for a non-religious food bank suggestion when we explained that many of the local food banks were in fact churches that required service attendance) that when we were informed that our case yesterday was denied because of "incomplete forms" and then refused information on what was incomplete so we could rectify it, we finally gave in and complained. I have just received a call from the "gentleman" who got the message yesterday, who has proceeded to tell me that there is no quality issue with the call center and when I tried to explain what happened he claims that things like I described don't go on there - or that the error was in our comprehension of the information his staffers conveyed to us.

When I again tried to explain what happened, he got very cheeky with me and said "Just let me know when you're done talking sweetie". I fell silent in complete awe over the fact he felt the right to talk down like that to me, at which point he proceeded to ask "Oh, are you finally finished?" and continue on telling me how the call center worked like a well oiled machine. It turns out that the incomplete forms were that people who faxed in letters vouching for the fact that my husband lost his job didn't include phone numbers to contact them and as such the DCF had dismissed them as falsified documents, despite the fact that they had letters on file prior from the same people half a year earlier attesting to the very same matter which DID have the contact info. I understand that the letters were missing this information, but no one bothered to inform me at all until today... And the letters were faxed on September 27th. One month and one day ago. I even called in when we got our food stamps this month and found that more than 2/3rds were missing and was informed that they would "call me back", which of course they never did.

So I guess in the end of this rant, the question is: Is this normal procedure, or have I been lucky enough to run into the bottom of the barrel every time I've talked to the DCF?

(Edited for grammar. Note to self: do not write when riled up - you can't form coherent sentences)

[Lisa D]

1. I'm so sorry they were rude to you.

People who work in social services are woefully understaffed and underpaid so, unfortunately, this type of attitude seems to be one of the consequences.

[Zephie]

2. I think what gets me most...

is that the director pretended that these things don't happen EVER, yet went ahead and insulted me as well. I know for a fact from other friends who are on Food Stamps/WIC that this is common practice in the FL DCF and the fact that he went out of his way to vehemently deny these things when they inform you that they record all the sessions is insane and demeaning. Like we can't comprehend basic information because we're poor. =(