OK, in our last episode our fearless heroine explained to the government of Ontario that Greyhound does not take reservations, at least not to Nuevo Laredo. As instructed she documented all of her attempts to make a reservation in Mexico and wrote it all up and as instructed she faxed it all back up to Thunder Bay along with a cover letter explaining that she was re-submitting the entire application because just wanting to travel was apparently not reason enough to want a birth certificate....In this letter she managed to remain polite and used the phrase Ï am sending this *again*) no less than three times. That night a charge showed up on the VISA card from the Registrar General, and our herioine was proud of her ability to explain things. Except that... on Friday ... they hit up the VISA card *again*

They apparently doesn't read too good in Thunder Bay.

So... I call the bank and tell them that these people were only supposed to charge me this money once. I do point out that we are probably dealing with stupidity rather than criminal intent. They say it may be faster to ask them for a charge back then... I say ok, I'll try it, and you guys can be plan b. But of course the governement of ontario is closed.. I am an afternoon and evening person anyway and I am two hours behind them.

So I call Thunder Bay this morning. No answer. Maybe Lindy knows my phone number now :) Maybe Lindy would rather do her nails :) I pull out the phone bill and note I started calling people about this on January 12. Seven to ten business days, yah right. SO I call back all the same answering machines and I catch Loreen, with whom I have previously played phone tag, unaware and at her phone.

I tell her the story, complete with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one... and there is a pause. If they processed the credit card then they are sending you a birth certificate, she tells me. Yeah.. but they processed it *twice,* I remind her. There is a pause.

"You're only allowed one birth certificate," she says.

"How Canadian," say I. "Look, I only *want* one... and I only want to pay for one."

I will be automatically refunded, she tells me. I realize then that Loreen is a French girl despite the name, but I am not feeling friendly enough to make the effort to switch languages.

Üh huh, I say. *When*? I wasn't expecting the second ding and it has done bad things to my account, I explain. And by the way, where is my birth certificate? My unexpedited birth certificates for the kids got here in half of all this time.

She has to check on this and promises to call me back.

The bright points in all of this? It was refreshing not to be asked for my social security number. Loreen is not in Thunder Bay, she is in Toronto. So we *know* it's the water. And so maybe Larry is still speaking to me :)

Dana
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