Closing In On 2023's Finish Line...

Two more sleeps before the jolly fat man in a red suit comes down your chimney, through your skylight or rematerialises next to your Christmas tree. I reckon Santa also employs that skinny lighty device used by Men In Black that deletes your memories so you don't know some weird bloke has been in your house. And what about the reindeer. Why isn't their deer pooh scattered anywhere outside? Footprints? Why don't the dogs bark? I just don't know - must be one of those mysteries never to be solved...

I recently asked Alex if he still believes in Father Christmas. After a lengthy pause, he responded that my question was a tad tricky. Then he grinned. Alex knows me very well. I believe in the joy, the magic, the gathering with family or friends and the chance (in our case) to stop and breathe. That includes a completely nonsensical attachment to the whole concept of a chubby chap wearing a red winter suit driving a team of reindeer across Australia when the average temperature may be up to about 480 degrees. I think Santa deserves a medal...

I am rather in need of both cheer and inactivity. We do not have to travel anywhere until 3 January next year.. If I had the energy, I'd dance the Watusi Quickstep in celebration. 2023 has been about as topsy- turvy as any year could possibly be. Somewhere in the winter months were nine weeks of unadulterated happiness as we embraced our Slow Boat To China trip to the North West and back. The rest of the year has been dominated by unsatisfactory dealings with the National Disability Insurance Agency/Scheme and latterly with the ANZ bank. 

Both these organisations have commonalities of failure. They have forgotten how to listen. They are reactive rather than proactive. They treat their clients with utter contempt. They do not read documents well and will choose to misinterpret or ignore. They will withhold or deliberately mislead. They do not share information within their unwieldy structures. They will attempt to wriggle their way our of any situation. They do not think outside the square. And they certainly don't appreciate that their participants or clients are their reason for being.

This morning, en-route to Northam, I received a phone call from Kate, an External Dispute Resolution Case Manager with ANZ in Melbourne. She had actually read my case and was attempting to gather all the loose ends so she could offer us a resolution after three months of chaos, attempting to communicate with the many facets of ANZ and agencies that carried ANZ in their titles but are apparently entirely separate entities. 

The ANZ Worldline kyc ("Know Your Customer") team and the ANZ Worldline Payment Solutions (!) team are not actually part of ANZ and are not under the jurisdiction of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority. In my estimation, that means these teams can get away with appalling behaviours and impossible-to-understand practices and not be restricted by any penalty. Work that one out, not to mention the implications for complainants such as me...

Kate seemed to be an empathetic and reasonable woman, listening to me, asking questions, confirming the timeline of events. She explained the process that she would follow and gave me reassurance of (hopefully) closure via a Letter of Resolution which would have specific outcomes. She also suggested I talk to ANZ's Advocacy (!) Team so that my specific grievances would be noted and prevent this chain of catastrophe happening to anybody else. I live in hope. 

One question she hedged around and really did not respond. I asked her why my experiences over three months were not being taken seriously until I contacted the AFCA. She could not explain. To me anyway...Stay tuned.

I will also be facing the NDIA/S across a table (virtual or otherwise) when the External Tribunal (AAT) decides whether I should be reimbursed for Alex's CPAP machine on disability grounds and a please explain why Alex's ABI (Acquired Brain Injury) has not been included on his profile. One of the NDIA delegates has broadly challenged the severity of disability caused by his ABI and also stated we have not tried all treatments (whatever they are) to reduce his disability, Emily, my contact at the Tribunal was most discrete in her description of some of these delegates. In the meantime, I will have an appointment with a Legal aid lawyer ahead of time and can also involve an advocate if I so choose. I am still weighing that one up. That's early January's job...

Whatever happens with both these agencies is that there will be some sort of closure. I am hopeful but not naive. Wish me luck.

And we will be in the East End Gallery for one last day in 2023. Tomorrow until five o'clock. Then may the good cheer and inactivity commence!

 

 

 Last day for 2023 in the Gallery - this is what I'd perform if I had some energy!

 

 This is what every consumer based agency should ask!

 

 

What actually happens...

 

 

Which leads to intense frustration and emotional trauma...

 

How these agencies could be described...

 

I feel like they just toss a coin to make decisions...

 

 

Straightforward?

 

 

We believe Alex's CPAP device meets this criteria...

 

 

 

PLEASE.

Those Magic Words...

From the time I was a small child, I understood that there were certain words, known as Good Manners,  that needed to be used in various situations, such as asking for or when receiving goods or services. Good Manners were taught by rote until the habit was generalised as part of everyday responses. That way, parents would be fairly confident that their offspring were unlikely to disgrace the family name in social settings.

"Could you please pass the salt?"  or "Thank you very much for my Christmas present!" are both simple examples of Good Manners. Other behaviours that constitute Good Manners include paying attention to a person speaking, responding appropriately, not interrupting and showing due respect. 

Until recently, another indication of Good Manners, in business, was the notion that implied "the customer is always right". We are now treated more like the Great Unwashed than the Valued Customer, our stature eroded to the point that the Mighty Dollar is worshipped with far more reverence that offering good service and, horror of horrors, actually admitting fault and providing recompense.

Since the end of September, I have discovered that the ANZ bank is not big on communicating information, checking their facts, sorting errors and generally demonstrating extremely poor customer service. The Know Your Customer (kyc) team is an excruciatingly bad outfit within ANZ; one of those virtual departments that bob through cyberspace, causing mayhem and distress on a daily basis.

Their mission, Jim, was to verify all existing and new business customers without disclosing the information that they actually required. After six weeks, the Awful Truth was finally revealed. I had to provide an ABN. The kyc team failed to mention this detail for all that time and suspended the East End Galley's EFTPOS facility. Since that first outrage, we have been sent further harassing communication threatening disconnection again. This email was apparently sent "in error".

I was perfectly gobsmacked by the CEO of ANZ, a chap named Shayne Elliott, reminding me of my obligations to this nebulous entity and chastising me that this offshore call centre's rapid speech and difficulty to understand them was not their fault, or his, for that matter. He did not address their misleading information, the lack of support or their arbitrary decisions.

Needless to say, I have complied with their wishes. I now have a Sole Trader profile with my own ABN. After checking with Huma, a small business specialist that all had been unloaded to the kyc team, I began to relax. I was still waiting for a resolution to my thirteen acknowledged complaints but foolishly assumed that the kyc team and I had parted company, hopefully for good...

Yesterday afternoon, I was locked out of our business accounts. The kyc team had struck again. No warning, no reason. This morning, I managed to bypass this impediment by the creation of a new Customer Registration Number and password with yet another staff member. I was also unable to access the app on my phone, so I knew I also required a new Personal Identification Number (PIN).

Needing to withdraw some cash from the ATM, I checked with ANZ that my card was unaffected by this latest insult  and would still function. I was assured that I could use my card with the current PIN and all would be well. Then, in total disbelief and dismay, I watched the machine swallow my card with as much efficiency as the whale consuming Jonah.

I have had enough. The ANZ bank has had more than enough time to sort out this chaos of their creation. I have had to forcefully insist that a new card, sent from Sydney, will be on Friday night's plane to Perth. If the Gods are with me, my card may arrive by courier on Saturday. Whether or not I receive instructions to render it operational is anybody's guess. Plus, I have asked for credit towards a year of Merchant Services and compensation for the countless hours spent on the phone and online, trying to entangle this unholy mess. Needless to say, the kyc team is incapable of apologising for their trail of mental destruction.

I finally understand which Magic Words may cause ANZ staff to sit up and pay attention...the Banking Ombudsman...

Stay tuned for the next riveting installment.

 

 

Give me strength!

 

 

The ANZ has plenty!

 

 

 

 

I think they toss a coin to decide what to divulge...

 

 

How do we know?

 

 

 

 

 

I couldn't have said this better....

 

 

Yeah, right!

 

 

Maybe this is where the kyc team is located...

 

 

I bet they will...

 

 

I swear the ATM had the same smirk when it swallowed my card...

Let's find out, shall we?

A Fourth Birthday "Frozen" Extravaganza For Miss Imogen Ivy...

Our divine older granddaughter Immy turned four years of age last Wednesday. Whilst I am grappling with the concept that those years have passed in the blink of an eye, I can take the opportunity to look back at her previous birthday celebrations.

Her first birthday at Whiteman Park was, frankly, much more about the adults than the children. Immy was not walking then and was just delighted to sit or crawl in the shade, chilling with the other invited toddlers and having dirt and leaves removed from her curious mouth.

Immy's birthday number 2 was Blippi themed. For anybody unfamiliar with the blue and orange American YouTube kiddy sensation, Blippi helped Cal and Bron with teeth cleaning every bedtime for about a year, after Immy caught some dreaded lurgy that resulted in her teeth being very sore. Vale Blippi!

Then there was the rise and fall of Emma Wiggle. Imogen absolutely adored yellow dressed dancer and drummer Emma during her sojourn with the Wiggles. When Emma chose to part ways with the rest of the Wiggles, her fall from grace in Immy's eyes was immediate and brutal. However, Emma hung around long enough to become the star of Imogen's third birthday party before her demise.

And yesterday, we were treated to "Frozen". Maybe I am too old to embrace another Disney movie with a story of love and redemption. Or I have become immune to all the cute characters and the appropriately themed songs. This is the synopsis for anybody remotely interested -

"Snow Queen Elsa inadvertently uses her power to make her kingdom experience constant wintriness. Her sister Anna teams up with mountaineer Kristoff and his reindeer to demolish the snowy spell."

Anyway, Rob and Michelle (Bron's parents) bravely offered their backyard for Imogen's fourth Frozen birthday party. There were Frozen dresses, Frozen cupcakes, Frozen drinks, Frozen lolly bags and a Frozen bouncy castle, well secured to the lawn. Rob had even constructed a wooden swing set and playground gear next to the bouncy castle. And there were children, mostly little girls, everywhere.

I had completely forgotten the ear piercing shrieks that little girls let rip courtesy of their voice-boxes. The backyard was inundated with small two legged creatures running amok with enough noise to wake the dead. The only time they sat still was when they were drinking, cross-legged as they had all been taught in day care or playgroup.

Did I enjoy myself? You bet your sweet bippy. I had fabulous Nanny Kate time with Violet and was thoroughly entertained by the occasional squabbles, tiffs or disagreements between the small party attendees. Immy was Queen for her day and nobody was allowed to forget that most important of facts. I watched other parents trying to sooth ruffled feathers before a declaration of war. I was taken back to my own hilarious memories of distracting, apologising and placating small dictators before they grabbed a toy forcibly from another child or whacked their supposedly best friend.

I have demonstrated, particularly with Callum and Alex, that even the most totalitarian of children grow up to become mostly reasonable, tolerant and empathetic adults. We need to allow our kids to be kids, even if their behaviour sometimes has us ducking for cover. 

Imogen was bright red in the face, exhausted and rather uncooperative for family photos at the end of her shindig. However, her fabulous Daddy was able to calm her impressive scowl with sweet talking to allow for her besotted grandparents to add photos to the albums. 

I can't wait for Imogen's next amazing birthday soiree. Well done to Team Immy on another successful party with no injuries and no reports!

 

 

 A granddaughter with her Grandpa...

 

 

Time for Grandpa Michael with Violet...

 

 

With Nanny Kate...

 

 

What's over there?!

 

 

Violet @ almost nine months...

 

 

Introducing Frozen cupcakes...

 

 

The birthday girl with Frozen jelly...

 

 

 

 

 

Who doesn't love a Frozen cupcake!

 

 

Super-Mummy...

 

 

With Super-Daddy...

 

 

Soothing the birthday girl...

 

 

Happy again!

 

 Just to reassure you all - 

 

 

Thus endeth the lesson.

An Open Letter To All Customer, Patient And Participant Based Organisations...

As we approach the end of 2023, my unresolved dramas remain thorns in my side. I have been waiting for responses for both my disgraceful lack of customer service from the ANZ bank and a satisfactory explanation from the NDIS who believe my issues with them have been resolved.

The finale of each year often leads to my reflections of the road (less or more) travelled. I started in January with a mixed and uneven opinion of Hollywood Hospital after my right knee replacement. I chose a new orthopaedic surgeon (Mister Kon Kozacs, who was faultless) and Hollywood Hospital due to previous misadventures at the Mount.A lack of communication caused me misery as well as pain. The nursing care was hit and miss, to the point that if I hadn't pushed myself on a walker to the toilet, I would have suffered an exceedingly unfortunate accident.

Where was the service, the promptness of care, the acknowledgement, the understanding?

My assessment of the NDIS in 2023 is not complimentary either. The majority of Alex's plan is finally and mostly meeting his needs, but only after I appealed to Minister Shorten to increase Alex's Support Coordination hours. Our requested reimbursement for Alex's CPAP device remains denied after nine months. Alex's Acquired Brain Injury diagnosis from 2022 has not been confirmed to have been added to his NDIS profile. The NDIA uses convoluted jargon and incomprehensible standards to bamboozle participants such as Alex and me. When I mentioned to the latest NDIA reviewer that Alex does not understand the language of his plan, her only comment was that I should be able to explain the document to him. When I detailed my own difficulty with his plan without help from our Local Area Coordinator and Support Coordinator, she did not give a toss. The NDIA has truly become the Department of Stealth and Total Obscurity.

Where is the service, some plain language, the acknowledgement, the understanding?

Then there is my unresolved complaint with the ANZ bank. There has been a Royal Commission into Banking in this country that unmasked some appalling (and illegal) tactics knowingly orchestrated against hapless customers. Then there is the continuing closure of branches, the prevalence of overseas call centres, poor training and knowledge to solve complex issues and just not enough service staff. 

A rebuke from the Complex Case Manager of the ANZ's Customer Resolution Centre and an email from the CEO reminded of my "obligations" as a customer. The CEO also chastised me for my comments regarding the English proficiency of some staff. He completely missed the point that I was referring to overseas call centre staff, which demonstrates he did not read my email well. 

The Complex Case manager could not resolve my complaint as he had not checked the details from another staff member. I am mystified that he called me without prior knowledge... That was last Tuesday. I have received no communication from the ANZ bank since then.

Once more - where is the service, the acknowledgement of fault, the understand and an apology?

During 2023, I have witnessed poor service, inadequate care, a lack of empathy, limited attention to detail, absent sharing of information and a "passing the buck" mentality that enrages me. Accountability and the ability to admit fault appear to have gone by the wayside. 

I live in hope for a better behaved, more compassionate 2024. Who is with me?

 

 

That would be a useful start...  

 

For this!

  

 When hospital care is not up to scratch...

 

 

A useful guide for nursing and other medical staff...

That is putting it mildly!

  

Chief weapon used by the NDIA... 

The NDIA's latest title...

Add me to the list....

 

 

Excuse number 1...

 

 

Excuse number 2...

 

 

Excuse number 3...

 

 

Which leads me on a downward spiral towards hell...

 

YES!

 

Christmas @ The East End Gallery!

 I really think that 2023 has flown past in rather unseemly haste. Having said that, there are quite a few of us who will be happy to see the back of this year, looking forward to better times. 

I am currently waiting to see a cardiologist next week. So far, I have had a chest X-ray which showed fluid at the base of my lung. I was diagnosed with some sort of lung inflammation with possibly an overriding condition like asthma or bronchitis. Then, a CT showed I had a weird malformation of my right subclavian artery. Then the echocardiogram suggested I have two leaky valves. The exercise stress test was truly awful. I ran for ten years and entered three City-to-Surf fun runs. To be gasping on a treadmill at four kilometres an hour was not fun. Then I mentioned my legs were also burning. Poor circulation was immediately mentioned. Oh goody!

In the meantime, I continue to wait, increasingly breathless and very anxious. I know our medical system is the envy of many other countries, but being a knowledge-is-power girl, the void of information and thus understanding is doing my head in...

The other issue fermenting inside my brain regards how my latest specialist will wish to be addressed. We have discovered that those medicos who wish to be called Doctor Grand Pooh-bah may not be up to scratch. Michael was nearly killed by one egomaniac back in 2014 and the other geezer (who used hi-viz tape to separate himself from his patients) probably missed my leaky valve during Covid in 2020. I have no time for Titles or those who insist on being worshipped by their patients.

In order to distract myself from this Approaching Appointment, here is a complete wrap of last Saturday's Sundowner and an expose of all the fabulous pieces available for your Christmas gift giving.

Yesterday morning, we welcomed another artist, Sarah Mitchell, to the East End Gallery. Sarah is a glass artist whose exquisite works will add yet another dimension of originality to the main Gallery and Giftshop. And don't just take my word for this. Come and view all our artists, artisans, craftspeople and their never-ending creativity. We are open until five o'clock on Christmas Eve afternoon. Don't miss the chance to support our artists and their works.

Our final Sundowner of 2023 morphed into a delightedly noisy and casual affair on the pavement outside the Gallery. The late afternoon and evening remained too warm and stuffy to be indoors, so we just moved the party lock, stock and barrel outside. Amongst memorable guests was Rab our local copper, who enjoyed the drumming very much, our growing band of musicians and singers, visitors and locals and the spectacle of myself in a deluxe Santa suit, which I endured until the heat became a bit much. We welcomed new friends and repeat offenders, rocking on into the night. 

I pulled the pin at just after eleven o'clock, but I understand that the stalwarts finally ran out of puff between two and three in the wee small hours of the morning. A heartfelt thank-you to all who stayed to pack away and to my beloved Michael and our travelling minstrel Lawrence for their admirable cleaning job later on Sunday morning.

We are currently fifteen sleeps until Christmas Day. Stuck for a gift for that special somebody? Need a unique present on a budget? Want to support local artists? Hankering for a browse and a chat in the beautiful setting of the East End Gallery and Giftshop?  Curious to view an artist's workshop/studio? Interested in Beverley's diverse history and attractions? We offer all this and more, right in the main street of Heavenly Beverley.

 

 

Late afternoon - glass and 3D artist Michelle with artist and musician Jan...

 

 

Michael and Michelle,,,

 

 

David - "Red Sax Guy"...

 

 

Patrick...

 

 

Seanne...

 

 

Looking east...

 

 

Looking west...

 

 

Christine and our local fabulous Canon Philip...

 

 

Kelvin, Marci and Ron...

 

 

Teagan...

 

 

Guy in drumming paradise...

 

 

Deb, Jess and Wayne...

 

 

Seanne and Ron, with "Deception" eavesdropping!

 

 

Michael and Kelvin...

 

 

Loving my Santa beard on my head!

 

 

Meanwhile in the East End Gallery - a Kimberley stone sink...

 

 

Painting and pottery...

 

 

Jennifer Hill - November Artist-in-Residence at the Station -

 

 

 

 

 Giftshop table

 

 

Featuring Jess Spring from Merredin -

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lindy Kay and Ingrid Holm...

 

 

Sarah Mitchell's glass "Patchwork"...

 

 

Mosaic birdbath by Carole Patch (with fairy)...

 

 

Photograph, glass and pottery...

 

 

Pottery, wood, cards and glass...

 

 

Sarah Mitchell and David Lillico...

 

 

Between the Gallery and the Giftshop.