Heavenly Beverley : 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?