You have got to be kidding!

Ok so by now everyone should know my low tolerance level for stupid…so as unbelievable as this will sound it is true and I have just lived through it.

When we crossed back into Canada in April, I had a letter from “Service Ontario” the name is a bit of an oxymoron as service is the last thing they provide but that is a whole different story. The letter stated that they had changed the requirements for my drivers licence and that I needed to have a medical done by April 26th, well that wasn’t going to happen, as we were only had a week to do some visiting and get to our work camping location, so I called and asked for an extension as I had been out of the country so all seemed under control.

Google searches in the Goderich area did not turn up a doctor or nurse practitioner that would do the medical, so I called the local hospital to find out if they could direct me to someone that could do this. I explained that I was new to the area and didn’t know anyone, I was told that no one in Goderich would do it but the walk-in clinic in Exeter would help me out, so I got the number and called them. I was told yes they could help me out but it was first come first serve and they didn’t see anyone till 3:45 and registration was at 3:30 and I could get a number to be in the cue at 3:00, and oh yea it was $155 and cash only.

So last Wednesday I planned this little road trip Exeter is about on hour from our location so I ventured off to the Clinic, I got there about 3:10 and got my number for the registration process, about 3:40 my number was called and I got registered to be seen they took my one hundred and fifty five first thing then had me provide a urine sample and back to the waiting room, about 3:50 a nurse came and got me to do an eye test then back to the waiting room…the next call came at about 4:20 when I was taken into one of the exam rooms where I waited for Dr. Stacy, now this fellow is younger than my kids but we go through my medical history, he tests my blood pressure 130 over 85, checks my lungs, heart, mobility, hearing, dexterity, and the list goes on. He is asking medical questions and checking boxes and scribbling notes all well and good at 4:40 I’m back at the registration desk to receive my signed medical and it’s has including driving time only been four hours of my life wasted on the process.

And I say wasted because this medical is just stupid, my licence was not up for renewal, I had just done a medical only two years earlier when I added my air brake endorsement to my drivers licence. So the whole thing makes little or no sense at all.

So on Friday just after lunch I headed off to the Drive Test Centre, this is a part of Service Ontario that only deals with driver licensing and testing, so the closest one is in Clinton which is about half an hour away so off I go get there take a number and sit and wait, only about 20 minutes and I’m at the counter with medical in hand and the agent is checking the paper work and noticed that the good Dr. Stacy had failed to check off the box to indicate whether or not I can hear…so the agent says I will have to get it checked off and initialed and dated before we can continue.

Now it’s Friday afternoon and I do not have the time to go back to Exeter today so I called and explained the situation and I have to say I was keeping it under control working on the theory wow get further being nice than my normal unfiltered self. But the miserable wench on the other end of the phone was pushing my buttons by explaining that I would have to go through the whole Wednesday process over again, and I was really trying to say that was just bull shit but in a very nice manner. Well I failed to make any progress so I headed back to the coach after a fifty dollar stop at the LCBO……..

Ok it’s Monday and I am going to Exeter to redo every thing I did on Wednesday, so pulled my number 72 at 3:00 first in line, oh boy step one complete, sat till 3:30 my number is called, I go to registration with the medical in hand and point out where the young doctor has missed the little box that needed to be checked off, sympathy was everywhere the receptionist was so kind and was sure I would be a quick fix…oh how wrong she was. So I sat in the waiting room till 4:10 at this point forgetting the hour long drive to get there I was 70 minutes deep when I’m called into the exam room and told the doctor was not there yet but I would be first…oh boy again…so at 4:25 the doctor sticks his head in the door to tell me what a bad day it is and how I will have to wait…in the length of time he spit out all his verbal diarrhoea about how bad thing were for him he could of checked my little medical box…so at 4:35 he reappears with my medical in hand has me sit on the exam table and whispers in each ear to see if I can hear what he said I repeat and he checks the box signs and dates it. It’s 4:40 and I’m good to go.

Oh no not so fast, the poor doctor who is having such a bad day needs cab money home so he is now touching me up for $20 before he will give me back my medical. I can not believe this bull shit. So I peeled off another twenty so little pissy pants can get gas money to go home…let’s just say the old Brian would have hurt somebody by now, but the new Brian just asked for a card of the supervisor so that I can file a formal complaint with the hospital as well as with the college of physicians, they have drivers by the scruffies you have to get the medical done as ordered by the government but our medical insurance does not cover the cost of filling out the forms, and there are no set guidelines so every doctor just sets his own rate and obviously in Exeter at “South Huron Hospital Association” the going rate is about $300 per hour, which may be OK if they were competent. After forty years in the automotive service world when we had an incompetent person that made an error we would make it right with the customer, other than some sympathy from the receptionist I didn’t even get a I am sorry…

Well we will see what the hospital has to say tomorrow after they get my email, with a bill for my time and mileage for the Monday process…stay tuned