A Different Drum: In rare form from filling out too many forms
When I purchased my first personal computer (PC) back in 1991 (before PC meant “politically correct”), I was genuinely looking forward to riding the associated trend of increased productivity all the way to a paperless society.
So much for that idea. Not only are we still not paperless, but I swear we’ve become even more paper-intensive, with the exception of the newspaper industry, where print editions continue to vanish.
Along that line of thinking, something I would much rather have vanish, or at least be banished, from my world (and other people’s worlds, too!) is forms of all kinds. I have grown sick to death of having to fill in the blanks about myself, my history, my body and my life. It’s a nauseating and time-consuming activity. Plus one never knows for certain where the information so forcibly demanded will end up.
I have serious doubts if anyone, except possibly IRS auditors, actually reads what I write in the blanks of all these forms. Yet the blanks remain there, staring at me, awaiting completion. Sometimes I just ignore them all or pick and choose which I will complete. That’s a decent strategy until I run into blanks online that must be completed before I can get to the next screen. Oh, how I hate that!
In recent years, I have had the unadulterated delight of getting to complete an excessive number of forms, ranging from Medicaid packets, to college financial aid forms for my kids, my family life educator periodic credential renewal packet, estate- and trust-related forms to claim assets, probate court paperwork, life insurance claim forms for clients, tricky job applications for myself and others, and a whole host of medical forms related to my daughter’s and my own illnesses, down to rebate forms for products purchased.
My son just got a taste of the form action through the joyful experience of completing a 42-page job application. Lucky us!
Obviously, I’m being sarcastic in describing form completion as a delight. Better descriptors are that it’s often overwhelming and frequently unnecessary and overkill. I’ve encountered many forms where it seems like they just ask you questions for something to do and because they can. That approach isn’t helpful.
And then there are the forms, themselves. There’s nothing more annoying, especially with hand-completed forms, when the space provided is too small for your answer. Ever tried writing all 12 digits of your driver’s license number in a half-inch space, or your email in a similarly tiny slot?
There’s also the issue of clarity within context on a form. Sometimes you can’t tell what they’re talking about and there’s no directions accompanying the form. Where it asks the name of the provider on the medical reimbursement claim form, are you supposed to write in the name of the medical practice or the name of the physician from that practice that performed the service? That kind of thing is maddening.
Another area of annoyance is forms that are meant to help fund-raise, but don’t include what entity to which you should write your check. And that’s only half the battle. On the heels of that gaffe, it’s common for the same form to neglect to say where to send the donation you’re trying to make.
Conversely, I just finished completing dental reimbursement claim forms for the third time, having been given no fewer than three addresses where the claim had to be sent to be processed. Honestly! It leaves me wondering if this company is stupid, unorganized and inefficient or if this is part of their shtick to make reimbursement difficult so I’ll give up. I’d love to ask them, but get put on permanent hold every time I call their customer service line. What I do know is they were efficient as hell at processing my insurance premiums. Go figure!
If I’m left this frustrated, I’ve got to wonder what the forms experience is like for people who are less literate or who have cognitive impairments. I’m guessing they give up, even when it’s not really an option. I’d fill out a complaint form regarding this kind of crap, but that’s one form the forms-requiring people seem consistently to be without.
— Kristy Smith’s Different Drum humor columns are archived at her blog: diffdrum.wordpress.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: A Different Drum: In rare form from filling out too many forms
