OFCOM - A total disaster (updated)

You know what's coming isn't good...

 

As regular readers will know, I asked OFCOM for approval for a special, non-standard callsign back in January.  This process is proving, well, typically government agency-esque.

Up until this morning, I'd received an e-mail from OFCOM which ignored what I had asked for and directed me to apply for a standard SES call online - which doesn't allow users to apply for super-special callsigns.  The message was a de facto refusal of the callsign sought.  

Weeks later, I received an email which informed me OFCOM was willing to approve the non-standard callsign, provided I sent the following:

"a letter or email from those organising the event" to confirm that, in this case the RAF, were happy to be associated with the callsign.

Well, in a remarkable feat of efficiency, I gained the approval from no less a figure than Royal Air Force Valley's current Station Commander,  Group Captain Andy Turk DFC ADC MA RAF, within 30 minutes of making my request.  If only OFCOM worked that well.

Let's not forget, at this stage, that whilst senior staff in the RAF are all very friendly and willing to help locally, they are still very busy people with enormous responsibilities, who have much better things to do than deal with correspondence about a highly trivial thing like a radio callsign.

Imagine my utter anger this morning, then, to find OFCOM has now changed its mind.  It now wants "the original letter" from the RAF!

Well, that is not what they asked for.  Consequently, there never was an 'original [i.e. physical] letter'.

Asking for a physical letter will waste my and the RAF's time, and make me look completely foolish and (incorrectly), unable to follow OFCOM directions.  

I wouldn't dream of burdening a senior RAF officer with such a ridiculous, unreasonable and contradictory request for a physical letter.  A callsign is nowhere - at all - near important enough to pursue like this.  But if OFCOM prove not to grant the call as they said they would when I provided - as I already have - a confirming "letter or e-mail", then this would be a significant embarrassment to all concerned, and a big disappointment in supporting this 100th anniversary of 4 Flying Training School.

The e-mailed approval from Valley included the e-mail address of the RAF Valley Press Office.  The station has a telephone number.  Did OFCOM try to confirm by any of these easy methods?  Of course not!  Evidently, they are too busy making jobs for themselves through mindless, contradictory bureaucracy, and too lazy to make an effort to resolve the situation, which of course is a situation brought about by their unexplained change of position.

So, Stage 1 of the OFCOM official complaints process has begun this morning.  We'll see what a dog's dinner they make of that!

[UPDATE]  I decided to phone OFCOM to reinforce my dissaproval of their actions.  Within an hour, the special callsign had been approved, no "original letter" required.  Of course, they still ignored the actual period of operation I asked for, although this is slightly longer, so not a problem.

The final insult came from the man who had handled all this at OFCOM.  He said it was because I had "created three cases".  By this he meant that each email from users - there is only one possible email address to use - creates a new case at OFCOM.  But that is a problem created by their rubbish bureaucracy.  And in any case, all my contacts had the correct original reference number.  

They could issue email address of an individual handler, once a case is opened, as many other organisations do.  It improves efficiency, for one thing.  But not at OFCOM.  Easier to try and shoot the messenger.  But people like me will have none of it.  This useless administration will be brought to the attention of the Minister of State in no time at all.  Not that he cares.

I'm grateful to the individual on the phone at OFCOM who still retained the will to live and help someone.  But the organisation itself?  Well, where do I vote them out?