I’ve been writing this column for about 27 years. And more than a few times, I took my former agency, the Social Security Administration (SSA), to task for sometimes falling down on the job. That’s because I frequently hear from readers complaining about misinformation they received from Social Security representatives or about service issues—mostly long wait times when they call the agency’s 800 number.
I sometimes wonder if this is the “squeaky wheel syndrome”: You have a car with four wheels and you only pay attention to the squeaky one, even though the other three are just fine. Likewise, when it comes to the service we get from any public-facing agency, I think people are much more likely to write and complain about bad service than they are to offer accolades praising good service. That’s just human nature, I guess.
