I'm not sure if this is a case of over-reaction or not... but based on the phone call I just made, my patience is worn thin and almost at the breaking point regarding my worker's compensation adjustor.
After two relentless days of searching for the source of a problem tied to no brake lights on the Contour, it has turned up nothing. The rest of the morning was spent online trying to troubleshoot the problem. The good news is, I think I have located the problem's source. The bad news is that I can't afford the fix right now, and in my panic about today's therapy appointment, I had to cancel, and then call the transportation provider to take me in tomorrow.
To say it was done grudgingly is an understatement. The adjustor treated me like she was the know-it-all mom, filled with sarcasm and making me question why I even pick up the phone half the time. "This stuff regarding your car is your responsibility to take care of," she said, "and I don't see where I still should be helping you."
Thanks a lot. In an effort to keep a technically street-illegal car off the street while waiting for my next delayed compensation payment to come in, she'd rather hope the law be broken?
Maybe it's a case of me trying to go through life with a perfectly spotless driving record. In these days, it may be unobtainable given the road rage conditions out there.... someone is bound to be at fault.
But the point is, I am aware of an electrical problem in the car. Without the means to fix it, I am still trying to steer my way around it (literally). And all I get in response is a soggy-bread session with the adjustor -- who, by the way, has left my April mileage compensation sheet unsigned & unprocessed for twenty days. She only found it among a mound of paperwork when it was mentioned to her. That's only $80, but hell, it could afford me the part I need to correct the brake light problem.
Co-workers have said I could pursue a lawsuit over all the anguish. I am half-tempted to inquire into it, although it might be equal to kicking a dead cow.
Friends, I don't think I'll ever be able to return to that job. You don't pour yourself full-force back into the job hoping the nerve miraculously stays normal. Many times, complete rest is the only prescription, along with an alteration in routine. That includes job routine. So my time at the airport is likely done. Point being, however, that I'd like to stick with the compensation arrangement a little longer just to see how the nerve reacts to further therapy. I'll use all I can, then say "screw it, I quit," if it comes to that.
But whenever the therapy and the compensation does end, you can bet hand will be meeting rear end in a not-so-subtle gesture towards this compensation agent, who has made this entire non-work experience a living hell; for me and for other co-workers who have been down her path.
Does it pay to be injured? I guess not -- and even if it does, it comes several days late according to the "pattern", whatever that may be.
