Globalised Whether You Like It or Not

The everyday world into which I was born and have lived most of my life is disappearing. This codger finds it frustrating and disagreeable. So much for a peaceful old age.

I recently made the mistake of making a phone call about a computer issue. I spent the next day and a half attached to the phone, straining to understand Hindu gibberish from five different people, some of who thought I was their servant. With long waits in between. I finally canceled the whole thing, never having received any answer to my problem.

I recently learned that my local heating and air conditioning firm, with whom I had a long and happy association, is now owned by a Texas corporation, as are now most of the other such firms in my South Carolina town. I started receiving bills for advance payments for services months in the future with threats for non-payment. Contacting Texas by phone I realized that I was dealing with crooks who tried piling on thousands of dollars in bills for services never received.

Believe it or not, my local trash collection is now owned by a Canadian company that I find it impossible to deal with usefully either by phone or online. I am sure many people are having the same experience of pushing through an endless line of recorded choices, picking the one that sounds most likely, and getting to the end to find there is no way to get an answer to your question.

I have decided that I will no longer talk to or take orders from a machine. Should a free American take orders from a machine?

The knockout blow was delivered when my mortgage was sold to another holder. The material I received from the new company included six different addresses in four different States. I sent in my first payment to the most likely address. A few days later I received a call from another one of the offices, rudely threatening with drastic action for a missed payment—a payment which I had already sent. With land letters, email messages, and online efforts I finally got the matter fixed—I think.

I have wearied you already too much, Dear Reader, so I won’t even get into the car insurance fiasco.

All these companies want you to set up an account with them where they have access to your bank account for payments. Not for me.

I recently had to see about turning on the water in a little neighbouring town. I found that one cannot sign up with a phone call in this town. You must sign up either in person or online. The online application is lengthy and overly intrusive and not very clear as to how to proceed.

​I am thinking of selling up, giving everything to the children, and joining a monastery for what remains of my time.