Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Leg Rests, Schmeg Rests

Who are the idiots that they hire at the Alexandria, VA branch of Apria Healthcare anyway? Did they all happen to be absent the day they taught the days of week in kindergarten, or perhaps they were all out sick when they taught the meaning of "tomorrow" and "next week" in preschool.

So we faxed the doctor's prescription for the Tingster's walker and wheelchair to Apria last Wednesday morning. Around noon, someone called me from the Alexandria branch and cheerfully told me that everything was ready to go and we could stop by and pick up the walker and wheelchair that very afternoon. I told her that my husband would be there on Thursday and she said that was not a problem.

So hubby drives all the way to Alexandra on Thursday and, yes, the walker is ready and available, but the wheelchair was only 80 percent ready. The leg rests were not in stock, apparently. Just a tiny detail, don't you think? So they told him to return on Friday and they will have everything ready then.

Friday just happens to be the day of the Tingster's surgery. So once we saw her into her private room after the operation, hubby drove all the way down to Alexandra again to get these leg rests. Guess what? They still were not ready. Apparently, "tomorrow" was not the operative word they should have used on Thursday when telling him when they would be ready. "Next week" would probably have been a better choice. So, they gave him a bigger wheelchair and said we could use that in the meantime, and the leg rests would definitely be ready by Monday.

So, yesterday was Monday. And if you have half a brain cell (and if you work at Apria, that would not include you), you would know by now that the leg rests still were not ready by Monday. They told hubby everything would be ready for pick-up after 2 pm. Really? Are they sure about that? I ended up calling headquarters to complain, who transferred my message to the region vice president, who called me at work and said the leg rests will be available on Tuesday. You've got to be kidding me. What happened to "after 2 pm"?

Well, we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Apria called this morning and said the leg rests are on the delivery truck and will arrive at our house between 5-6:30 pm. Of course, that time slot has not yet arrived, so we shall see if these leg rests will indeed be a part of our family by 7 pm tonight. Don't hold your breath ...