David Coates
1/5
Typical. Rude, unaccommodating and confrontational, at least in the waiting area. The window staff who helped me was great, but the waiting area was like a demilitarized zone. My first clue should have been the woman I observed when I arrived. She was uncomfortably perched outside the front door, in the heat, taking a call where there are no chairs or anything that would provide any comfort. I soon found out why.
I took a number and was told to expect a one hour wait. As I sat in the waiting room my phone rang and I took the call in a very inconspicuous way as to be considerate of others around me. As I was holding the phone to my ear and actually cupping one hand over my mouth to keep my conversation private I was startled by a loud voice that was coming from a uniformed and armed security guard who was now towering above me and pointing to the door and demanding that I leave. He bellowed, "There are no phone calls in the building, you have to take your call outside." Now the poor unfortunate lady I had observed on the way in made sense, she too must have been unceremoniously ejected from the waiting area for the serious crime of talking on her phone.
So let's see, it's hot outside, there are no provisions outside to accommodate anyone who needs to call someone, and while you're out there, your number may come up and you might miss your turn, but yet security guard Hernandez clearly feels it's critical to squash this outrageous practice of phone calls in his lobby. Thanks a lot Mr. Hernandez.
When I asked Mr. Hernandez why he was kicking people out of the building for talking on their phone he was very uncomfortable with my questions. I had to remind him several times that I was being very polite and I kept requesting that he be equally polite in his responses. Mr. Hernandez claimed there was a sign that said no phone calls, but the sign doesn't say that. It actually says no cell phones or other video recording devices, it says nothing about phone calls, and everyone in the room including me and, I think also, Mr. Hernandez, had cell phones, which all have cameras. So since the camera is the problem not the phone call, why kick people out for the phone call? Mr. Hernandez did not appreciate me asking him this question.
I tried to explain to Mr. Hernandez that in 2024 cell phones are a reality and people do actually need to make calls, sometimes about the business that they are at the social security office for, and that it's really poor treatment of the public to eject them from the building and disrupt the business that they are there for just because of his misinterpretation of a sign. Not surprisingly, this fine point of modern day customer service was lost on Mr. Hernandez and he said that he had the right to ignore me and directed me to his supervisor. I reached out to said supervisor and am currently waiting for a call back.
I really don't see how a public agency can justify this treatment of the pubic. The outdated sign that says no cell phones or other video recording devices could be replaced with a sign that simply says no recording, there is no reason to prevent the public from placing phone calls.
Please give this review a thumbs up if you think the social security administration should be more hospitable and accommodating to the members of the public that it serves.
