THE EDITOR, Madam:
I WRITE in response to an article appearing in The Gleaner of Monday, July 3, under the heading 'Disappointed with Island Record Office'.
As a customer-focused organisation, I must first apologise for any delay experienced by our customer. We have thoroughly investigated the matter, located the record and the certified copies are ready for collection by the customer.
We are pleased to advise that the customer is entitled to a cash refund since the specified time for certificate delivery has passed. This refund represents the express portion of the fee paid and can be collected by the customer when collecting the certified copies.
We present the facts of the case and highlight the main features of the 'Can't Wait' service which might provide useful guidance for your readers and our customers.
Date of application was June 8, 2000; type of service used 'Can't Wait'. The applicant's contact telephone number was not provided.
Further investigation revealed that:
On receipt of the application an immediate search was done and it was found that the record was off the shelf satisfying a previous request. This information would have been passed on to the customer. (Our record retrieval system is still a manual one and is based on a continuous process of filing and re-checking).
Customers calling to extension 2069 may have been experiencing a challenge and we have since dealt with the matter.
No contact telephone number was provided by the customer.
The customer had accessed our 'Can't Wait' Express service which seeks to provide certificates within one to 10 working days. One of the main features of this service is that delivery within the specified period is not guaranteed since the customer has paid prior to location of the particular record and delays may occur as a result of misinformation. Also, when attempting to locate the record it may be found that the customer was never registered and RGD would not have had a record.
The customer's obligation under this system is to provide a telephone number and contact information so that they can be contacted should there be a problem with the application or a need for additional information.
The bottom line in this organisation is that customers must be kept informed at all times. Consequently, our Customer Service Representatives are trained to respond to all phone calls within five rings, give their names, obtain customer's information and respond to the query.
The 'Can't Wait' service was introduced to facilitate customers who are unable to wait for their record to be located before paying the fees. These customers would have, therefore, been unable to access the Express system that guarantees certified copies within one to 10 working days after payment of fees and on which 80 per cent of customers are successful on the first day.
Once again we apologise for the delay and ask that you publish this letter, in clarification of the issue.
I am, etc.,
PATRICIA HOLNESS
(Dr.), J.P.
Chief Executive Officer
Registrar-General and
Deputy Keeper of
the Records.
