The most annoying hospital on the planet!

Many of you may already feel this way about Woonsocket's Landmark Medical Center, but let me paint this fine picture for you. First of all, we avoid this hospital at all costs. The Husband finally paid off a bill from four years ago last week with them. And should it be our choice, we'll never owe them another penny. And we must not be alone, because they've been in danger of going bankrupt and have begged the help of a Catholic-owned hospital.

So, last night, the Husband's cousin and his GF had their baby. At LMC. So, early this morning, I called the hospital, because I wasn't sure if they were there. I asked if she was there, and that we wanted to come visit this morning. I was told yes, and what room she was in.

Now, let me preface this by saying at most hospitals that I've had experience with, when you've had a baby (or at anytime), you get to choose when you want visitors or not. Visiting hours are during regular hospital hours, but if you say "I don't want visitors for two hours" they will honor that.

So, the first part of the morning was going to pick out flowers. Which is apparently not easy to do. We have a place here in Blackstone, Flamingo Flowers. It seems like a cute little shop, however, I've never been inside. Because every time I've gone there, they are not open. At random times. 3pm on a Wednesday, 9:30am on a Tuesday, 11am on a Saturday, you name it, I've been by there to see if they are open. No such luck. So I go to Stop & Shop, as they have a floral department. I found a cute little giraffe vase, and they had some cute displays already made up, but I wanted to see if I could swap one out for this vase. Immediately, when I ask the girl at the counter if I could put something in the vase, she goes off on me about how I need to place an order and come back later, that it takes 20 minutes alone to soak [something] for the arrangements. I told her I was sorry that I didn't schedule a friend to have a baby that morning, I'd do better next time. While she was talking, I left the counter and retrieved another arrangement. And took off the fugly bow on the front, put in a balloon and went to pay. I would have left, were they not the only floral department outside of the hospital.

Let me just say, what the hell is wrong with people in the service industry lately? Why is everyone so negative? She didn't even allow me to ask if she could just swap out the vase. Ugh!

We move on to the hospital. I go to the info desk, flowers and baby gift in hand, and ask again to confirm my friend's room assignment. The woman points me in the direction of the elevators. I get up to the Maternity floor and the doors are locked. So I go down another hallway. A nurse points me in the right direction, and I am to call on the phone.

I go back and call the nurse's office as I am instructed to do. And am told that visiting hours START AT 2 PM. Which would have been incredibly helpful, had I been told that when I called that morning. But wait, the best part? My children are NOT allowed in the entire maternity ward. WHAT??? Yes, children are NOT ALLOWED. This choice isn't even up to the mother and father. The father's sister and niece aren't even allowed in. What hospital does this?

Let me add this, LMC is the same hospital that, upon begging the Catholic hospital to come in, has said that they will not perform any kind of abortion, nor will they dispense any birth control. They're all about the children. WTF???

So I leave, after hastily spending $35 on boring flowers that are now likely to die before I find a babysitter so I can go visit a friend in the hospital to meet her newborn baby. Reason #22 why I do my best to stay out of Woonsocket.

Town of Blackstone: Major FAIL.

We have lived in this small town (of 8000) for a little over three years now. We've lived in the same house since we moved up here, a half-duplex. We've had no other names, places, or anything. Just us. Here. At the same address.

For some reason, the Town of Blackstone cannot figure out their billing. Here, we get billed for water every six months--which sucks, by the way. When we first moved in, it took almost a year to get the water bill straightened out. Because we were the first owners of the house, they were billing us for the builder's portions of the water bill. We paid late fees. Many late fees. But I didn't have the time to fight with them. So we paid them.

Last week, we got a demand for payment in the mail for Excise tax on the Husband's truck. Which means there apparently was a bill before that which we did not receive. This bill stated that the tax be paid before March 17 or it would go to the collector. And we got it last week. So unless I own a time machine, we are late.

Now, this isn't the first time we've had an issue with Excise Tax bill. Previously, we've gotten blank bills, where they sent us a sheet of paper with our address on it, and we rarely get a bill on time. We always get the demand bills. So I go to Town hall to pay our late bill and bitch.

For those of you that don't know, here in Taxachusetts, apparently legislation was signed in that states if you do not receive a bill, you are still liable for all taxes, interest, and late fees. No one else shall be held responsible. The public has NO rights. This allows towns to send out bills late and purposely collect late fees without repercussion. So now, even though I believe someone did not send out our mail, I now have to pay $93.93 for a $65 Excise bill. But I actually have a longer period to pay the elevated fee than I did for any other portion of this Godforsaken process. How nice of them.

My problem? These people effing suck. Basically, I was told I am supposed to go looking for my own bill should I not get one. So you mean to tell me that these people who are paid a publicly listed salary--which essentially I am paying for--get more days off than most people and work better hours than bankers are not doing their job. Someone's job there is to send out bills to the households in Blackstone. And they are not sending them out. And please spare me the details of our mail getting lost. The postmaster knows who I am and can recall my address when I walk in the door from three years ago when we had no mailbox and I had to check my mail there every day. Mail doesn't "get lost" in this town. Quit blaming the post office. You people are overpaid to do a lousy job and simply get to collect for it. Hell, I can click print, and I know how to send out bulk mail. I'll gladly work for your salary.

The best part? The Tax Collector told me that apparently I am the only person with a problem with the town's billing. Really? Just me? Should I round up everyone that has had a problem and show up at the Town meeting so we can break up the bitching over the school budget? Because everyone I have spoken to seems to think that the Town of Blackstone can't seem to get their head out of their ass. Think I was irate after that conversation?

See, I knew we should have bought that house in Rhode Island. At least their tax issues have ties to the mafia, not because some nitwits are running this joint.