How do we get to talk to a real person?

Q. I am so angry. I called my building department about an addition. The rude secretary didn’t even let me ask questions. She kept repeating, “It’s on the Web site,” so I looked on the Web site. My questions were not answered.

I called back. Another person started saying the same thing, so I told her I looked on the Web site and still have to ask the questions of a human being, since my questions were not general. She rudely huffed and, after keeping me on hold 15 minutes, her boss got on. He was very nice and answered each of my questions. But I wonder why I had to put up with this? What about people who don’t use computers?

My village is on Long Island Sound. We pay high taxes. I don’t think it’s much to ask to be treated nicely. What should I do?

A. You have already begun by speaking to an official with power to give authoritative answers. This area of an architect’s work is often the most frustrating. We need answers to complicated questions. Wrong answers cause confusion, delay, added expense, dismissal from a project or a lawsuit. Relying on Internet sites rarely works, as you learned.

Responsible building department management clarifies to staff members what procedures to follow and should monitor public reaction, just like service businesses do. I am often impressed with many department’s methods. Recently I went to a village and the department head came right over. I asked questions, the official looked over documents, made some very important observations, I wrote down notes, and within five minutes I was gone, knowing procedures for this case, and the official was on to their next task. This benefits both parties, as officials have other work to do, and by addressing questions, seamlessly resolves potential problems.

In your case, a staff member tried to steer you clear of their official, referring you to the Internet without concern for your issues. One official gave me his cell phone number for questions since he was unable to get staff cooperation.