Your Time Is Not Respected

In Trinidad and Tobago, no one's time is respected.

For a long time I've been putting off closing my account at Trinidad and Tobago Unit Trust Corporation. Not that I have an issue with the organisation, I put it off because I knew it would be a frustrating time sink.

I called before visiting the branch asking what I needed to do to close my accounts. I was told to bring two forms of ID.

Me: "Is that it?" Customer Service Rep: "Yes. Just go to one of these branches..."

I went to the branch, waited thirty minutes to speak to the lone staff member for non-teller requests, and only then was I told that I needed a bank statement and instructions for a wire transfer to complete my account closure. Why? Not why do I need these documents, why wasn't I told this when I called earlier?

I went to a Digicel branch asking them what I needed to transfer ownership of my account to my brother. "Your ID, his ID, and an authorisation letter". I even called afterward to verify, in case the employee forgot something. Yet again, "your ID, his ID, and an authorisation letter". After standing in line for 45 minutes with those three documents in hand, only then was I told that I needed another letter from my brother to complete the process. Are you kidding me?

One of my biggest pains while living in Trinidad and Tobago is that no one's time is respected. Whether it's because of indifference or ineptitude, any activity with a government ministry or large private institution can easily deprive you of a working day.

Having worked remotely for US companies, these moments are always hard to manage. Unless someone knows how painful it is to get anything done here, no amount of explanations can reasonably justify why you're unavailable for so long. It's also very annoying and disheartening. Despite my best attempts to be prepared, there's always a new obstacle to deny my any semblance of success. You can't just do things and go on with your life. Everything drags on unnecessarily.

I look forward to the day this is an experience in the past, but you won't catch me holding my breath. Don't hold yours either.