OK, I am up on my soap box again and I am hopping mad (have your ever seen a short little Norwegian when they are mad? Believe me, it does not make for a pretty picture). I am tired of Apologizing for NMC’s SCREW UPS. I don’t work for NMC, I didn’t make the SCREW UPS they did, I did my job correctly, so why should I apologize to my customers for them? Simply put, it’s because I give a damn.
Let me just quantify, that in my estimation, NMC is severely BROKEN and definitely in need of an attitude adjustment. A good swift kick in the knickers wouldn’t hurt either.
Case in point, new requirements are poring out of NMC on a regular basis because of a whim, not a regulation change. Have any of you heard of “Fitness for Duty Report”? If you haven’t, this appears to be the newest “whim”. I have spent many hours trying to find where NMC’s website, the Policy Letters, the CFR’s, the MSM or anywhere else that I can think of might talk about requiring a “Fitness for Duty Report” when submitting an application. I, of course, could be blind. If I am not mistaken, this is something new from somebody who is new and just decided arbitrarily to want this. Perhaps it is a CYA thing, especially since NMC can’t seem to follow their own written requirements.
It seems that if you have answered yes to any question on the back of your application, stand by because it appears that this “Fitness for Duty Report” will be required. I am hoping that my customer was merely a “one of a kind” incident, but it scares the Hell out of me that this kind of “whim” will happen again and will probably happen on other things as well. My customer submitted everything that was required under 46 CFR 10.201(j) and was told by NMC that it was all tossed out and he had to re-submit a written request for “Reconsideration” plus everything he had already submitted plus this “Fitness for Duty Report”. BULL PUCKY! My customer now has to wait an ADDITIONAL 6-8 weeks for his application to be evaluated and issued. DOUBLE BULL PUCKY!
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am going to say this again and probably again in the future, but it needs to be said and you need to do.
When you run into an injustice in the licensing procedures as above (I am not talking about the fact that you are short of sea service or don’t have the proper STCW requirements), I’m talking about having to wait 6-8-10 weeks or more to receive your Original License, Your Renewal or your Endorsement. This is APPALLING, and TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.
If you do not tell an errant child that they have done something wrong, how will they know to correct the action in the future? They will continue thinking they have done nothing wrong because you haven’t told them it’s wrong.
GET OFF YOUR DUFF’S and contact your Congress person, your State Representative and your state Senators and let them know that there are multiple PROBLEMS in NMC. They can’t FIX WHAT IS BROKEN if they don’t know it’s broken.
It has become increasingly obvious to me that NMC does not care a rats rip about the mariner, or the burdens being placed upon them. Customer Service? Ha, I don’t believe NMC knows how to spell it let alone how to do it.
I have heard through the grape vine (and of course I cannot confirm it), that a certain Captain at NMC was over heard saying that NMC does NOT want to deal directly with the mariner at any level. Lord help the Marine Industry if that statement is true.
MY OPINION: Get the Coast Guard COMPLETELY OUT OF LICENSING, they have messed with it up long enough.
My blood pressure is still up, but I am climbing down off the soap box now.
Touch Keys with you Later,
N.