I admire the level of restraint you seem to have shown faced with such a Kafkaesque circumstance(wish I was there to help ease the tension(?)!). I couldn’t agree more with your characterisation of what it takes to offer sublime customer service: empathy, creativity and good judgment (although I’d add “integrity” to the mix). Unfortunately these qualities are also virtually absent in a bureaucracy like Ranger Smith’s “organisation”: form letters, lack of accountability, and arcane rules are the ingredients for a perfect storm in dealings with cads like this. I seem to be tarnishing the reputations of all civil servants (note to file: “civil” can be interpreted in more than one way given the context) but it should not be taken that way. There are, albeit relatively few, dedicated professionals who perform miracles for individuals from inside the bureaucratic machine and they must get a tremendous sense of accomplishment from their customer successes considering the odds they face. I can only assume that Ranger Smith will never be rehabilitated into one of those gracious souls and that he will be condemned forever by his actions as the eternal Archray Group Leader of his time. Lucky for us.
Salut.