i work in insurance. home, auto, business, etc, etc. some days at work i have to be a bit of a detective. this is one of those days.

a customer needed a quote for flood insurance on a house they're looking to buy in a nearby town. to get the flood quote (which they need today) i need the community number and flood zone. i call the County Assessor's office, they don't have that info. they tell me i need to call the Planning & Zoning board. i call planning and zoning. they have that info, but not for Holstein, even though it is in Adams county. (i know, i know. holstein is a cow, right? well, i live in farm country . . .)

they tell me i have to call Tom M, the Chairman of the Village Board of Holstein. but he's not listed under Holstein in the phone book. they tell me to look under Blue Hill in the phone book. under Blue Hill in the phone book i find "Holstein, Village of" and dial the number. i get an answering machine "hi, this is the ----- family. we're not home right now, please leave a message!" aaarrrggghhh!!! i look under the government section in the phone book. is Holstein in there? no. under Blue Hill the only thing listed is 'Fire'!! so, i call the customer to find out who the realtor is, thinking he may have the info too. i explain the situation to the customer and he asks if i've called the village yet. yes, i have, but it must have been a wrong number b/c i got connected to the someone's personal answering machine. guess what he tells me? absolutely hilarious!! he tells me to call the CowTown Saloon, and ask for Betty, as she is on the Village Council and can tell me how to get in touch with Tom!!

so, i call Betty at the CowTown Saloon, and she gives me Tom's home number (he doesn't have an office) and as she's looking for his cell phone number i explain the situation to her. "which house are they buying? is it one of Tom's?" no, i tell her it's Fred & Marcy P's home. "oh, that's my sister-in-law. wouldn't Marcy have that information?" i tell her i don't think so, but it's possible. she can't find Tom's cell phone, so she asks me to call back in 10 minutes, someone is going to run to her house for her and get Tom's cell number off her kitchen counter. ( ) i call back in 10 minutes and she gives me his cell number.

so, i call Tom. he's at home. i explain what i need. he doesn't have it, but gives me the Village phone number. i told him i called it and got someone's home answering machine. "yeah, that's becky. she's the village clerk. you can leave a message for her and she'll probably get back to you tomorrow." well, i kind of need the info today if at all possible. so he tells me i can call the NRD (National Resources District) in Davenport, they may have that information. i decide to call the NRD, as Becky is working her real job til this evening, and i need the info now.

so, i look up the phone number on the internet. it's busy!!! i wait a couple minutes and call again. do they have the info? nope. he gives me the number to the Department of Natural Resources in our state capital. so, i make another phone call. the number the NRD guy gave me was wrong, but this person gives me the right number. i make another phone call. i talk to someone in the right department, FINALLY!! i tell him (Steve) what i need and he says "well, you found the right place." i felt like reaching through the phone and kissing him!! i settled for a "yay!!!"

he gets the map and tells me the community number. to get the flood zone he needs the address. i tell him the address, "hmm, that sounds like it's outside the corporate limits." (aaarrrrggghhh!!!) so, now i have to call the realtor and find out, is the home within the corporate limits of Holstein? if so, which streets is it located between? if not in Holstein what township is it in, and the range, how many miles from Holstein and in which direction? so, i call the realtor. is he in his office?? no. is he answering his cell phone?? no.

i happen to work in the same building as a different real estate company. Jill, one of the realtors, happens to overhear my whole ordeal. she used to work as County Appraiser for 6 years, and can remember who owned which house and when and where the houses are for just about the whole county. she helps me to track down the exact location of this home, and i call Steve back with the information and finally get the community number and flood zone!! it has taken me 2 hours and 14 phone calls, but i got the information!!

i feel like dancing!!

Holy crap! That was no pic nic. I'm impressed with your stamina, I would've killed somebody not halfway through.

good for you - perserverence does pay dividends!

I thought those kind of thing where really dutch, glad to see it also happens in other places in this world.
[Edited 1/3/06 13:37pm]

Teacher said:

i was laughing the whole time, thinking "you've GOT to be kidding me!!"

especially when he told me to call the CowTown Saloon and ask for Betty!

I feel dizzy now.....I need to lay down....

pardonme4livin said:

i do too!!!

fantasyislander said:

pardonme4livin said:

oh come on, kendogg?? embarrassed??

fantasyislander said:

Not in the least hun...

Weren't you going to school to be in a medical related field?

Wow! I want you for my agent! You're truly an exception in today's society

TMPletz said:

i did! finished my schooling, and i now hold a degree in Health Information Management with an emphasis in Medical Transcription! could i find a job . . . no.

so i got my insurance license and here i am.

CoJones said:

well, i figure they're paying insurance for something, right? i might as well work for my pay.

fantasyislander said:

Do you happen to sell chaffing insurance for us NUDE orgers.... ?

pardonme4livin said:

i do, but you wouldn't qualify.

fantasyislander said:

Story of my life.....

pardonme4livin said:

it's ok sweetie. some moisture might help the chafing . . .

fantasyislander said:

pardonme4livin said:

pardonme4livin said:

CoJones said:

you want some too??

fantasyislander said:

And here I thought I was special....

Wow...we totally jacked your thread...

pardonme4livin said:

i jacked my own thread!!

fantasyislander said:

fantasy

pardonme4livin said:

that's it, you're cut off.

fantasyislander said:

fantasyislander said:

Yup, that had me rolling on the floor Did you check for hidden cameras?

Teacher said: