Frustrating Government Tricks

So, it's that time of year again: Federal Marketplace training for Open Enrollment v3.0.

So, as I've done for the past few years, I set aside a day to get it all done, logged in and started learning. This year, there are 10 "modules," including 2 exams that must be passed (minimum of 70% correct answers). About halfway through, get this delightful message:

Sigh.

So, pick it back up an hour or so later, and complete the training (acing both exams, by the way). So far, so good.

Click over to print my certificates of completion, and am told that, despite the fact that I've completed all the modules (and the site confirms this) my training is "Incomplete," so no certs for me.

Are you kidding me?

So I futzed around on the site for another half hour or so, then decided enough for one day, will come back and pick it up - fresh - in the morning.

Which I do, to no avail. However, I find an online form to use to report a problem and an email address to accomplish same. Being a belt-and-suspenders kinda guy, I did both (keeping copies, of course). That's Wednesday (two days ago).

Wednesday comes and goes, no response from either inquiry, so repeat.

Thursday comes and goes, still no joy.

So this morning, I repeated (again), and then poked around a bit more until I find an actual phone number to call to report and/or discuss training issues. So I call the number, and a very nice young man named Jeremy explained that there is nothing he or anyone else at the "Help" Center can do, I'll just have to wait to hear from the folks at the online "Help" Desk. And no, he can't tell me how long that might be.

So here I sit in training limbo: yes, Open Enrollment doesn't start for a month, but I'd really like to put this behind me, and I can't do that. And I am completely powerless here: no one to threaten with bad ink (well, pixels), or to take my business elsewhere (only game in town).

Just call me Indy.