I was trying to enrol Gavin into one of the programmes at the I Can Read Learning Center and got totally unimpressed with their unfriendly registration process.

First, when I tried to book an appointment using their Internet booking on Thursday, no one returned my call. Oh well, I thought I’ll give them a second chance as these things do happen. Maybe they’re just too busy. Or maybe they don’t have any web adminstrator. But I did wonder why they bothered to have the online form in the first place.

Perhaps I should have called them. Yes, I did try. But when I was free to do so, it was either too early, or too late for them.

So this morning I thought I’ll just pop by, thinking that I can sign up a programme for my boy on the spot.

The lady who greeted me was pleasant. She explained to me about the various programmes available and their details.

Me: Okay, looks good. When can he begin?

Lady: Oh, he has to go through a 15-minute oral assessment for us to gauge which programme is suitable for him.

Me: Okay, fine. Can it be done now?

Lady: No, you’ll need to book a date.

Me: Oh. Okay… tomorrow?

Lady: No, the earliest would be 22 Oct and it has to be done at 1pm.

Me: Huh? But that’s his lunch time.

Lady: Well, you can try the next date which is on 26 Oct.

By then, I was getting impatient and didn’t bother asking about the available timeslots. She continued explaining that the teachers can only conduct the assessment when they’re not teaching, that they have to be fair to the kid, blah blah… but she had already lost me. My interest was gone. Completely.

KNN. Why the hassle? Why do I have to accomodate to your timings, and not vice versa? I know you’re trying to be professional but look, I don’t have so much time. If it’s just going to be a 15-minute assessment, then make it snappy. This is just an enrichment programme for a toddler. It’s not like he’s registering for kindergarten or balloting for some prestigious primary school. Don’t make it such a BIG DEAL!. I know I’ll have more years of hassles coming ahead, so DON’T START ME SO EARLY OKAY!

It’s such a good thing I have a choice now and I don’t have to play by stupid rigid rules yet. I’ll just check out other schools who are willing to be more flexible and I’ll just park my money elsewhere. *SNUB*