National Insurance #s

Advice consists of the following:
1) Go to your nearest Jobcentre
2) Jobcentre blows you off, tells you to call any of four numbers
3) Dial each number, get busy signal
4) Continue to dial these numbers
5) Finally get a ringing on one of them
6) No one picks up phone
7) Repeat as much as possible for three to eight weeks
8) Should you get through, schedule an appointment for an interview
9) Go to interview
10) Answer stupid questions that could've been done with a form (what is your name? where are you from? where do you live? do you have some id? a picture maybe?)
11) Wait another week for your NI number

Surely this could be, oh I don't know... A MILLION TIMES easier?

Problems that could easily be resolved:
1) Phones should work like tech support - no matter how busy, you just wait in queue for someone
2) Other methods of applying for an interview, like post, email, or fax
3) Perhaps scrapping the entire interview step, as it appears to be completely pointless.

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