There's always a darn catch, isn't there?

So, let me get this straight. The health-centre says that to get an assessment for case-management, one has to have a referral from one's specialist. So, they encourage us to do obtain that. We do that thing (with a bit of scheduling awkwardness) and later, while grocery-shopping, they call with a time and a date for an assessment.

When we return home and check the calendar this turns out to clash with an appointment that we already have. So, we call back and they say they'll call the following day to rebook the assessment. This doesn't happen.

So, we call them and they can't find the appointment to cancel, but book a new assessment anyway (for the 21st). Whatever it is that they actually booked is wrong, but nobody there figures it out for three weeks. More on that in a moment.

Three days later, they call about rebooking the original assessment. We tell them about the new assessment booking. Well, they can't find that. They book another for the 27th.

Three weeks or so goes by, until today, when someone finally finds the bogus assessment appointment for the 21st, and calls to let us know that it is canceled. Okay. That's fine. Dandy. About time, really.

This evening, we get another call. The appointment for the 27th, we are told, is also being canceled.

Why?

Because we've got a specialist. Remember the specialist in the first paragraph that we need to get the referral from? That one. Without the referral from the specialist, we can't get an assessment. Apparently with the specialist, we're not eligible.

Since the call came after-hours, there's no possibility of talking to anyone who knows anything today. Tomorrow, apparently we'll get to talk to an intermediary who won't be fully briefed on the situation either.

Presumably by the time we sort the situation, the appointment slot will have been filled by someone who has been moved up, and we'll be waiting another month or so.

Did IQs suddenly plummet when I wasn't looking?