Dear Claudienne

On April 2, 2009 I visited the RGD to start the process to record a deed poll for my daughter and have her last name changed to mine. My daughter holds an American birth certificate as well as a naturalisation certificate from Jamaica.

I visited the office where the deed poll was drafted after I presented documents showing that I have custody, care and control of my daughter, as well as an old e-mail from her father granting permission for the change.

The deed poll was drafted and I paid a total of $6,500 for the draft and express fee.

I picked up the draft a day later, with instruction to get it notarised and go to the stamp office for stamping. This I did, and returned to the RGD on April 7 for recording.

At this point, I paid additonal fees of $2,030 for recording under the express service. I was told that the document would be mailed to me within days.

A month later I called the RGD after not receiving the document and was told that I needed a notarised copy of the father’s permission. I was told by my attorney that the custody order gave me sufficient rights to pursue this independently.

Indeed, my custody order allows me to, among other things, have sole authority to get my daughter a passport, to decide her religion, where she goes to school, and even authority to grant her permission if she wants to get married as a minor. I have sole parental rights to this child.

I was told to wait for a phone call as the deed poll would be sent to the CEO’s office for a ruling.

In July 2009, after hearing no word, I called the RGD to get back my daughter’s birth certificate as she needed it for school and travel. I was told then that a decision still had not been made.

After a conversation with the CEO I was promised the deed poll, but after wrangling back and forth with the department over the issue for 11 months I can get no satisfaction.

Finally, in February 2010, I asked for a refund and visited the office at Twickeham Park, where copies were made of my receipts and ID. I was told that I would get a call within days when the cheque was ready. At this point I have paid the RGD over $9,000 for the service.

On April 13, 2010, when I called the RGD accounts department after not hearing from them for almost three months, I was told that they had no record of an application for a refund.

I called the deed poll officer and was told that she was still waiting for my file to be sent down from the administrative assistant before she could apply for the refund. Note that the administrative assistant was one storey up in the same building.

It is more than one year since my first application and I am neither in receipt of the document I applied for, nor my money.

Please see what you can do to assist me.

PC

Dear PC

Since Tell Claudienne brought your complaint to the attention of the RGD we note that you were refunded $2,030 by courier service. We note that the RGD has informed you that the claim for an additional refund of $6,500 has been submitted and approved. You have also been advised that you will be getting the $6,500 shortly either by courier service or you will be told when you can come and collect it.

Good luck.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 511-2436 or write to: Tell Claudienne, c/o Sunday Finance Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@ jamaicaobserver.com