One stop shop, 12 steps pain

This is a sort of update following the article on the pain I went through trying to register a sole-proprietorship business in Salone. Silly me for trying to go through the process again. I had sworn I’d just do it the easy way and pay someone else to go into the dungeon that is the Registrar’s office. Anyhow, I was encouraged by the glossy posters and adverts that the One stop shop was now in operation and business “na salone dae cam sweeeeeet!”

For reasons I won’t go into here I decided to go and register another business, after all it would be easy right? First person I run into was Mr “Oath of secrecy” (read other post to make sense of this). He was sat on the waiting bench, and the devil in me thought maybe he’d been sacked and he was back to beg for his job back. Er.. no, he still works there and was probably on a chill break.

Now I must give it to them, the building is a lot brighter and now boast at least one computer on the ground floor. The 'knick knack' sound of typewriters that greeted my on arrival last time seemed to have gone. The front office staff are now seated behind glass booths as in banks, and the walls are dressed in posters explaining the steps in registering your business. Niiiice!! I'm loving this place!!

I head to the window that is for Sole Proprietorships and Partnerships. Guy was kind enough to tell me the steps and said the first thing I needed to do was write a letter applying for the name. Fair enough, I did this and was back a couple of days later. He then sent me to the lady at the end who hands me a slip, then tells me to go around to the NRA officer to make payment which I do. NRA officer sends me back to the Sole Trader officer guy, who sends me upstairs to get the receipt and slip stamped by another bloke. After which I'm asked to go back downstairs and... this is a process I had to repeat 3 times!!! So at the end (of my patience, I wasn't quite finished).. I Had 4 receipts, and 12 steps. I was a little irritated but stuck with it nonetheless. When I went back to the downstairs (after 12 steps) the fellow then said I should go outside and make copies of the some more forms. COULD SOMEONE BUY THESE PEOPLE A PHOTOCOPIER PLEASE?!?!

Frankly, at this point I had other things to do so I called it a day. I also called a high ranking official at the new 'One Stop Shop' who basically said I was being messed about and wasn't supposed to be the one doing all this. I certainly wasn't supposed to go outside and do photocopying. Well there you have it.. a thief in a suit is still a thief. The problem in the majority of the offices here is not process but people. Sometimes you wonder if attitudinal change is even possible with some folks. I truly believe some of the folks in that office are past redemption.

I have never been back. I asked my poor assistant to go continue the process and he's been asked to do more photocopying and for documentation they should really tell me from the onset I'd need with my application. Anyhow, we're taking it one step at a time. Whenever we have free time, he goes down there and do another couple of steps then back to the office for more copying.