Two days before I was to leave for Tokyo, January 16th, I realized that I had forgotten to file for my permit. I guess I was experiencing a precursor to a senior moment. (My wife thinks I am 45 so it can't really be a senior moment). After all I went through in September and October, gathering information, I actually forgot that I needed a permit to import Koi. Without hesitation I downloaded an application and filled it out. I then called Aphis to get the fax number I would need and then faxed off the permit application without a worry. After all, the first permit came in three days from approval.
Off I went to Tokyo and Isawa to have fun and go Koi hunting. While there I thought only of finding Starbucks in Tokyo and Eating at Denny's and Red Lobster in Isawa. Oh, and I guess the occasional thought of looking at Koi came to mind. After five days of fun, it was time to return home.
On Friday the 26th I received my final invoice from Miwa and I suddenly realized again, I don't have my permit. I called Aphis to ask them the status of my permit. After thirty minutes on the phone they finally told me that they did not have any record of my application. It was getting late in the day, 1:20 California time and 4:20 Aphis time, and Aphis closes at 4:30. I was told to fax over the application again and then call back to see if it came through. I faxed it over and then tried calling to get a confirmation and NO ONE answered. I was told by this person that she would be there and she would answer the phone. She did not and this meant that I would have to wait until Monday to get confirmation that they had it.
Monday rolls around and I do not hesitate. I am on the phone at 6:00am, c
Calfornia time, calling to check. This time I speak to someone different and she tells me that my application is there, but there is a problem. I have faxed my application to the wrong department. She then says " Don't worry, I will walk it over". I don't know about you but the first thing I did was worry. I asked her if she could give me the office number for the correct department, and she does. Two seconds later I am calling the " right " department. Guess what? No one answers and I get a recording. I decided to leave a message describing the mistake I made and that a very nice lady was going to walk over my application. I asked if they could please call me when they get it.
Two and a half hours later I have not heard a word so I decided to call. The person I spoke with said that my application was not there. When I mentioned again what was going on she very nicely said that she would walk over and get my application. At this point I am going nuts and can hardly contain my self. I know I can't make a fuss because it was, after all, my mistake. I had no faith that she would end up with my application and figured I would have to fax over another copy. I was very surprised when five minutes later she called me back and said that my permit application was now in the right hands.
It's still not the right time to relax. My next question was how long would it take to procees. She told me they were swamped and that it could be a week before they even get to it. I stayed cool and explained that because of my mistake my Koi shipment would be delayed and was there any way they could help me. She told me that I could speak with her boss. My reply was
" would that be alright? " The next thing I know I am speaking with Dr. Merrill.
I told the story of my mistake to Dr. Merrill and he told me that even though it was not his job to process the permits, he would look into it.
I spent the day at a jobsite working trying to keep my mind off of the fact that my shipment was going to be delayed by a " senior moment ". When I got to my office I was totally shocked to see a copy of my approved permit sitting on my computer keyboard. Dr. Merrill had come through and saved the day.
01-31-2007
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