How I was robbed by the Leon County, FL Courthouse

So, as I mentioned on another post, I discovered that the Leon County, FL courthouse was "mishandling" my child support payments.  I called them out on the mistake earlier this year, but they (the departmental manager) refused to take responsibility for it and sort of brushed me off by referring to the state statutes that allow the fees to be assessed. 

I tried very hard to explain that it really was an error on their part, but he refused to listen to me.  So after attempting to obtain answers from him several times, I decided to go over Mr. Know It All's head and contacted the courthouse's Internal Auditing department.  The auditor was much more willing to listen to my problem than Mr. Know It All and ultimately determined that the courthouse really was taking out way more than they were supposed to.  Consequently, they thanked me for bringing the matter to their attention and are refunding all the money they inadvertantly took from my case.

The moral of the story is as follows:

1) Never take the first answer as a final answer to anything you are researching.  Seek multiple opinions and search through several sources. The answer will more than likely be where most of your research leads you.

2) Never allow someone who "appears" to know something intimidate you with fancy words and legal terminology.  Analyze their position and question all the answers they give.  If they appear to become frustrated either they feel threathened by you, or lack the patience to help you.  Don't let that bother you.  Instead, politely ask to speak to their supervisor (it helps to research the departmental work chart so you can ask for the supervisor by name).  

3) Don't be afraid to go over someone's head when needed.  You deserve correct answers.  Afterall, most places you call are actually working for you.  Think about it.

Hope this helps someone who may be facing a similar challenge.
 

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