I wonder if incompetence at the consumer end of big bureaucracies is a 'feature'.
That is, 'they' don't want you to know how competent they actually are.
In my experience, there tends to be enormous competence behind the closed doors that are the consumers' interface.
I think the key to understanding why anything happens in life, is to look at who benefits, and why.
If something happens, and someone benefits, then whoever is benefiting probably caused that something to happen.
I'd play too, except I'm not really sure what 'benefit' is. Although others seem to think they know what this means..
John.