My renewal Horror Story. Get ready Boys

when i am paying some one money i expect them to do there fucking job. But you are right i should have checked before i left the office.

I think you are right. Might have to get a lawyer to get my book

1 Like

Go read the top of page 6 where it says “to be completed by applicant and reviewed by medical practitioner”

That means you check the box, not the doc. Learn to read before you call other people retards.

3 Likes

1 Like

I guess I’m the retard…on this one

4 Likes

:grinning: It happens. At one time or another to all of us.

2 Likes

You realize that they record all phone calls and attach them to your Mariner Reference Number, right?

2 Likes

That would explain a lot

1 Like

This situation is a good example of why it’s better to have a license consultant do all of this.

3 Likes

Yea, that just came out last week. Would have been helpful for my last renewal, but it all worked out.

If you need a license consultant to take care of your applications for you, you probably shouldn’t be sailing. It simply isn’t that hard. Organize your documents and follow directions. The process wasn’t created to obstruct and make things difficult. There is no conspiracy to prevent you from getting your license.

8 Likes

I tend to agree with this.

1 Like

Been retired for quite some time. Had a few problems with my last renewial through Baltimore with a young inexperienced process person. A consultant was never needed, but may have been helpful. My shit was right, his wasn’t. The 4 hour drive was worth it to not take him to lunch, I would like to think he treated others better after our colorful chat. I got renewed for the last time before I retired a few years later.

I wouldn’t go so far to say “you probably shouldn’t be sailing” but definitely think you are on to something. It’s safe to say many officers deal with more complicated paperwork every single day for hours at a time. Oil Record Books, stability forms, ballast management, custom forms, bunkering & emission forms, going through the canals, engine technical documents etc. can all be more complicated than the USCG & we are supposed to be the “expert professionals” that companies hire to take care of it. Kind of silly for us to hire “expert professionals” to take care of the forms that qualifies us to be the expert professionals. A mariner can rip an engine down to a block or manage celestial navigation but can’t fill out a 4 page USCG doc? Something ain’t right about that.

1 Like

It’s not a matter of not being able to, it’s a matter of not wanting to. Can’t avoid it at work but I can avoid it while on vacation by paying someone else to do it. My time at home is worth it.

1 Like

I try not to do any work related work at all when at home. Fill out the USCG renewal paperwork on board when you are getting paid for it & save the money you’d pay a license consultant to take a longer vacation?

2 Likes

If you are a Mariner, you are a Mariner everyday 24/7/365. That’s your professional identity. It’s who you are. It’s your calling.

If being a “Mariner” is merely a job that you happen to do when you are at work, but you don’t want to think about it when you are ashore, you are not really a Mariner. You are just a guy who happens to be working as a Mariner at the moment.

1 Like

I’ve always thought as myself as a mariner but what you describe is me exactly. When I’m at home I’m completely tuned out & decompressed. Being a dad & husband is my #1 concern then. I’ve worked on the same boat for years & forget the name of her in conversation at home with friends & family. If it’s one or the other, mariner OR dad/husband, mark me down in the dad/husband category. Sorry maritime profession.

9 Likes

That’s a pretty brazen statement. I would say renewals are pretty straight forward…upgrades not so much, unless you are sailing unlimited tonnage.

Imagine being a green guy coming into this. It can be very intimidating and confusing getting your initial credentials. Luckily for me over 20 years ago, i had the option of talking to someone face to face at my local REC that was 15 minutes from my house.

Now a couple of decades and upgrades later, i feel pretty comfortable with these applications, and ironically i only have a couple (if any) upgrades left…probably just a few more renewals. I did use a licensing consultant for a couple of different upgrades back in 2014-15…and that was because my evaluator would not listen to me and was totally misinterpreting the checklists.

…and that is where the rub is. Some transactions are straightforward, some are not. Its those transactions that may not be straight forward where a license consultant can save the applicant some time and aggravation because they speak the language and can bypass the pitfalls of the communicating with the NMC. (Its very difficult to get a hold of an evaluator by phone, total crap shoot. Email communications take days if not weeks too. )

5 Likes