Mama Bear: Have you ever tried to get satisfaction from a government department or beaurocracy? Perhaps not. I will enlighten you.
It takes up to 3 weeks to get a reply. The reply is a form letter that says your complaint or letter has been forwarded to someone who cares. Usually, the NAME of the person who cares is not disclosed.
It takes another 3 weeks for that person to get around to reading your letter. They may respond, they may not. Most likely, you will have to undergo the trouble of tracking down your letter (can take up to 2 or 3 days). This involves taking time away from your trading or your making a living, plus long distance charges.
In the mean time - in this scenario for example - you have been denied a service. You are experiencing an inconvenience, and potentially financial loss.
The person at the government department who READS your letter may quite possibly pass it on to someone else who isn't on holidays. The bottom line is another 3 weeks of waiting.
I have had cause to try and get money from a government department that was OWED to a client of mine, a taxpayer. It took 14 months of writing letters, making phone calls, sending faxes, and waiting, always waiting. You know how many people handled the file throughout that period because government goes through a horrendous turnover in employees? No less than 7 people. Each of those 7 people needed about 3 weeks to familiarize themselves with the file before it was their turn to go on holidays and thus ignore the file.
In the event that one is angry enough to start addressing one's concerns by taking someone (or some organization) to court, think of the time and expense. WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO TAKE THE NASDAQ TO COURT? WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO TAKE TD WATERHOUSE TO COURT? WHY IS IT THAT THE NASDAQ CAN SOMEHOW DENY ME THE RIGHT TO DO BUSINESS WITH TD WATERHOUSE, WHO, BY THE WAY, I HAVE A LEGAL SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH?!!!
Even Microsoft tried defending itself against government, and guess what, THEY LOST!
If you think the SEC is some benign institution that will jump to the rescue of a little schmuck like me, you're dreaming. They have far bigger fish to fry - ones that might garner them some good press coverage to justify their existence.
Give your head a shake, Mama Bear. You've been hanging around the likes of Red Riding Hood too long. The real world isn't nice, nor is it fair. And BEARS EAT LITTLE GIRLS. And BULLS RUN LITTLE GIRLS OVER.
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