City Howl Help Desk: Official City Howl guide to using 3-1-1

3-1-1 IS SUPPOSED to make dealing with the city easier.

Dial the number, state your problem and 3-1-1 does the rest for you, by either answering your question or making sure your complaint gets referred to the appropriate department.

But here at the City Howl Help Desk, where we look into problems people have with city services, we've noticed that people often don't know how to make the most of 3-1-1. For instance, they report a deteriorating abandoned house, nothing gets done about it, and they don't know where to turn.

We can't blame them.

There's more to using 3-1-1 than dialing those three simple numbers.

So, without further ado, we present the Official City Howl Guide to Using 3-1-1:

What 3-1-1 should

do for you

If your 3-1-1 operator doesn't do these things, he's not doing his job right. Ask for:

* A TIME FRAME.

After you tell the operator your problem, he should give you an estimate of how long it will take for the city to resolve it. It shouldn't take the Streets Department more than five days to deal with short dumping or L&I more than 30 days to inspect a vacant house.

* A CONFIRMATION

NUMBER.

If you make a complaint, you should get a confirmation number, even if the operator transfers you to a different department. Keep it! Get it tattooed on your hand or something.

* A CHANCE to leave contact information.

In certain situations, it can be useful for a city worker following up on your complaint to have your contact info.

Numerous people have complained to the Help Desk about reporting a problem and then were told that an inspector "didn't see it." If the inspector can call you, that shouldn't happen.

How to get

more out of 3-1-1

Things you can do to make sure 3-1-1 works after you hang up:

* CHECK THE STATUS of your complaint.

If you get your confirmation number, you can track the progress of your complaint at www.phila.gov/311. If you lose your number, you can check the status of your complaint by calling 3-1-1 and giving operators the address of the problem.

* PUT UP A FIGHT.

3-1-1 will classify your complaint as "pending" or "resolved."

But sometimes "resolved" just means some action has been taken - like a ticket has been issued - not that the problem is gone.

If your problem is marked "resolved" but is not actually resolved, tell 3-1-1 so workers can continue to pursue the issue.

Remember, the city is supposed to work for you - and 3-1-1 is your customer-service line.

Use it.