the urban legend called german efficiency

ok. first time i thought it was a freak accident. second time i thought it was a coincidence. now i have lost track of the times: only know that i have no reason to think that germans are efficient anymore.
yep, you heard it right. where i come from they are considered the epitome of efficiency. oh yeah?
then how come i face the same frustration that i face back home when i deal with things official? this blog won't be enough to tell you the times that i have to struggle with the german bureaucracy. i cancel my bank account, but i still get bills (and threatening mails that tell me that i will be enlisted in the defaulters list if i do not pay up!!). i cancel my membership with a book club, and i get a mail the first week confirming my cancellation and three months later another mail reminding me that my membership entails me to buy a book every three months. hallo, what membership? i change the address of communication, i still receive the mails at the old address. naja.
in the beginning i used to panic (they do use strong sentences even when they are wrong and i do not want to be deported for no fault of mine). but now i have learnt to take them in my stride. now i know better: i file every piece of evidence (i just have to look through my various binders to find the right one). viola! i have them agreeing with me: Oh it was no fault of yours (note: they never say it is their fault either. whatever.)
when i think of it, my german friends also have folders full of letters and official looking papers. perhaps, this meticulous filing is what made the world believe that they are efficient. in that case, i can say i am efficient too.