For those who think miracles do not exist:
As usual I had not received my snail mail package from my broker (interactive Brokers), so I had no control number. Since I live in the Netherlands, my package always arrives one or two weeks after every AGM, not only NOT but all my holdings.
Using all the info on this forum I tried to obtain the control number by phone, by email, I have contacted about everybody on the planet, my broker, Georgeson, Noront office etc etc. Finally odds changed and I got in touch by phone with a slightly knowlegeable gentleman at Interactve Brokers' helpdesk. He still could not help me but made sure someone more knowlegeable still would get in touch with me by email. Surely the email arrived (promise kept, which is a miracle in it self these days) stating I had to submit a request through my trading account and mention that time was of the essence. The reply was prompt and the more knowlegeable gentleman was calling me on the phone even before the email hit my inbox. He wanted to make sure I got the number. Another promise kept.
Unsurprisingly, the control number was wrong and did not allow me to vote. I contacted the broker again and he rechecked the number and stated it was correct (10 positions plus 05 for BOD or 50 for thieves). So that did not help much. I called the Noront office and got someone clearly at a bad moment, she refered me to Georgeson. I had already emailed Mike Lynch for help and I had told him that I might have to leave it at that since no solution was available. In the mean time -just like retiredrookie- my computer was blocked for the proxyvote website. The reason being I am quite sure to avoid that someone could run an automated script and scan all possible controlnumbers until he was "in". By b;ocking the PC after a few failed attempts they protect the voting system.
Then I was on my way frm the office to a meeting and decided to go and check one last time my PO box. And guess what .... There was my envelope about the NOT AGM, the white proxy and .... the elusive controlnumber. I was very happy. Then I got my PDA out and accessed the proxyvote website from my car. That did not work really well, as will later turn out by my own mistake.
So I decided to call my daughter and found her home. She accessed the proxyvote website and we entered the controlnumber followed bt 05 (as I had done on my PDA to vote for current BOD). Again the number was not correct so, frustrated as I was I thanked my daughter and hung up.
Waiting at a traffic light I rechecked the numer and noticed it had 12 positions and not 10. So I called my daughter again and this time we left out the 05. And, .... miracle o miracle, we were in and ready to vote. From there on I gave the voting instruction ("for" for all BOD proposals). Finally, by shear perseverance my quest was over and I had voted for Richard and his BOD. What a relief. Out with the Rousseau thieves!!!
And you thought miracles did not exist ...
