(no subject)
Feb. 14th, 2007 09:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kipperfishSo, I get a letter through the post (well, technically the letter is for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
doribore) and it's from our power supply people saying "it's time to change the meter, please call us to arrange a suitable date and time to change the meter. If your meter is an outside box, we don't even need you to be there".
So, I phone them up.. conversation goes along the following lines - I've put behind a cut in case it gets long
Me: Hi there. Got this letter, would like to arrange suitable time. Here is reference number.
PowerPerson: Ah. Hello there Mr Bore.
Me: Actually, that's my partner's name.
PP: Ah. Ok. Can I take a contact number please.
Me: *gives him my mobile phone number*
PP: Ok. We have next thursday between 12 and 4:30 available. The power will go off while he changes the meter so we will need you to let him know if the power comes back on successfully.
Me: But it's an outside box, the letter says I don't need to be there.
PP: Yes, but if the box is faulty and the power doesn't come back on, then you will need to phone us up again and we'll have to come and change the box again for you.
Me: Is that likely?
PP: Oh yes
Me: *WTF?!!*
PP: We change thousands of boxes, and if we get a faulty batch....
Me: Fine. Can you get your engineer to give me a call then say ten minutes or so before he is going to arrive so that I can get home from work to check for him.
PP: OOh, I can't guarantee that I'm afraid.
Me: So, you're expecting me to take 4 and a half hours off work to sit around a wait for an engineer?
PP: No. This is why we are organising a time. I can give you a time when he will arrive.
Me: Between 12 and 4:30?
PP: I can narrow it down to 2 hours....
Me: Great. I'm still going to need a phone call though to tell me when he is going to be there as I cannot just sit at home and not work for a couple of hours.
PP: Well, I can't guarantee it, but I'll pass the message on. Can I take a contact number please?
Me: I've already given it to you!
PP: Ah. Can I have it again though.
Me: *gives mobile number for the second time*
PP: Ok, so that's arranged then for next thursday. Engineer will see you there.
Phone call finishes.
So, let me get this straight - you are replacing my electricity meter, and say in your letter that if it's an outside box, I don't need to be there. Fantastic. However, on the phone, I do need to be there because it's very likely that you are going to replace it with a dodgy box? and that more than that, I've got to take 4 and a half hours off work (well, bargained down to 2 because I pushed) to sit and wait at home for the power to go off and potentially not come back on again. And you can't get your engineer to put 11 numeric digits into one of those new-fangled mobile telephone things and then press the green button, put it to the side of their head, wait for me to say "hello?" , and then say "I'm the engineer. I will be at your house in approximately 10 minutes to change the meter"? He's clever and skilled enough to change a meter. Mobile phones are not exactly rocket science!
K.
doribore) and it's from our power supply people saying "it's time to change the meter, please call us to arrange a suitable date and time to change the meter. If your meter is an outside box, we don't even need you to be there".So, I phone them up.. conversation goes along the following lines - I've put behind a cut in case it gets long
Me: Hi there. Got this letter, would like to arrange suitable time. Here is reference number.
PowerPerson: Ah. Hello there Mr Bore.
Me: Actually, that's my partner's name.
PP: Ah. Ok. Can I take a contact number please.
Me: *gives him my mobile phone number*
PP: Ok. We have next thursday between 12 and 4:30 available. The power will go off while he changes the meter so we will need you to let him know if the power comes back on successfully.
Me: But it's an outside box, the letter says I don't need to be there.
PP: Yes, but if the box is faulty and the power doesn't come back on, then you will need to phone us up again and we'll have to come and change the box again for you.
Me: Is that likely?
PP: Oh yes
Me: *WTF?!!*
PP: We change thousands of boxes, and if we get a faulty batch....
Me: Fine. Can you get your engineer to give me a call then say ten minutes or so before he is going to arrive so that I can get home from work to check for him.
PP: OOh, I can't guarantee that I'm afraid.
Me: So, you're expecting me to take 4 and a half hours off work to sit around a wait for an engineer?
PP: No. This is why we are organising a time. I can give you a time when he will arrive.
Me: Between 12 and 4:30?
PP: I can narrow it down to 2 hours....
Me: Great. I'm still going to need a phone call though to tell me when he is going to be there as I cannot just sit at home and not work for a couple of hours.
PP: Well, I can't guarantee it, but I'll pass the message on. Can I take a contact number please?
Me: I've already given it to you!
PP: Ah. Can I have it again though.
Me: *gives mobile number for the second time*
PP: Ok, so that's arranged then for next thursday. Engineer will see you there.
Phone call finishes.
So, let me get this straight - you are replacing my electricity meter, and say in your letter that if it's an outside box, I don't need to be there. Fantastic. However, on the phone, I do need to be there because it's very likely that you are going to replace it with a dodgy box? and that more than that, I've got to take 4 and a half hours off work (well, bargained down to 2 because I pushed) to sit and wait at home for the power to go off and potentially not come back on again. And you can't get your engineer to put 11 numeric digits into one of those new-fangled mobile telephone things and then press the green button, put it to the side of their head, wait for me to say "hello?" , and then say "I'm the engineer. I will be at your house in approximately 10 minutes to change the meter"? He's clever and skilled enough to change a meter. Mobile phones are not exactly rocket science!
K.
