This is not good customer service

[rootofnewt]

Dear Public Utilities:

In what world is it acceptable for you to bang on my front door for five minutes at twenty of seven in the morning, waking my entire family, in order to ask us to move our vehicles? It's not an emergency. You're apparently here to work for the day, unannounced. It was bad enough when you poked holes in our street a week or so ago and then left (that was also unannounced, but mid-day).

And now you're going to turn the water off?

I was so freakin' livid I left a message with the person who runs the entire water & gas department. I was so freakin' just woken up that I left the wrong address, but at least I was only off by one number. My neighbors would probably be miffed, too, if they weren't morning people.

Do not bring heavy equipment onto my street with NO warning (no flyers, no mail, nothing) and expect us to welcome you with open arms.

No love,
krasota

ETA:
PS: It's now after 8am and your workers are STILL NOT WORKING. Instead, they're all scratching their heads around the backhoe, trying to figure out how to turn it on and move it across the street. I suppose that counts as working, but was it really that important to wake us up half an hour ago?

PPS: And now, quarter past 8 . . . all of you save one have LEFT. The one remaining worker is sitting in the idling backhoe, reading a paper. My tax dollars are not happy.

Comments

:-(

[(Anonymous)]

Government bureaucracy at its worst. We will be there later this morning. Your Dad just hopes they replace all those rotted pipes.

Love, Mom

Re: :-(

[krasota.livejournal.com]

They're digging in the street.

Knowing the city, they're replacing the main drain that was put in new four years ago.

Love you.

[short-line2.livejournal.com]

I feel your pain.

Our street is being resurfaced including removal of three inches of the existing surface. They for some reason are taking a very long time to do a job that could have been done in 2 days. They are now in the 4th week. For two days they milled up sections of the old asphalt. Then disappeared for two weeks and returned to do the other half of the milling. They gone for a long time before laying the base course. They have been gone another week now and we have no idea when they will be back to lay the top course.

There are huge trenches at the entrances to all the side road and streets that are causing people to stop in the main road because they are afraid the trenches are deep enough to damage their vehicle. So lots of rear endings. They have only had the temp lane markings for the past 10 days. The street changes the number of lanes 4 times over the length of the job and people do not know when it is 2, 3, or four lanes and are driving even more stupid than ever.

We also did NOT receive any written notice of the work or information on what days they are active. A few signs have been placed in areas where parking is allowed but the work dates were wrong. On the days they do show up a fleet of tow trucks arrive with them.

Needless to say we have a lot of pissed off neighbors right now.

From a logistic and engineering view point the 1.5 long job could have been done in a much shorter and safer manner.

Hope the utility holes in your street go away quickly.

*hugs*

Tow trucks

[(Anonymous)]

Yikes! If they show up routinely with tow trucks, I believe I would put my cars in the yard.

Love, Mom,

Re: Tow trucks

[krasota.livejournal.com]

They didn't have tow trucks. Just two pick-ups and a backhoe.

They'd be in big trouble if they towed after not having provided notice. We've had nothing--no signs on posts, no letters, no flyers, no phone calls. No notice.

[seeliespright.livejournal.com]

What's wrong with you? They're very busy, doing important things... like figuring out how to work their tools and standing around not working. It's very difficult and taxing work!

I remember a similar situation when they were doing construction at UVa right next to my dorm. At 7am every morning they would start, but at about 7.30 they'd stop and not resume until 9am or so (AFTER WAKING ME UP AT AN UNGODLY HOUR. ARRGH.)

They suck. I'm sorry.

[twopiearr.livejournal.com]

Dear Angry Consumer,

Fortunately, the Public Utilities have no serious competition, and so we could give a flying fuck about your petty concerns.

Love and Kisses,

The PUC

[twopiearr.livejournal.com]

(and since the dripping sarcasm from my voice may not translate to the net - I feel your pain. believe me. LA is legendary for such nonsense.)

[krasota.livejournal.com]

Dear PUC,

I see that you've filled the holes in with gravel and have left for lunch, leaving behind your backhoe and Whacker™, yet our water is still AWOL. I can't very well hotwire your heavy machinery while nursing a babe, but I can hold your Whacker™ hostage until you return my water service so that I can make use of my toilet.

Sincerely,
Girl Who Does Not Wear Diapers

[xiane.livejournal.com]

I think you should go out there and INSIST that they dig up and/or destroy something. It's the least they can do after waking up everyone.

I'd be livid, too.

[ashiegrrrl.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

If only it was legal to shoot people for being stupid and rude.

[compostwormbin.livejournal.com]

I feel so fortuante. When we has Public Utilities folks at the house earlier this year they were very polite and explained what was happening. Sorry you have crappy PUC people.