the man from the electric company....

[DrFaroohk]

This is pretty hypothetical, but I've always wondered...when the man from the electric company comes to shut off your power...what happens if you just say "No, I'm not going to let you"? Not violence, but simply not allowing him physical access to your power box?

I would assume he goes to get the police, but what happens when you just say "I never said that. He's high."

[NorthernZel]

Dunno how it works in the US, but over here there the power company DOES document their stuff. So if you deny the power company to enter and they call the cops, they damn sure can do a very detailed "show and tell" show to the cop. The cop will then ensure that they can get access to the power box.

[DrFaroohk]

Dunno how it works in the US, but over here there the power company DOES document their stuff. So if you deny the power company to enter and they call the cops, they damn sure can do a very detailed "show and tell" show to the cop. The cop will then ensure that they can get access to the power box.

But what's to show and tell? Unless he's got a video camera or a tape recorder in his pocket, how can he prove it?

Again, this is all hypo. I'm not quite dumb enough to tell the man from the electric company that.

Although, it would be helpful, if one had the money but not readily available. Save you a lame "reconnect" fee. You send him packing, he goes to cops, you get the money squared away, he comes back and you just say "Yeah here's your money now fuck off."

[draggar]

If they can't get to the main breaker then they find other ways.

(Spoken from experience).

They also take their sweet time turning it back on. You can pay the guy 1 minute after he turns it off and he can't turn it back on - they have to dispatch someone else, 24-48 hours later, plus a reconnect fee.

(Also from experience).

... and don't think about throwing the breaker yourself. That's a $150 fine.

[Ree]

Just pay your bill?

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I was thinking that sounded like a pretty hassle free option myself.

[tollbaby]

This is pretty hypothetical, but I've always wondered...when the man from the electric company comes to shut off your power...what happens if you just say "No, I'm not going to let you"? Not violence, but simply not allowing him physical access to your power box?

I would assume he goes to get the police, but what happens when you just say "I never said that. He's high."

DISCLAIMER - I realized how this sounded after I typed it out. I'm responding in generalities, not saying that Dr.Faroohk is sucky!!!

a) That makes you the suckiest of sucky customers. First you didn't pay, and now you're being an ass about being disconnected?

b) The police are called and accompany the technician. The police will NOT take your word for it, they will believe the technician. There are usually one or two officers assigned to this duty, and they see it 20-30 times a month.

c) You will now have a charge from the police department as well as the bill from the electric company to pay, because the police get very annoyed when people make this sort of thing necessary. It's akin to pulling a fire alarm in a public place, making the firemen come for nothing.

Why yes, I did work for the electric company for two years. Why do you ask? :P

[DrFaroohk]

And that's why I'd never ACTUALLY do that...it's just tempting lol...

Especially after the screwing the power company gave us once, where he showed up to disconnect us unless we had like five hundred dollars right there. I explained that we'd already paid, and that a simple call to his home office would verify that, but he said "That's not my job." And unhooked us anyway. So they got an extra 60 dollars out of us.

I hate that. This is for another topic, but it doesn't cost 60 dollars for him to walk out back of my house, open the panel and flip a switch.

[Bright_Star]

Just pay your bill?

..and if it's too damn high then how do you do that anyway? Speaking from experience. Around here, it's not unusual to see electric bills be as high as $800!!
The electric rates in my area are out of this world. It's in the winter they get sky high.

[DrFaroohk]

Well the good news is as long as you're at least making some effort to pay they won't shut you off. i dunno if that's a law or not, but it seems to work.

[Ree]

Yeah, most places will try to work with you if you are at least making an effort.