Letters to Editor
Monopolistic Utility
From Issue: Volume XX - Number 13
6/29/2012
On Tuesday, June 12, I received a notice in the U.S. mail from Southern California Edison at my business stating that there would be a “planned power outage” from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Friday, June 15. I cannot run my business without power and called the customer service (customer dis-service?) number listed on the notice. I was told by the representative that I should consider myself lucky since SCE is only required to give two days notice and that I had, after all, been given three days notice. Gee, thanks guy!
He further chided me by asking, “What would you rather have, a planned outage or an unplanned outage?” All I was asking for was a little notice so that I could plan accordingly. Plan employ-ees time off, notify customers of the shutdown. You know, minor things. The representative then stated that I could always buy a generator at my personal expense! I had no choice but to give all my employees the day off and incur a tremendous financial loss as well as an inconvenience to my customers.
Out of curiosity, I came to work at 7 a.m. on Friday and stayed until 5:45 p.m. Guess what? No power outage of any kind! Also no SCE trucks or employees were anywhere to be found. I in-curred a financial loss, my customers an inconvenience and my employees were given an unplanned day off. Many of my employees are paid a bonus based on productivity and did not want the day off!
My questions:
Why disrupt local businesses for no reason?
Why mock the business owners who request a little notice, if not input?
Why could SCE not schedule this work, or in this instance, no work on a weekend or after hours?
What genius decided that two days was more than enough notice to force entire organizations to shut down for no apparent reason?
Why do we entrust SCE with monopolistic powers which they abuse?
The representatives I spoke to were scornfully and condescendingly proud. I would gladly switch electric providers if I had a choice!
SCE’s attitude seems to be you take our service the way we provide it, you take our abuse, and don’t even think about questioning us because we will mock, chide and laugh at you knowing that there is not a damn thing you can do about it! In the future, I will bow to the perceived kings of the economy, SCE.
Please forgive my reckless and misguided idea that businesses actually mattered. Forgive me SCE, I know not my place nor my organization’s in the pecking order of SCE. What’s the old tag line, “Life, powered by Edison.” Thank you for the apathetic application of this unique concept.
James Powell
Editor’s Note: The monopolistic, scornful, condescending, apathetic media representatives at SCE did not respond to the Beachcomber’s request for comment. James Powell operates a transmission and auto repair facility in Long Beach.
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