XmisterIS
Purveyor of fine nonsense
The gas main is being dug up in my street in what seems to be a completely haphazard fashion.
For example, they chopped up all the kerbs outside the houses of the neighbours opposite last thing on Friday afternoon (a 20 minute job), put up barriers so that nobody could get in or out of their driveway ... and then buggered off for the bank holiday weekend, only to return to actually dig the holes today, with the result that two people's cars were boxed in all over the bank hol. Needless to say it, but they were absolutely livid when the men returned this morning. Why couldn't they have done the 20 minute job this morning?!?! (That's but one example of what they're like).
Anyway, now they have come to my house (oh God!). I was in the middle of lunch, when a chap thumped on the front door heavily with his fist (never mind using the doorbell). I opened the door still chewing a mouthful, he looked up, scowled, didn't say, "sorry for disturbing you", or anything like that, he just said, "I need to cut your gas off tomorrow morning, when will you be in?".
I then politely asked him what exactly did he mean, I said I'd be perfectly happy to turn it off myself for him, just tell me when and I'll do it. He sighed like I was being a nuisance and said, "Well, we need to turn it off and turn it back on, when will you be in, mush?"
I asked him three times to tell me clearly and concisely exactly when, where and what was going to happen and it transpires that they need access to the property to fiddle with the meter, check the pipework, put various gubbins on various pipes, etc, etc and I will have no gas for a day. This, I can live with, but when I was sent a letter warning me that works would be carried out, it clearly said that access to my property would not be required and that the work would take no more than 2 weeks. Well, here we are 8 weeks later with the gas people wanting to take my kitchen half to bits, with less than 24 hours notice, and visibly annoyed that I'm not going to be in tomorrow!!
I have just checked the letter I was sent and, surprise surprise, no phone number or email address.
I can just see a nightmare in the offing here - my kitchen, in bits for a week and half, no gas, etc, etc.
Worth a phone call to council and not let them into my house until I get confirmation in writing of what exactly it is that they are going to do? What do you think?
For example, they chopped up all the kerbs outside the houses of the neighbours opposite last thing on Friday afternoon (a 20 minute job), put up barriers so that nobody could get in or out of their driveway ... and then buggered off for the bank holiday weekend, only to return to actually dig the holes today, with the result that two people's cars were boxed in all over the bank hol. Needless to say it, but they were absolutely livid when the men returned this morning. Why couldn't they have done the 20 minute job this morning?!?! (That's but one example of what they're like).
Anyway, now they have come to my house (oh God!). I was in the middle of lunch, when a chap thumped on the front door heavily with his fist (never mind using the doorbell). I opened the door still chewing a mouthful, he looked up, scowled, didn't say, "sorry for disturbing you", or anything like that, he just said, "I need to cut your gas off tomorrow morning, when will you be in?".
I then politely asked him what exactly did he mean, I said I'd be perfectly happy to turn it off myself for him, just tell me when and I'll do it. He sighed like I was being a nuisance and said, "Well, we need to turn it off and turn it back on, when will you be in, mush?"
I asked him three times to tell me clearly and concisely exactly when, where and what was going to happen and it transpires that they need access to the property to fiddle with the meter, check the pipework, put various gubbins on various pipes, etc, etc and I will have no gas for a day. This, I can live with, but when I was sent a letter warning me that works would be carried out, it clearly said that access to my property would not be required and that the work would take no more than 2 weeks. Well, here we are 8 weeks later with the gas people wanting to take my kitchen half to bits, with less than 24 hours notice, and visibly annoyed that I'm not going to be in tomorrow!!
I have just checked the letter I was sent and, surprise surprise, no phone number or email address.
I can just see a nightmare in the offing here - my kitchen, in bits for a week and half, no gas, etc, etc.
Worth a phone call to council and not let them into my house until I get confirmation in writing of what exactly it is that they are going to do? What do you think?
