…back in the good old days, when the local utility was more or less local. It had been there for a long time, didn’t change much, you got to know the folks that read your meter or came around if your neighborhood or home had a problem.

Now? Not so much.

I’m trying to solve a problem with our natural gas. The ONLY way to reach the company is by calling their 800 number, and leaving your phone number so they can call back. Last night this took three and a half hours. Not fun when you are having trouble. (have I mentioned the utility has changed hands four times in the last three years? I don’t even know what the name is anymore. You have to look them up in the phone book under the name they used last year, since they changed the name but not the 800 number. Their office is a mile from my house.)

Today? The first time took an hour. The second time took an hour. Both times the person calling me was absolutely about as un-helpful as they could possibly be, short of actually calling me dirty names. Now? I’m waiting, again, for another call.

Why is this important? So we can have hot water to, you know, give kids baths and stuff.

Update: after waiting an hour for them to call back, and basically sitting on hold for twenty minutes also, I gave my story to yet another clerk. This one more helpful and less likely to call me names, she assured me that they are a huge company and there is apparently a delay in getting the inspection results by e-mail, so the report my city sent three hours ago hasn’t been processed yet. But there’s a good chance they’ll still make it out here tonite. Maybe. Oh, and too bad you’ve missed a half a day of work and two soccer practices and still can’t cook dinner; sucks to be you.